Answer: Health promotion for the older adult is directed towards improving and maintaining health at the highest level of function and always towards greater independence. The hall mark of nursing action is health education and promotion of self-care. In developed countries, the average life expectancy is approximately 80 years, and the most rapidly growing segment of the population is the group of people 90 years of age or older. Current US government figures estimate that the group of individuals 90 years of age and older (the "old-old") will increase from the current level of 1.2 million to 9.6 million by the year 2050. Moreover, US men who are now 90 years of age are expected to live for another 3.85 years, and 90-year-old US women are
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Disease prevention involves actions to reduce or eliminate exposure to risks that might increase the chances that an individual or group will incur disease, disability, or premature death. Some risk factors for disease and disability are mutable or amenable to change (such as personal habits), while others (such as genetic endowment and family history) are not . A major goal of the health promotion and disease prevention approach—both for individuals and for an entire population—is "to identify the health problems for which preventive efforts can result in more appropriate utilization of health services and improvements in health status "(Ames and Kneisl, …show more content…
Although efforts have typically been targeted at younger persons, there is growing evidence that this approach is both appropriate and feasible for those age 65 and over. The health promotion and disease prevention approach is one of a number of possible strategies to deal with what has increasingly become a hallmark of current times: the prevalence of chronic illness and multiple chronic illnesses or functional impairments among the elderly. While it will not replace medical care either for the treatment of acute diseases or for acute flare-ups of chronic illness, this approach has promise for reducing the incidence and prevalence of chronic and acute disease among both the general population and the elderly. In addition, of course, both long-term medical treatment and care for many diseases and illnesses, as well as research to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of chronic and acute disease, are a continuing
Disease prevention involves actions to reduce or eliminate exposure to risks that might increase the chances that an individual or group will incur disease, disability, or premature death. Some risk factors for disease and disability are mutable or amenable to change (such as personal habits), while others (such as genetic endowment and family history) are not . A major goal of the health promotion and disease prevention approach—both for individuals and for an entire population—is "to identify the health problems for which preventive efforts can result in more appropriate utilization of health services and improvements in health status "(Ames and Kneisl, …show more content…
Although efforts have typically been targeted at younger persons, there is growing evidence that this approach is both appropriate and feasible for those age 65 and over. The health promotion and disease prevention approach is one of a number of possible strategies to deal with what has increasingly become a hallmark of current times: the prevalence of chronic illness and multiple chronic illnesses or functional impairments among the elderly. While it will not replace medical care either for the treatment of acute diseases or for acute flare-ups of chronic illness, this approach has promise for reducing the incidence and prevalence of chronic and acute disease among both the general population and the elderly. In addition, of course, both long-term medical treatment and care for many diseases and illnesses, as well as research to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of chronic and acute disease, are a continuing