Geriatric Notes is an essential quick reference for the advanced practice provider (APP) w, Cheat Sheet of Geriatrics

Download Geriatric Notes is an essential quick reference for the advanced practice provider (APP) w and more Cheat Sheet Geriatrics in PDF only on Docsity! AGING IN THE PHILIPPINES Aging in the Philippines According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, there were 7.5 million senior citizens in the country, accounting for 7.5 percent of the total population, as of its latest census in 2015. Quoting a study conducted by the Coalition of Services of the Elderly, former senator Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV said there are already eight million senior citizens in the country and only 32 percent or 2.5 million receive social pension of just PS500 a month, while 38 percent or more than three million do not receive any pension at all. In 2018, the Department of Social Welfare and Development disclosed that P19.28 billion had been allocated for about three million elderly. But RA 9994 specifies that seniors qualified to receive the P500 monthly pension under the Social Pension Program of the DSWD are those who are frail, sickly or with disability; without any pension from other government agencies; and without a permanent source of income or source of financial assistance/compensation to support their basic needs. Top 5 Regions with Highest Number of Senior Citizen Calabarzon -13.3% of the total population. Central Luzon- 879,000 or 11.6% of the population. Metro Manila - 850,000 or 11.3% of the population. Western Visayas- 712,000+ or 9.4% of the population. Central Visayas- 619+ or 8.2% of the population. Top 5 Regions with Highest Number of Senior Citizen Other regions that have a high distribution of senior citizens are Ilocos Region (6.5%) and Bicol Region (6.1%). Regions with Lowest Number of Senior Citizen Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) 1.8 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively Determining the geographic distribution of senior citizens helps in determining how accessible they are to health and social services. Age-Sex: Senior Citizen Population (2015) In terms of sex v_ There are more female senior citizens than male. v Female senior citizens are at 3.33 million or 58.8%of the total senior citizen population, while males are 4.22 million or 44.2% Most senior citizens are married (4.37 million or 57.9 %) while 2.31 million — about 30.6% are widowed. Top causes of death among people aged 60 and above According to the 2014 Philippine Health Statistics compiled by the Department of Health Heart disease Hypertension Cardiac arrest Respiratory disease Endocrine disease Neoplasms such as cancers and tumors Infectious disease Parasitic disease Because they have greater vulnerability to diseases, senior citizens need greater access to health care facilities and treatments. However, not all senior citizens can afford or have access to such facilities. According to Lydia Manahan, a professorial lecturer at the University of the Philippines Manila College of Nursing and a member of the university's Institute on Aging, the reasons why some senior citizens experience poverty can be categorized into two: non-modifiable and modifiable. She said that old age, being a woman and inherent poverty are the three non-modifiable reasons for old-age poverty. The modifiable reasons she identified are poor health, lack of preparation for old age, lack of financial literacy, abusive children, poor pension plan quality and poor government plans that tackle senior citizen needs. These reasons are modifiable because individuals can invest to become physically fit and healthy, financially stable, and raise children who will take care of them as they grow old. She noted that governments could still improve services and the pension system for the elderly. “Poverty, | think, is a very crucial reason in not having a good quality of life, not only of the elderly but also the family. The quality of life of the family will have an impact on the quality of life of the older persons. Having a good quality of life is the responsibility of everyone; we cannot really rely on the government for this. However, the government should be supportive by enforcing or implementing laws for our senior citizens,” Manahan, who is also the founding president of the Gerontology Nurses Association of the Philippines, told The Philippine STAR. Senior citizens’ benefits Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 * — Senior citizens are entitled to a 20% discount + Exemption from value-added tax (VAT) on medicines, professional fees from private hospitals, home care providers and other health-care facilities, medical and dental services, and diagnostic and laboratory fees.