Increasing Aging of Global Population - Research Paper Example

? Health sciences and medicine Increasing aging of global population In today’s world both in the developed and developing countries, the quality of life of the elderly is getting transformed and they are facing significant challenges in life. Aging is one of the significant challenges which the elderly people are facing today. When people become old, their participation changes with respect to leisure and recreation activities. This change occurs as a result of inherent transitions within the life cycle of these people. In this respect, the intervention of the government as well as the nongovernmental institutions plays an important role. They intervene within the policy making domain and helps in the generation of awareness of different policies inducing the programmers for developing the quality of the ageing population. With these, the individuals have to follow the policies and execute the practices in a strict manner so that they can lead a better life and achieve healthy aging. Thus within the societal structure, implementation of a healthy ageing regime is utmost necessary for the purpose of diminishing morbidity as well as promotion of quality life within the ageing population. Leisure is an essential attribute of the ageing population which leads to the elder people in non participation. Thus practices associated with leisure are very important as they will promote healthier life for the older people (Dube & Choyal, 414). Thus the thesis statement in this paper is, “a healthy lifestyle and support system are crucial for healthy aging”. Factors related to increased aging Aging is a grave problem in today’s world. The people are experiencing aging at a much earlier age. Various factors can be held responsible for this. Immense stress on the attributes of individualism with the increase in urbanization, expanded industrial development and globalization has affected the status of the aging population (World Health Organization, 51). The climatic change with rapid increase in air pollution can be regarded as an important factor for the ageing of population. These are affecting the elderly persons in an adverse manner and affecting their health in adverse manner. The climatic factors act as a threat to the older population in the future (Davies & James, 163). The social security system can be also regarded as an important variable affecting the ageing of population. Japan is a developed nation and the population of the country is rapidly aging. It is expected that by the year 2020, the elderly person can be accounted for more than a quarter of the total population by that time. There has been a much rise in the urge for developing the social security system, pension management schemes, financial and capital markets and labor markets for the purpose of creating a sustainable dynamic society (MacKellar, x). Ageing is a process which is gradual in nature and it is vehemently associated with the mental health of the individuals. Increasing the mental health of the individuals will decrease the ageing problem of the population. Poverty acts as a predominant factor in aggravating ageing problem of the population (Vincent, 60). Education is also an important factor which aggravates the ageing problem of the population. Lack of education drives the people in avoiding various important areas of health and ageing increases as a result. Health literacy is a significant parameter for avoiding population ageing. Urge for healthy ageing Population of the old people is increasing in a pace which is much faster as compared to other age group age segments across the world. Studies of Mallick in 2009 revealed that ageing is the most significant outcome of demographic transition. In today’s world, the profile of the elderly population is changing in a rapid pace and it is undergoing robust transformation. Transformation of the elderly people is in today’s world directing towards living healthy aging and active lives. Quality of life of the individuals is affected directly or indirectly through the transformation. In the developing countries the living conditions of the people have seen stark deterioration. An urge of living a healthy ageing has evolved (Dube & Choyal, 414). Proper practices for healthy aging Centre for disease control indicated within the Healthy People 2010 directed towards increasing life expectancy and minimizes the disability of the older people. From the studies of Albert and Freedman it has been revealed that in 2007 directed that, “CDC promotes the use of effective preventive measures for making healthy aging a reality for the older people” (81). The health ageing program of CDC which has been established within National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health promotion developed a research program which rests on the premise that “poor health is not an inevitable consequence of aging” (81). In order to achieve healthy aging, necessity of physical exercises is omnipotent. Physical exercises help in increasing the strength of the elderly people and acts as a strong variable for attaining healthy aging. Physical exercises are highly essential for the purpose of maintaining health and it helps in reducing incidence of cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, bone loss and also helps in the reduction of cancer (McCormick, 90). Physical exercises minimize blood pressure of people suffering hypertension, stroke vulnerability as well as insulin sensitivity. Exercises help in the reduction of depression and reduce probabilities of dementia development. Various physical activities like rope skipping, running, gymnastics are useful for attaining healthy aging. Traditional Chinese gymnastics like taijiquan which is a kind of Chinese boxing can be also applied. This is a kind of Chinese boxing whose features of soft and relaxing movements helps mainly the physically weak individuals. For the middle and old aged peoples, walking is also utmost necessary for healthy aging (Leung, 141). Food is also an important criterion for the healthy aging. The elderly people must ensure that that they receive ample amount of nutrients. The elderly need to ensure that they receive adequate nutrients. As with other age groups, they also need to take an adequate amount of vegetables and fruits. They are also required to make a minimal intake of saturated food along with animal fats and salts. If the person is allergic to any type of foods like wheat , dairy, corn, soy or eggs, gluten then they should be eliminated from the diet. Inflammation is a stereotype in case of the elderly people. The women who possess osteoporosis should increase food intake rich with antioxidants. Antioxidants helps in increasing bone formation, reduces inflammation and helps in preserving skeleton despite the importance of estrogen for the purpose of maintaining bone (McCormick, 91) Significance of leisure and practices Leisure is also an important parameter in promoting healthy ageing. The attributes of leisure helps in attaining social satisfaction and also that of having rewarding relationships with the other people thus providing a platform for social integration. Leisure is essentially required