Is the incidence of disease rising in the elderly?

It may seem that disease is becoming more rampant in the elderly. It may seem that too many people you know are losing their sight, have osteoporosis or some other debilitating condition you had figured was rare. Most likely it’s all because we are living longer.

Twenty years ago many of the people suffering with things like, deep vein thrombosis, macular degeneration (where vision becomes greatly impaired) and peripheral vascular disease, would have died before their bodies could have developed the diseases. “As more and more people live longer and longer these types of diseases will have to be faced on head on,” said an 79-year-old Paget woman who is suddenly growing too many blood vessels in her eye, obstructing her vision.

“This type of thing will be a big burden on governments because if you have elderly who cannot see, they will need help. It is important economically that they try to do something.”

Director of Emergency at KEMH, Dr. Edward Schultz, agreed that medical costs will skyrocket even higher if steps are not put in place to manage the situation.

“Peripheral vascular disease is emerging as a more common disease in patients who are now living longer,” he said. “We can use it as a marker — a means of indicating those likely to get a heart attack and/or stroke.”

Government recognises the likely problem and Warren Jones, Permanent Secretary of Health, said a wellness programme for all residents is in place.

“We have been actively promoting that from the beginning of this year,” he said. Problems like obesity and smoking may be the underlying cause of a host of serious illnesses. Mr. Jones said the Wellness Programme seeks to educate the public on preventing or controlling these types of problems.