Perspective of Aging - Medical specialty that deals with the
physiology of aging and with the diagnosis
Historical Perspective in the study of Aging
and treatment of diseases affecting older
• In the late 1960’s research began to indicate aldults.
that adults of all ages are not the same. Gerontics/ Gerontics Nursing
• The focus of health care shifter from illness
to wellness. - Define as the nursing care and the services
• provide to the older adults.
AGING IS A DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS Gerontological Nursing
Everyone must undergo this phase of life “AGING” - Falls within the discipline of nursing and the
at his or her own time and pace. scope of nursing practice.
- “Gerontological nursing is an evidence-
Reflects all the changes taking place over the course based nursing specialty practice that
of life. addresses the unique physiological, social,
This changes start from birth-one grows, develops psychological, developmental, economic,
and attains maturity. cultural, spiritual, and advocacy needs of
older adults.
AGING IS NOT A DISEASE - “Focuses on the process of aging and the
protection, promotion, restoration and
-normal process of time-related change, begins with
optimization of health and functions;
birth and continues throughout life, thus it is called
prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of
developmental process.
healing; alleviation of suffering through the
Aging Process- process of growing old on diagnosis and treatment of human response;
developing the appearance and characteristics of and advocacy in the care of older adults,
old age. families, groups, communities and
populations”
Development Principles
Gerontological Nurse
• Lifelong
• Multidimensional - Helps care of aging and elderly individuals
• Multidirectional - Specially trained to treat the complex
• Contextual physical and mental health needs of older
• Plastic adults.
- Works in collaboration with older adults, their
• Multidisciplinary
family, and communities to support healthy
Despite the normality and naturalness of this aging, maximum functioning, and quality of
experience, many people approach aging as though life.
it were a pathological experience, witnessed by - Works as a care manager to design healthy
comments that associate aging with: regimens that elderly patient can follow to
stay healthier and more active late in life.
Looking gray and wrinkled; becoming sick and frail Works with:
losing one’s mind; obtaining little satisfaction from
- Healthy elderly persons in the communities
life returning to childlike behaviors; being useless
- Acutely ill elders requiring hospitalization and
Ageism – refers to stereotypes (how we think) treatment
prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we - Chronically ill or disables elders in long-term
act) towards others or oneself based on age. care facilities, skilled care home care, and
hospice (where gerontological rehabilitation
Gerontology nursing will come in)
Gero- Greek word “old age” SCOPE OF PRACTICE
Logia- study of -All older adults from the time of “old age” until death
- Study of all aspects of aging process, ROLES
including clinical, psychological, economic,
and sociologic problems of older adults and -Provider of care, teacher, manager, advocate,
the consequences of these problems for research consumer
older adults and society.
GERONTOLOGY-BIOPHYSYCHOSOCIAL
Geriatrics ASPECTS OF AGING
,Social GN – social gerontologists seek to Ex: Integumentary system (Skin: loss of thickness,
understand how the biological process of aging sagging, wrinkling, decreased skin temp-
influences the social aspects of aging. hypothermic, age spots, etc.)
Geropsychology – helping older persons and their Functional Aging
families maintain well-being, overcome problems,
-Functionally, ageing refers to the capabilities of the
and achieve maximum potential later life.
individual to function in society.
Geropharmacology – certified geriatric pharmacist-
Psychological Aging
pharmacology related to older adults
-Involves changes in memory, learning, intelligence,
Financial GN-knowledge of financial planning and
personality, and coping.
services with special expertise in the needs of older
adults. Ex: forgetfulness, takes longer to remember
information, slow in recalling names and dates, lose
Gerontological Rehabilitation Nursing- combines
things like their eyeglasses, missing keys, etc.
expertise in gerontological nursing with rehabilitation
concepts and practice. Social Aging
Gerontological Nursing- nurses advocating for the -Consider the manifestations of both socially healthy
health of older persons at all levels of prevention. and socially unhealthy aging person.
