Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Problem Of Elderly People - 2891 Words

There are a number of population groups vulnerable to loneliness. However, elderly people are often more so targeted by loneliness which is owed to ‘loss of friends and family, loss of mobility or loss of income’.(Saito) Because of this, there has been an increased public concern on the issue of loneliness in senior populations. The statistics on population aging in developed countries are well known. Those aged 60 and above currently account for approximately 20 percent of the population in developed countries and this proportion is expected to rise to 24 percent by 2030. In the next 20 years, the population of those aged over 80 will triple and those over 90 will double.(aging statistics) As the population of the elderly in these†¦show more content†¦Not surprisingly, loneliness has been shown to have a significant negative impact on quality of life and health. Being lonely has a strong and lasting effect on blood pressure, with studies revealing that lonely i ndividuals have higher blood pressure than their less lonely peers. Luanaigh and Lawlor, members of the Mercer’s Institute of Research in Aging located at St. James Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, have found this to be true in individuals regardless numerous factors, which include age, gender, race, cardiovascular risk factors, medications, health conditions and the effects of depressive symptoms.(Luanaigh and Lawlor) Loneliness may also affect a person’s mental state and mortality. In Pitkala et al’s research, done from Helsinki University Central Hospital at University of Helsinki, Finland, loneliness is associated with depression and higher rates of mortality(Pitkala). Amazingly, the inï ¬â€šuence of social relationships on the risk of death is shown to be comparable with other well-established risk factors for mortality such as smoking and alcohol consumption. Additionally, this negative impact on an individual’s health may lead them to require a

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