INTRODUCTION This proposal is intended to highlight the current circumstances of the elderly regarding their relation with the health system in our region and offer some solutions for improving their lifestyle. CURRENT SITUATION Galicia dramatically comes second in the list of the most aged countries in the world, being only surpassed by Japan. Besides these impressive figures, Galician senior population is unequally distributed throughout the territory. While the general tendency is concentrating inhabitants in cities, thousands of elders are still living alone in scattered houses in rural areas. According to recent surveys, loneliness, moving difficulties and a lack in general medical prevention are the main problems they are currently facing. SUGGESTIONS It is recommended a significant reinforcement of the medical staff in rural areas. There should be field studies to pinpoint the aged citizens living in each area and identify their needs. It would also be an advantage to increase the amount and the quality of nursing homes with a transport system according to the real demand. Another recommendation is to implement a rational organised home visit system. This could quickly improve the current situation. Regarding loneliness, a plan which involves agreements with local animal shelters would give the elders a purpose aimed at doing some physical activity in addition to a responsibility that could slow down the unavoidable mental decline. FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS If these recommendations are implemented, the current undesirable situation of the elderly will definitely improve and their lifestyle will reach higher levels of health and personal fulfilment.
Introduction This proposal is intended to highlight the current problems affecting seniors and give ideas for improving the lifestyle of the elderly in small regions. During the last ten years, due to the crisis impact, communities have abandoned their elders. Current situation As the public health department in the local council may be aware, there are issues related with budget cuts which directly affect this vulnerable group. Firstly, following a survey among pensioners and their families, the situation is described as disheartening. As a result of less health care assistance and higher prices on treatments, the diseases in retired persons have increased because they cannot afford bills. Secondly, a number of concerns with regard to the healthy ageing were expressed in the demonstration supported by the community last weekend but the conclusion is always the same: budget reduction on public health raises mortality rate. Suggestions So, it is suggested that local politicians should increase the amount of money they spend on seniors at local community levels. Besides, it is recommended that elderly people should have free public health in order to prevent diseases and provide for treatments that, in other cases, they could not afford. In the same way, a major number of retirement homes should be created and made available to all pensioners in spite of their income level. Also, it would be an advantage to implement a free local programme of caregivers to promote independence and minimize the families’ workload. Final recommendations If these recommendations are implemented, the current undesirable situation with seniors will definitely improve. Bea
INTRODUCTION This proposal is intended to highlight the current issues with healthy ageing and give ideas for improving the lifestyle of the elderly. CURRENT SITUATION As the EU Health Commission may be aware, life expectancy has increased in recent years and death rate is lower than birth rate. Consequently, our population is growing older. Moreover, a study recognizes that health spending has been cut in almost all EU countries because of economic issues arising from the crisis and the elderly are the most affected group. MAIN CHALLENGES The senior members of our society have to face some challenges which complicate the quality of their lifestyle and a good example of this is that their pensions have been cut due to the recession. Another difficulty is that Social Security has stopped subsidizing the total cost of medicines. Finally, and not the least important, nowadays, the elderly have problems to go to a nursing home because there are few and they are quite expensive, so some of them cannot afford it. SUGGESTIONS In order to improve this situation, it is recommended that the government implements measures to support the lifestyle of the elderly. Apart from that, it would be an advantage to create more subsidized retirement houses and, what is more, give an alternative option for people who make do by themselves to have more places where they can meet and, then, they could stay or not. It would be up for them to stay. CONCLUSION If these recommendations are implemented, the current undesirable situation with seniors will definitely improve. After all, we all get old and I strongly believe that we must make their lives easier.
Introduction In most countries, the population is ageing, and that’s completely true in our region. It’s known that one of the main characteristics of this part of Spain is the presence of lots of small villages and even lonely houses spread all over the territory. Life is not easy in such conditions, and of course, it is really hard for ageing population. The aim of this proposal is to highlight the problems that the elderly have and to give ideas in order to increase their level of independency. The rising of life expectancy must be the starting point to increase the level of independence of this growing segment of the Galician population. Current situation The current social and demographic characteristics of our country are making life really difficult for elderly citizens. On the one hand, the pension they get from the government is normally not enough to make ends meet. Besides, nowadays, an older person has fewer children to rely on, as young citizens are leaving the countryside to large cities in search of work and a higher quality of life. On the other hand, age-related problems make seniors too fragile to live completely on their own; nevertheless, it’s highly recommended to keep the level of independence as high as possible. In this sense, the development of new technologies must be taken into account, as new devices can be really useful to ensure the fact that the elderly population can live on their own. Suggestions One of the most promising technologies is video monitoring, as it can provide close contact between all relatives and a family can even keep an eye on their older family members. Besides, new developed apps are able to detect if a person has fallen and alert general practitioners. I strongly recommend a wide campaign to carry out the implementation of these new apps in the smartphones of all those elderly citizens who live on their own.
Introduction This proposal is intended to outline the main health problems that affect seniors and to suggest ideas for improving healthy ageing. Current situation Following a recent study about the elderly's life expectancy in our town, we have discovered that our citizens are living longer than ever before, as long as they adopt some healthy habits in their daily routines. Moreover, the evolution of our health system also helps to increase their golden years.
