Aging Demographic cont.
Works Cited
shortage, but current doctors will be forced into geriatric medicine by necessity. Additionally, there is an increase in the specialization of medicine, which could lead to difficulty dealing with multiple pathologies that typically present with older adults¹². To deal with this issue, medical training will need to transform to include training in geriatric medicine to be able to effectively manage the treatment and care of older adults. According to WHO, we can encourage active aging by having health and social services distributed throughout cities to ensure they are conveniently reached by public transport. Additionally, residential care facilities should be located near residential areas and services to promote an integrated, intergenerational community. Another important consideration is to ensure that everyone has access to healthcare by reducing economic barriers. Also, emergency services should consider and prepare for older adults and their needs 1 .
¹World Health Organization. (2007a). Global age - friendly cities: A guide. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization. ²Vespa, J. (2021, October 9). The U.S. joins other countries with large aging populations. Census.gov. https://www.census.gov/ library/stories/2018/03/graying - america.html ³Jakovljevic, M., Kumagai, N., & Ogura, S. (2023). Editorial: Global population aging - Health care, social and economic consequences, volume II. Frontiers in public health, 11, 1184950. https:// doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1184950 ⁴Chen, L. - K. (2022). Urbanization and population aging: Converging trends of demographic transitions in Modern World. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 101, 104709. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.archger.2022.104709 ⁵What is active aging? - international council on active aging®. Inter- national Council on Active Aging. (n.d.). https://www.icaa.cc/ activeagingandwellness/what - is - active - aging.htm ⁶ Published: Feb 13, 2019. (2023, June 13). An overview of Medicare. KFF. https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue - brief/an - overview - of - medicare/ ⁷https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/09/06/opinion/seniors - old - age - america.html ⁸Marois, G., Bélanger, A., & Lutz, W. (2020). Population aging, migration, and productivity in Europe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(14), 7690 – 7695. https://doi.org/10.1073/ pnas.1918988117 ⁹Lewis, C., & Buffel, T. (2020). Aging in place and the places of aging: A longitudinal study. Journal of Aging Studies, 54, 100870. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2020.100870 ¹⁰https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/06/opinion/seniors - housing - adus.html ¹¹Zhang, X., Lin, D., Pforsich, H., & Lin, V. W. (2020). Physician work- force in the United States of America: Forecasting nationwide short- ages. Human Resources for Health, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/ s12960 - 020 - 0448 - 3 ¹²Ebrahim, S. (1999). Demographic shifts and medical training. BMJ, 319(7221), 1358 – 1360. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.319.7221.1358
These are just a few of the issues to consider when assessing the needs of an older population. Overall, there is much to do to prepare for the changing demographic. Fortunately, many of the necessary changes will not only benefit older adults, but others too. Those with disabilities will benefit from greater accessibility and everyone will benefit from policies that allow for active aging. A society that promotes healthy aging will result in healthier and happier individuals throughout all aspects of life.
Laurel Williams is the CALC undergraduate student service Program Assistant. She is completing her degree in Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences at Purdue.
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