Ex: Healthy: enjoys life, and stay connected with
friends and relatives
AGING CAN BE CLASSIFIED AS:
Unhealthy: cranky, sensitive, cannot get along with
Chronological Aging
others
-Objectively, aging is a universal process that begins
Cognitive Aging
at birth and is specified by the chronological age
criterion, in other words, the number of days, months -Is the decline of cognitive process that occurs as
or years a person has been alive. people get older.
Ex: Date of birth: August 8, 1968
Date of today: September 14, 2020 GLOBAL AGING
Chronological Aging: 52 years, 1 month, 6 years old -globally speaking people are living longer
-for the first time in history, most people can expect
to live into their sixties and beyond
CLASSIFICATION OF AGING ACCORDING TO
CHRONOLOGICAL AGING (WHO) -By 2050, the world’s population aged 60 years and
older is believed to total to 2 billion from 900 million
• Young adult : 65-74
in 2015.
• Middle adult : 75-84
• Old-old : 85 + -The pace population ageing around the world is
• Centenarians or Elite-old : 100 + also increasing dramatically.
These numbers merely provide a guideline but do DEMOGRAPHY OF AGING AND IMPLICATION
not actually define the various state of the aging FOR HEALTH AND NURSING CARE
population, why?
Key Facts by WHO:
There are vast differences exist between biological
-Between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the
and chronological aging, and between physical,
world’s population over 60 years will nearly double
emotional, social, psychological aspects of aging.
from 12% to 22%.
How and at what rate a person ages depends upon
-By 2020, the number of people aged 60 years and
a host of factors.
older will outnumber children younger than 5 years.
-The pace of population ageing is much faster than
AGING CAN BE CLASSIFIED AS: in the past.
Biological or Physiological Aging -In 2050, 80% of older people will be living in low and
middle income countries.
-Ageing is marked by gradual changes or
deterioration of function characteristic. This refers to -All countries face major challenges to ensure that
,Life Expectancy of their care plan. Their family members or other
caregivers may also need to be educated on how
-The term “life expectancy” refers to the number of
elderly patients fulfill these responsibilities.
years a person can expect to live.
AGING IN THE PHILIPPINES
• -The current life expectancy for Philippines in
2020 is 71.28 years (current is 71.41) -According to the recent population estimate of the
• -China in 2020 is 76.96 years University of the Philippines Population Institute,
• -US – 78.93 years Diliman, Quezon City, senior citizen aged 60 and
• -UK – 81.15 years over is about 7,548,769 or 7.5% of the 2017
• -Japanese is 84.10 years Philippine population. CALABARZON, has the
highest number followed by the NCR and region 3,
while ARMM is recorded to have the least populated
region. This report is 0.7% higher than in 2010 (6.8
IMPACT OF GLOBAL AGING
percent), (DOH).
-Unpreceded changes are occurring worldwide as
In Philippines, population be considered aging:
fertility and mortality rates decline in most countries
and as populations age. • Young societies – less than 10% of
-These changes affect individuals, families, population age 60 and over
governments, and private-sector organizations as • Ageing societies – 10 to 19% of population
they seek to answer questions related to health care, age 60 and over
housing, social security, work and retirement, • High-ageing societies- 20 to 29% of
caregiving, and the burden of disease and disability. population age 60 and over
• Hyper-ageing societies – 30% or more
population age 60 and over
IMPLICATION OF AGING POPULATION The Philippines is projected to transition to an aging
-With the global population aging rapidly, there are population between 2025-2030 based on population
four main economic implications that we should take projections.
into account for reasonable decision-making: Increasing life expectancy at age 60 which suggests
the improving longevity of older Filipinos. Female
• A shrinking workforce
older population live longer but spend a greater part
• Decreasing social security contributions
of their remaining life in inactive state relative to the
• Increasing healthcare expenditures, and
males.
• An insufficient caretaker workforce
In the Philippines, the number of older people is
-This demographic shift has serious implications for increasing rapidly, faster than growth in total
many aspects of our society, but especially for the population.
health care industry- and for nurses.