for the elderly people because they require an optimum space for their family and friends. This creates an additional social identity for the older people and it also acts as a promoter of physical and mental development. Spending quality time in leisure reaps immense benefits for augmenting social skills, developed physical fitness and nourishing of the intellectual and cognitive skills. It develops a simulation procedure and imbibes a stigmatic influence within these older people (Dube & Choyal, 414). Leisure time physical activities are highly recommended for the purpose of reducing risks for the chronic diseases and also enhance the overall status of health. Findings reveal that majority of the individuals only possess 3 to 4 hours of available hours for the purpose of leisure time activities. Optimal utilization in this time period can optimize the levels of healthy ageing (Bouchard & Katzmarzyk, 8). From the studies of World Health Organization (WHO) the leisure time activities imparts immense benefits (Dishman et al, 1). These are highly important in the development of skeleton, muscles, emotional and psychological well beings of the adult persons. Leisure time activities also prevent these elder people from degenerative diseases (Berdanier, 738). Leisure time physical activities can be represented as an integral part of the healthy lifestyle and imparts several health effects across a large number of cohorts, discrete populations as well as effective for the chronic diseases. From the studies of Fransson et al in 2003, it has been revealed that these activities help in significant risk reduction in association the cardiovascular diseases among the elderly persons. The elderly people participating in activities like light intensity exercises led to the reduction of various resistance exercises dedicated towards helping the elderly persons for enhancing their muscle strengths. Studies of Juarbe et al in 2002 also highlighted on similar argument findings and also added that a regular pattern of leisure activities are highly essential in stimulating different health benefits like the improvement in the physical health, understanding the management of diseases in a proper manner, prevention of illness and also promotion of the overall quality of life. Thus there is an utmost necessity of implementing appropriate leisure programs for the purpose of restricting deterioration of mental conditions of the elderly people. Although the individuals grow in age but their desire for learning and become mentally active do not stand as a hindrance (Dube & Choyal, 417). Refutations The advancement of technology and its application is highly embraced in the development of the physical and mental conditions of the elderly people. One of the improved techniques associated with healthy ageing is that of laproscopic surgery. These surgeries include a very a little area of exposure and are less painful and cure a person in much lesser time than open surgeries. These surgeries increase the vulnerability towards postoperative ileus , increases surgical margins. The procedure is much more complicated and involves greater costs. The “mobilization of the neurovascular bundle with electrocautery results in thermal injury to the cavernous nerves” (Lepor). Medication is an important aspect of healthy aging. In most of the times aging of the population increases due to the lack of adopting proper medication techniques by the elderly people. However with greater medication there are side effects associated which causes adverse health effects. Major challenges in healthy aging are associated with nurses and the physicians associated with the development of the elderly people. They have to visualize each of the persons with respect to individual strengths and requirements. They also have to consider the environment supporting or constraining health and the wellbeing. The nurses and the physicians will have to properly understand with in depth analysis of the health problems of these elderly people and how they are experiencing health. In these areas it has been seen that the medical institutions are not effective enough in properly catering the elder people and helping them to lead a better life. But they have to understand this process very carefully as because from this arena there will arise plans which will be implemented for the provision of community support that will be able to help the elderly people to attain healthy aging (McMurray & Clendon, 270). Conclusion Thorough discussion in the paper direct towards the fact that healthy aging is an essential process for maintaining enhanced life style at older age. The problem of aging is not only seen in developing nations but also in the developed nations of the world. Developed nations like Japan are also suffering a great deal with the aging problem and they can forecast the problem to be a grave one in the coming future. Requirement of support system is quintessential. It is through proper physical exercises and food habits that the elderly are able to attain a healthy aging. Leisure is a significant issue associated with the ageing and optimally using leisure time will actually benefit the older people both physically and mentally. Technological implementations are associated directly with healthy aging. However it has been seen that improved surgical techniques like laparoscopy bears some disadvantage. Again medications also bear certain side effects and proper administration of the nurses and physicians are some constraints. However, the benefits of the policies related with the healthy aging outweigh its disadvantages and effective and proper policies are rigorously important for the attainment of healthy ageing. Works Cited Albert, Steven, M, Public Health and Aging: Maximizing Function and Well-Being, Second Edition, Springer Publishing Company, 2009 Bouchard, Claude & Katzmarzyk, Peter T, Physical Activity and Obesity, 2E, Human Kinetics, 2010 Berdanier, Carolyn, D, Handbook of Nutrition and Food, CRC Press, 2002. Dube Shubha & Choyal, Titiksha, Leisure: Effect on Healthy Ageing, Department of Home Science, University of Rajasthan, Vol.26, No.3. 2012. December 7,2012 from: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c74676e2-0866-4ef2-94cc-fb2156942d18%40sessionmgr13&vid=4&hid=10 Davies, Amanda & James, Amity, Geographies of Ageing: Social Processes and the, Ashgate Publishing, 2011 Dishman et al, Physical Activity Epidemiology, 2E, Human Kinetics, 2012 Lepor, Herbert, Open Versus Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy, Vol. 7, Issue 3, pp.-115–127.US National Library of Medicine Leung, Ping Cheung, Healthy Aging, World Scientific, 2010 MacKellar, Landis, F, Spatial Unevenness of Population Ageing 2004, The Economic Impacts of Population Ageing in Japan, 2004 McCormick, Keith R, The Whole-Body Approach to Osteoporosis: How to Improve Bone Strength and Reduce Your Fracture Risk, New Harbinger Publications, 2009 McMurray, Anne & Clendon, Jill, Community Health and Wellness: Primary Health Care in Practice, Elsevier Australia. 2010 World Health Organization, Preventing Chronic Diseases: A Vital Investment, World Health Organization, 2005 Vincent, John A, Old Age, Psychology Press, 2003 Read More