As the world's population ages, the need for geriatric care has become more pressing than ever.
Geriatrics is an important part of managing the health and well-being of elderly individuals, and
its continued role in the healthcare industry is becoming increasingly important with each
passing year. In this essay, we will discuss the role of geriatric care in modern society and
explore its impact on ageing individuals.
The population of older adults is growing quickly as life expectancy increases, leading to an
increase in the number of people facing age-related diseases. Elderly individuals face unique
health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke, as well as age-related cognitive and
mobility issues (Chang et al., 2019). Furthermore, caregiving for these issues mostly falls on the
elderly’s family, the majority of which are female (Foley et al., 2018). Paperova and Vallin (2008)
found that “the majority of all caregivers in the study were children (80%) or spouses (15%) of
elderly people”, and that “children of the elderly are mostly daughter”(p.70). Compared to elder
men, older women are much more likely to need help with activities of daily living due to health
concerns (Lundy et al., 2017). Despite this, research suggests that many of these older adults
are still able to live both independently and with their families (Cheng et al., 2020). Therefore, it
is important to ensure that individuals understand the diseases faced by the elderly and provide
appropriate help and support to the elderly and their families, especially for women.
Works Cited:
, Chang, S., Ha, Y., Choi, H., Kim, S., & Byun, W. (2019). Age-related changes in health and
functioning of older adults: A systematic review of longitudinal studies. International journal of
environmental research and public health, 16(14), 2481.
Cheng, H. S., Taylor, J. A., Unni, A. S., Ostbye, T., Yue, X., & Szanton, S. L. (2020). Correlates of
falls and fear of falling among community-dwelling older adults: The experience of urban, rural,
and urban-adjacent older adults. The Gerontologist, 60(3), 343–354.
https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnz068
Foley, E., Pearson, L., Footitt, R., & Dobson, R. (2018). Life course and generational perspectives
on caring for older people. The European Journal of Ageing, 15(3), 233–242.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-018-0443-3
Lundy, C., Clarke, S., Thomas, S. B., & Dunsmuir, W. T. M. (2017). Prevalence and correlates of
frailty in elderly women: Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. BMC
Geriatrics, 17(1), 195. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-017-0568-6
Pepařová, I., & Vallin, J. (2008). Structure and guiding principles of informal care for elderly
people in Europe. Demographic Research, 19(4), 59–84.
https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2008.19.4
Elderly individuals face an increased number of physical and mental health risks compared to
younger adults. Common ailments among the elderly population include type 2 diabetes,