The senior center is a facility that deals with the provision of national leadership and public health concerns with an aim of facilitating healthy aging, and prevention of diseases and injuries in the aging population. The aging population is associated with various injuries caused by falls such as hip fractures and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). This poses a serious risk to the health of older adults. However, an older adult can avoid these injuries and accidents in various ways.
Strategies the aging populations use to protect themselves from injuries and accidents
These ways may include a structured exercise program, which is important in serving the purpose of promoting the physical well-being of older adults (LIFE Study Investigators, 2006). This may also help to protect the aging population from walking disabilities. The elderly also use assistive devices to protect themselves from injuries and other accidents. Assistive devices include equipment that enables older patients to do things independently without relying on another person.
Environmental accessibility adaptation is another way that the aging population uses to ensure they are safe. This is simply mastering the residence or home, to facilitate the safety and independence of the older adult.
Polypharmacy
Polypharmacy is a practice that involves taking multiple medications that are not necessarily important (Fulton & Allen, 2005). It is good for older patients, to take more medication compared to younger individuals. However, the more medication an older patient takes, the more exposed to drug-related health problems, because the body responds differently to medication as it ages.
This condition is mainly associated with elderly people of age 65 years and above. An elderly person is susceptible to take wrong or in appropriate medication, or medication that is not well prescribed. This may result into a condition called adverse drug event (ADE), which is mainly caused by interaction of different drugs in the body (Fulton & Allen, 2005).
Polypharmacy may be as a result of doctors/clinicians prescribing more medicine to their aged patients due to the fact that the medicines are readily available. Polypharmacy may also be caused by prescribing cascade, whereby an elderly patient experience side effects from the medication he/she is taking, leading to misinterpretation by the doctor or clinician as symptoms of another disease. The elderly patient is then prescribed another drug, which may also have side effects.
Economic situation confronting older adults
It is statistically proven that more than 9.95% of old adults above 65 years and above, live both at the poverty line and below. 31.4% of these are viewed as economically insecure, in that they may not be able to obtain basic necessities. About 50% of all the older adults of age 65 and above have low income to be able to meet their basic necessities. Female are worse compared to male in terms of extreme poverty (Johnson & Wilson, 2010).
The recent experienced economic crisis was more likely to increase the vulnerability of older people to poverty, because many elderly people are unemployed, and are experiencing credit card debts as well as losses in their savings. Many older adults encountered losses of their wealth, leaving them without any economic security and vulnerable to poverty.
The government should set and maintain programs for the elderly to prevent them from experiencing economic problems in their old age. These may include programs such as security funds, pension schemes etc.
References
Fulton, M. M & Allen, E. R. (2005). Polypharmacy in the elderly: A literature review. 123. J Am Acad Nurse Pract, 17(4) , 123.
Johnson, K., & Wilson, K. (2010). Current Economic Status of Older Adults in the United States: A Demographic Analysis, National Council on Aging. A Demographic Analysis, National Council on Aging , 1-17.
LIFE Study Investigators. (2006). Effects of a physical activity intervention on measures of physical performance: Results of the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders pilot (LIFE-P) study. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences: 61A(11), 1.