The impact of an aging population on a neuropsychiatric veterans hospital

1964 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Briggs
Keyword(s):  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 1287-1299
Author(s):  
Muhammad Akram Mohd Noordin ◽  
Mahanem Mat Noor ◽  
Wan Mohd Aizat

It is expected that in 2050, there will be more than 20% of senior citizens aged over 60 years worldwide. Such alarming statistics require immediate attention to improve the health of the aging population. Since aging is closely related to the loss of antioxidant defense mechanisms, this situation eventually leads to numerous health problems, including fertility reduction. Furthermore, plant extracts have been used in traditional medicine as potent antioxidant sources. Although many experiments had reported the impact of various bioactive compounds on aging or fertility, there is a lack of review papers that combine both subjects. In this review, we have collected and discussed various bioactive compounds from 26 different plant species known to affect both longevity and fertility. These compounds, including phenolics and terpenes, are mostly involved in the antioxidant defense mechanisms of diverse organisms such as rats, mites, fruit flies, roundworms, and even roosters. A human clinical trial should be considered in the future to measure the effects of these bioactive compounds on human health and longevity. Ultimately, these plant-derived compounds could be developed into health supplements or potential medical drugs to ensure a healthy aging population.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. e285-e288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent Jerome Wilkerson ◽  
Sandra F. Porps ◽  
Seilesh C. Babu

Gerontology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 612-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Altaf Engineer ◽  
Esther M. Sternberg ◽  
Bijan Najafi

Background: With the increasing global population of older adults, there is a need for environmental interventions that directly affect their physical, psychological, and emotional well-being to help them maintain or regain their independence and autonomy – all of which promote longevity. Methods: To better understand potential opportunities and challenges associated with interior design and “future homes” that may promote well-being, aging in place, and independent living in older adults, the authors reviewed relevant literature and included their own expert opinions from a multidisciplinary point of view including interior design, wellness, and engineering. Results: After summarizing existing environmental interventions for the aging population and their effectiveness, this review reveals knowledge gaps in interior design for the well-being and longevity of older adults followed by a discussion of opportunities for future research that may fill these gaps. Some of these opportunities include finding habilitative design strategies that identify and address unique situational needs of each user, advancing multidisciplinary fields such as environmental gerontology that recreate security and independence for older adults even outside of their homes, implementing technically advanced design strategies, which are flexible and adaptive to individual needs; and integrating the Internet of things (IoT) into living environments, including voice-activated command technologies to improve seniors’ central role in enabling an optimized healthcare ecosystem. Conclusions: Knowledge of current evidence regarding the impact of different environmental factors may hasten adaptation of well-designed innovations that can provide optimal healing and living environments for the aging population. By effectively addressing older adults’ unique and specialized needs, design practitioners can become an indispensable part of their medical, social, and environmental team. One of the rapidly developing infrastructures promising to revolutionize the design of “future homes” is the IoT. While it is at an early stage of development, ultimately we envisage a connected home using voice-controlled technology and Bluetooth-radio-connected add-ons, to augment much of what home health does today. Bringing these approaches together into an effective strategy for a model of effective geriatric care is important and needs to become an integral part of both design education and practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 724-725
Author(s):  
Amanda Sokan ◽  
Tracy Davis

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased strains on the rapidly increasing aging population’s mental, emotional, and physiological health. COVID-19, which belongs to a family of respiratory viruses, was first detected in China before spreading to other parts of the globe. Due to underlying health conditions and weakened immune systems, the aging population is at greater risk for contracting COVID-19. To better prepare for a future pandemic, it is necessary to explore the psychosocial impacts of limited human interactions to make the aging population feel safer while mitigating harm to their mental and emotional health. The purpose of this study is to highlight the experiences of the aging population with COVID-19, including psychosocial, behavioral responses to the pandemic, and older adults’ overall well-being. We surveyed a total of 203 adults 55 and older regarding their experiences with the pandemic. Survey components included the COVID-19 Household Environment Scale (Behar-Zusman, Chavez, & Gattamorta, ND), selected items from the COVID-19 Impact Study and open-ended questions, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (Williams et al., 2006), and the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, Peplau, & Ferguson, 1978). Preliminary analyses indicate that most participants had not experienced any COVID-19 symptoms, nor did they know anyone who had passed away from the virus. However, participants did report loneliness and less family cohesion because of the pandemic. Findings from this study will be used to help older adults cope with the impact of the current pandemic and future pandemics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 262-288

This article offers an analysis of the impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in Japan with regard to the healthcare sector. With unprecedented pressure from a rapidly aging population, state-sponsored initiatives have created new migration streams from Southeast Asia, diversifying attempts to procure healthcare personnel to address labor shortages. The article analyzes the recent evolution of this supply chain nexus and how it was reconfigured during the pandemic. It also highlights the fragile dependency that Japan now has on an emergent nexus with surrounding countries and the strategies it has taken to ameliorate the vagaries of the ongoing pandemic.


2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Karlstedt ◽  
Anjala Chelvanathan ◽  
Megan Da Silva ◽  
Kelby Cleverley ◽  
Kanwal Kumar ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ratana Somrongthong ◽  
Saovalux Dullyaperadis ◽  
Anne Louise Wulff ◽  
Paul R. Ward

Background. Over the last decade, Thailand has experienced an aging population, especially in rural areas. Research finds a strong, positive relationship between good quality housing and health, and this paper assesses the impact and living experience of housing of older people in rural Thailand.Methods. This was a mixed-method study, using data from observations of the physical adequacy of housing, semistructured interviews with key informants, and archival information from health records for 13 households in rural Thailand.Results. There were four main themes, each of which led to health risks for the older people: “lighting and unsafe wires,” “house design and composition,” “maintenance of the house,” and “health care equipment.” The housing was not appropriately designed to accommodate health care equipment or to fully support individual daily activities of older people. Numerous accidents occurred as a direct result of inadequate housing and the majority of houses had insufficient and unsafe lighting, floor surfaces and furniture that created health risks, and toilets or beds that were at an unsuitable height for older people.Conclusion. This paper provides an improved and an important understanding of the housing situation among older people living in rural areas in Thailand.


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