Brief Overview of the Health of the Geriatric Population
The geriatric population comprises older adults 65 years and above (Wick, 2020). The population is usually characterized by the emergence of various complex health states commonly referred to as geriatric syndromes. Such health states are usually a result of various underlying factors. In the United States, the geriatric population continues to expand as people continue to live longer with multiple chronic conditions. Managing and understanding this population’s needs over time is crucial to defining healthy and successful aging.
The geriatric population is more prone to developing aging-related diseases that younger adults or children do not develop. Issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, COPD, and Ischemic heart disease, among other related conditions, are more common among this population (Wick, 2020). COPD is a common disease in the geriatric population and is usually characterized by healthcare access, utilization, and support services needs continuing to increase among the geriatric population. As a result of the increasing population size and increased number of chronic diseases among older patients, it is vital to address this population’s presented needs through relevant strategies and technologies (Hurst & Siddharthan, 2021).
Global Burden of COPD Disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is more prevalent in the geriatric population, with a high impact on this population’s morbidity, quality of life, and mortality. The disease is characterized by increased healthcare utilization, symptom burden, mortality, and unmet needs of both the involved patients and their caregivers. The treatment of older patients with COPD is usually challenging, especially when an individual does not have adequate finances to cater for the treatment. Improper disease management is also known to increase the burdens of some advanced stages, such as increased risk of cognitive and functional decline (Nili et al., 2021).
At a global level, the prevalence of COPD in 2020 was around 10.6% across both males and females, as Hurst & Siddharthan (2021) suggested. When translated into real figures, this prevalence could be translated to 480,000,000 cases (Hurst & Siddharthan, 2021). COPD prevalence is usually highest amongst women aged 65-84 and among men aged 85 years and above. Growth in the global burden of COPD is estimated to be largest among women and to be more prevalent in low and middle-income geographical regions (Hurst & Siddharthan, 2021).
Older patients are inclined to have a considerable disease burden, usually accompanied by cognitive and functional decline that complicates the successful implementation of the desired treatments. In most instances, COPD is usually associated with premature aging and other medical conditions, which can partially outline its management and underdiagnosis (Roberts et al., 2022).
This disease’s diagnosis is mainly based on sponometer values and symptoms, which support the actual presence of airflow obstruction. The disease is usually caused by an infection that affects airways and lungs, thus contributing to increased mucus build-up. The individual’s body tries to displace the formulated build-up via coughing. Elderly patients who used to smoke when young or during their middle age are more likely to suffer from COPD when they attain older adult age. Smoking is considered to be the biggest contributing factor to the actual development of COPD, and quitting smoking is the best way to overcome this disease. Other risk factors associated with COPD include genetics, infections, aging, asthma, occupational exposures, malnutrition, air pollutants, and low socio-economic status (Roberts et al., 2022).
Meeting increased numbers of needs of geriatric population patients and their families; healthcare professionals supplement the desired guideline-recommended care with necessitated treatment decision-making, which takes into consideration the comorbid conditions of the older adult, concentrates on symptom relief and normal functioning and prepares patients and their loved ones for any further decline in the health of the patient. The decline in the patient’s health might affect their independence. It thus might also affect the productivity of those required to offer caregiving services, such as nurses, family members, and friends, since they need to spend more time with the patients to offer them relevant help (Wick, 2020).
COPD is known to inflict a growing burden in both direct and indirect costs to society. The healthcare system strives to address the presented issues as it tries to treat geriatric patients suffering from COPD. The disease is known to affect the productivity of individuals and thus increases the burden of being dependent on other people and the government. Healthcare allocation of funds to manage this disease continues to rise, and the healthcare system needs to allocate more than $ 2 billion per year in every country to address this issue, as outlined by Hurst and Siddharthan (2021). In the United States, COPD costs are projected to be more than $ 4 billion annually (Hurst & Siddharthan, 2021).
Common symptoms of COPD are known to develop progressively. As this disease progresses, individuals in the selected population find it more difficult to conduct their normal daily activities due to breathlessness. There might be a considerable emotional and financial burden due to the limitation of home and workplace productivity and the increased costs of medical treatment (Nili et al., 2021).
Importance of improving the Condition
According to Nili et al. (2021), improving the presented Condition is very important since it can help lengthen this population, improve quality of life, and address morbidity. A healthy diet, adequate rest and hydration, and seeking relevant treatment for headaches are vital in treating this disease. The underlying goal of COPD management is to help improve the functional status of the patient and quality of life through the act of preserving the desired lung function, improving one’s ability to stay active, controlling symptoms that affect the normal functioning of the body, preventing the exacerbations’ recurrence, improving symptoms and slowing the disease progression (Tse et al., 2019).
COPD is known to affect the life of an individual due to presented symptoms of the disease. These symptoms include fatigue, headaches, sore throat, chest pain, runny nose, productive cough, and congestion. The outlined symptoms might affect the body’s normal functioning, thus making the individual weak and more prone to contracting various diseases. Addressing can help increase individuals, a vital element of financial decisions (Roberts et al., decision-making).
Addressing this Condition could help address the global burden of the disease, remove preventable strains in the healthcare system, improve the living conditions of the affected individuals and their families, save increased government expenditure, and improve the quality of life for many individuals (Nili et al., 2021). For COPD geriatric patients, various technologies can be used to address this Condition. Non-invasive devices and pulse oximeters have continued to improve COPD care since they enable healthcare teams to track blood oxygen saturation levels and obtain in-time feedback. Respiratory distress is detected through these technologies, and timely and more effective intervention is prompted (Tse et al., 2019).
To monitor the condition of patients with COPD, telemonitoring systems have continued to be regarded as a vital technology that can help address the Condition. Implementing telemonitoring in routine clinical settings may be an appropriate strategy to enhance long-term healthcare delivery to older patients affected by COPD. Assistive technologies like nebulizers, oxygen therapy units, and positive airway pressure devices are essential for COPD since they help improve oxygen supply, help an individual’s breathing effort, and administer medication directly. Telemonitoring technology is essential in monitoring patients in various places like remote areas. The technology offers cost-saving and instant care to patients as they remain at home or a suitable location instead of staying in inaccessible, costly, and limited space in hospitals or nursing homes (Rydberg et al., 2023).
References
Hurst, J. R., & Siddharthan, T. (2021). Global burden of COPD. Handbook of Global Health, pp. 439–458. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45009-0_25
Nili, M., Dwibedi, N., Adelman, M., LeMasters, T., Madhavan, S. S., & Sambamoorthi, U. (2021). Economic burden of asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap among older adults in the United States. COPD: Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 18(3), 357–366. https://doi.org/10.1080/15412555.2021.1909549
Roberts, M. H., Mapel, D. W., Ganvir, N., & Dodd, M. A. (2022). Frailty among older individuals with and without COPD: A cohort study of prevalence and association with adverse outcomes. International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, pp. 17, 701–717. https://doi.org/10.2147/copd.s348714
Rydberg, M., Burkett, P., Johnson, E., & Drummond, M. B. (2023). Home Telemonitoring program in individuals with COPD during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: A pilot study. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, 10(4), 437–443. https://doi.org/10.15326/jcopdf.2023.0431
Tse, H. N., Tseng, C. Z., Wong, K. Y., Yee, K. S., & Ng, L. Y. (2019). Accuracy of forced oscillation technique to assess lung function in geriatric COPD population. International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 1105. https://doi.org/10.2147/copd.s102222
Wick, J. Y. (2020). Understanding frailty in the geriatric population. The Consultant Pharmacist, 26(9), 634–645. https://doi.org/10.4140/tcp.n.2011.634
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