The main challenges affecting seniors
However, it is vital to remind the elderly and their relatives of some of the challenges faced by people at that age and to make them understand that there are preventive measures that can place them on the right path to healthy aging. About half of old adults suffer from functional decline, obesity and depression because an unavoidable part of getting older is certainly the loss of muscle mass, a weaker immune system, bones becoming more fragile and loneliness. Actions to improve seniors’ lifestyle In our local council we consider that we should help out older citizens overcoming these challenges through a new health campaign focused on three strategies. Firstly, we suggest launching a major publicity campaign to inform about the importance of being physically active and eating well to prevent obesity, avoid injuries and strengthen muscles. Secondly, it is also crucial that hospitals and doctors keep insisting on regular check-ups in order to prevent potentially life threatening diseases, like pneumonia. Finally, we strongly recommend developing workshops for seniors, where they will be taught about healthy lifestyle or mental health, and they might also enable them to socialise, so that they will not feel so lonely. Conclusion If these recommendations are implemented, many seniors are bound to enhance their health and enjoy an even happier long life.
A PROPOSAL Population ageing affects all Europe, above all, Galicia, where the average age keeps rising year after year while birth and fertility rates continue dropping. Current situation in my area The area we are in charge of is mainly urban; even so the rural area signifies 30% of the population. According to the last survey conducted by the statistical service of this council, 66% of elderly people over 75 years live alone in towns, although this rate increases dramatically in case of rural areas. Main challenges Besides all the health problems related to an advanced age: diseases, disabilities, functional dependence, low income..., loneliness aggravates them and it becomes the most frequent and hard problem. That is why we welcome the EU Health Commission´s concern about elderly people and we are suggesting some actions we consider would help a plan for healthy ageing. Suggestions According with the reasons above, the suggestions will be aimed at reducing solitude in order to improve aged people´s well-being. So, first of all, architectural barriers, both in streets and buildings, must be avoided. This involves the council and the elders themselves in case they need to be subsidized to adapt their homes. Secondly, day care centres are needed, for the elderly to meet up and share their experiences and leisure time. Finally, apart from the social services depending on this council, voluntary service is crucial. A strong campaign should promote voluntary work to accompany aged people. Conclusion If these recommendations are implemented, the aged people´s current situation is bound to improve.
Isabel
A PROPOSAL Introduction Ageing is not necessarily a burden; on the contrary, older people can take an active part in society and enjoy their freedom. An appropriate plan for healthy ageing would be the best way to ensure a high quality of life to our seniors. Seniors challenges Healthy ageing means not only physical and mental but also social health. Although social inclusion is an important part of people’s life, it is relatively difficult for the elderly due to the fact that social life turns around new technologies nowadays. E-inclusion is a real challenge for seniors. Our situation Technologies are developing at a rapid pace and having access to continuous training has become essential. In our region, training in this field is only possible if each one pays for it. In addition, this training is usually focusing on young people. All this makes it difficult for the elderly to access new technologies. Steps to improve the situation To start to improve this unfavorable situation, adequate courses could be promoted for seniors. On the one hand, the courses should be affordable, even free. On the other hand, they should be taught focusing on the elderly capabilities. In this way, older people could take advance in technologies. Conclusion If these recommendations are implemented, our seniors could enhance their social inclusion. It leads to be more in touch with family, friends and carers, and greater involvement in social life. All of which helps to reduce loneliness, depression and other mental health problems and also improves general health.
INTRODUCTION This proposal is intended to highlight the current problems related to healthy ageing and give ideas to improve it in small regions.
CURRENT SITUATION As the council may be aware, there are issues with older people that represent a challenge. Many of them live in family houses far from city centre where most social services are located. For this reason, they cannot attend organized courses such as: swimming therapy, crafts, etc. A survey among residents over sixty shows their main worry; that is, they have paid taxes all their lives to have good social and health services when they retire. In the last decade, retirees have expressed through their general practitioners a number of concerns with regard to a plan for healthy ageing. Life expectancy has increased and new services must be offered to avoid loneliness.
SUGGESTIONS It is recommended to extend the route of the transport service to access the sports facilities and teach those special courses in different locations of the council. Besides, a phone app should be created and made available to all seniors. This would facilitate to know bus schedules and routes or know types of courses that will be offered and their schedules. In addition to having a chat to contact other users, emotional bonds would be created that will improve their lifestyle
FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS If these recommendations are implemented, the current situation will definitely improve, which will positively affect the National Health System and the Economy by raising awareness of healthy ageing. Our ancients knew it: “a sound mind in a sound body�
INTRODUCTION The aim of this proposal is to encourage our neighbours to do exercise regularly. It is well known that obesity is one of the biggest problems of the XXI century. Our main concerns are the lack of exercise and our diet. REASONS The main reason for running the campaign is to convince the population to do more exercise, to have fun and meet people. It is shown that a little increase in the amount of exercise done each day will have a big impact in our physical condition. Healthy habits should be introduced in our lives in order to improve our health. SUGGESTIONS As our council is quite small, the population could group into teams so as to make an appointment each day, in the same place, at the same time, in order to maintain routine. Moreover, they would be ashamed if they skipped a day or they quitted. CONCLUSION If my campaign is accepted, I suggest that the council rewards the residents who have lost more weight. I am convinced that if these actions are implemented, the current undesirable situation will definitely be improved.