IMPLICATION
-Older adults have specific health needs that nurses
will need to anticipate and adjust to accommodate to In the Philippines, older people need care and
ensure optimal patient outcomes such as: support
Multiple chronic conditions An ageing population increases the demand for
health services. Older people suffer from both
-as the human lifespan increases, so does the degenerative and communicable diseases due to
prevalence of chronic illnesses: 68 percent of older the ageing of the body’s immune system. The
adults have at least two chronic diseases. It is leading causes of morbidity are infections, while
estimated that by 2040, almost 160 million people in visual impairment, difficulty in waling, chewing,
the US, most of them elderly, will be living with hearing, osteoporosis, arthritis, and incontinence are
chronic conditions. Managing multiple chronic other common health-related problems.
conditions successfully involves an awareness of
potential behavior changes, medication interaction THEREFORE, Ageing presents both challenges
and potential side effects, and strategies for relieving and opportunities.
pain and other symptoms.
It will increase demand for primary health care and
A need for home-based care long-term care, require a larger and better trained
workforce and intensify the need for environments to
-elderly and ill patients will require more in home be made more age-friendly.
care because they no longer be able to handle tasks
related to patient compliance. For instance, they Enable the many contributors of older people-
, Healthy Ageing is the focus of WHO’s work on 5. Victim
ageing between 2015-2030, emphasizes the need
-a person who forfeits his or her legitimate rights and
for action across the multiple sectors and enabling
may be physically, emotionally, socially or
older people to remain a resource to their families,
economically abused by the family.
communities and economies.
Family Caregiving
IMPACT OF AGING MEMBERS IN THE FAMILY
-primarily provided by the adult children of older
“Being a child of an older adult, whether you and
person. Often, the varying levels of participation
your parents live together or thousands of miles
among siblings may cause stress within the family.
apart, you might find yourself increasingly
responsible for their day-to-day care” It is important for the nurse to recognize the types
and levels of family caregiving:
Identification of Family Members
-Routine care-regular assistance that is incorporated
- One can identify family members by looking
into the daily routine of the caregiver
for those individuals who fulfill family
functions. -Back-up Care- assistance with routine activities that
In aging families, family functions are is provided only at the request of the main caregiver
somewhat modified to address the special
needs of the elderly and focus on the Family Caregiving
following: -dynamics among family members can have positive
• Ensuring fulfillment of physical needs or negative effects on the elderly
• Providing emotional support and comfort
• Maintaining connections with family and In assessing the family unit, it is useful to explore the
community following issues:
While interviewing older adults, it is important to -How family members feel about each other.
explore all persons who are significant others to an • Do they love but not like admire, respect, or
individual and fulfill a family role.
enjoy each other? How do they express
Asking older adults, the following questions can affection?
facilitate the identification of significant persons who
-The manner of communication
perform family functions for them:
• Do they share daily events or have contact
• Who checks on you regularly?
only on holidays? Is their style of interaction
• Who shops with or for you? parent-child or adult-adult?
• Who escorts you to the clinic or physician?
• Who assists with or manages your -Their attitude, values and beliefs.
problems?
• Do they feel that the young should take care
• Who takes care of you when you are ill?
of the old or that children owe their parents
• Who helps you make decisions? nothing? What are their expectations of
Family roles- family members assume certain roles family members, friends and society?
as a result of their socialization process and family -Links with organization and the community.
needs and expectations.
• How involved are they with persons external
1. Decision-maker
to the family unit?
-the person who is granted or assumes
responsibility for making important decisions POSITIVE EMOTIONAL EFFECTS OF CARING
or is called in times of crisis FOR AGING PARENTS
2. Caregiver 1. Enrichment that comes with relationships
between grandparents and grandchildren.
-the person who provides direct service, looks after
2. Increased opportunity to pass on stories and
and assists with personal care and home
knowledge to younger generations.
management.
3. The younger generations having a sense of
3. Deviant being able to give back to parents and
grandparents, resulting in a “greater
-the “problem child” who has strayed from family connection” between family members.
norms. May be used to fulfill family need for
scapegoat or provide sense of purpose for family
members who compensate for the individual.
