Canadas population has been and continues to increase steadily over past few years with the population increasing from 30.7 million in 2000 to 38.2 million in 2021 (Stats Canada, 2022). The population in Canada is predicated to continue to grow, increasing from 38.2 million in 2021 to 56.5 million in 2068, leading to a significant number of individuals living longer and becoming part of the aging population (Stats Canada, 2022). The proportion of the population aged 65 and over has been slowly increasing since the early 20th century, a result of decreases in mortality as well as fertility (Stats Canada, 2022). This not only calls for concern in supporting these individuals but health inequity issues with promoting early intervention to allow them to age healthy.
What do you know about this health promotion topic to date?
Individuals are living longer and more independent but require assistance from the health sector to help them as they age and manage disease/disability. There are three main goals outlined that aid in optimal aging which include (1) minimal disease and disability, (2) high cognitive and physical functioning, and (3) meaningful engagement in life (Visconti & Neiterman, 2021). With respect to those goals, there are three levels of prevention (primary, secondary, and tertiary) that come into play when preventing disease and encouraging healthy aging (Visconti & Neiterman, 2021). In order for individuals to age safely and healthy, there is a strong reliance on the healthcare sector to provide services to assist these individuals. With the early detection, prevention, and treatment programs as well as individuals taking control over their live and behaviours, effective health promotion can and will occur (Visconti & Neiterman, 2021).
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, most public health agencies did not prioritize healthy aging (Wolfe et al., 2022). Despite the strain the Covid-19 pandemic placed on our healthcare system, there have been advancements and improvements made that increased the availability of certain healthcare resources. In my experience, the healthcare system learned a lot based on the pandemic and has been able to reshape the way care is accessed, delivered, and implemented. To be specific, telehealth (electronic delivery of healthcare services) is one of the major improvements during this time. Telehealth has shown to improve access to certain healthcare services, especially to those who are unable to get to an appointment, which has improved wait times and access to care (Wolfe et al., 2022). Additionally, prevention of infection, spread, and disease has greatly improved the way organizations handle infections and how early detection is essential in preventing the spread of disease and managing symptoms (Wolfe et al., 2022).
My personal learning goals.
In this course and in my personal life, my learning goals stem from my involvement, commitment, and passion for the senior population and advocating for those part of the vulnerable population. My goals are to explore what changes can be made immediately to overcome the health inequalities and access to healthcare resources many individuals face. By understanding what changes can be made, and implementing those changes, I can better support some of the senior in my care and connect them with community supports to empower them to make healthy live choices.
What are you most excited to explore?
I am most excited to learn more about specific measures each province, or Canada as a whole will take in order to help Canadians live longer and healthy. I am eager to see how early intervention will impact our population and the life expectancy in Canada and how healthcare professionals can prepare to support the aging population. I am also interested to see how Canada can learn from other countries who have stronger supports for their aging population and implement similar measures to increase the health of Canadians. As a healthcare worker, I always try to empower my clients to make healthier choices and encourage them to push themselves to be as active as possible to promote healthy wellbeing.
Nerves? Challenges?
Looking ahead, as I pursue my chosen health promotion topic/project (still in the works), I think that there will be some challenges relating to identifying a root cause and a solution. Though the aging population is heavily dependent upon the healthcare services, there are still additional external factors that impact their lives and the outcomes. By encouraging individuals to take control of their own lifestyle choices, we are encouraging them to age successfully. Although, I can see how this is not as easy as it may sound. There are many limitations and lack of resources that impact an individual’s life and ability to age in the optimal way. Exploring these issues and looking to expanding an already large budget to assist this population is already difficult enough. The challenge here is really stressing the importance of early intervention and detection to help this population and continue to increase the life expectancy.
Expanding my knowledge.
Lastly, I am most excited to gain a deeper understanding of how health promotion, specifically goal 3 under the sustainable development goals, can pave the way seniors have access to and are supported by the healthcare resources. By examining the criteria of goal 3 and working to reduce health inequalities and systemic barriers, there is a great potential to assist these individuals by adopting healthy behaviours and preventing causes of premature death (Government of Canada, 2024).
Reference:
Government of Canada. (2024, May 1). Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being. Canada.ca. https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/agenda-2030/health-well-being.html
Statistics Canada. (2022, August 22). Population Projections for Canada (2021 to 2068), Provinces and Territories (2021 to 2043). Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/91-520-x/91-520-x2022001-eng.htm
Visconti, C., & Neiterman, E. (2021). Shifting to Primary Prevention for an Aging Population: A Scoping Review of Health Promotion Initiatives for Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Canada. Cureus, 13(8), e17109. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.17109
Wolfe, M., Susan Buehler and Erin E. Emery-Tiburcio, Biggar, A., Abramson, T., & Tobi Abramson and Pamela Braverman Schmidt. (2022, April 26). Positive impact of public health during COVID. ASA Generations. https://generations.asaging.org/positive-impact-public-health-during-covid
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