The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (Tilda) continues to supply invaluable insights into key aspects of the lives of older people. In its third major report, researchers from Trinity College Dublin, who have been tracking some 8,500 adults aged 50 and over since 2010, illustrate once again the value of the investment in the landmark study. It reveals an unselfish cohort of older people who are financially supporting their children and caring for grandchildren, sometimes at the expense of their own health difficulties.
One in seven older adults suffers urinary incontinence; the condition is three times more common in women. Yet only three in five older people have sought medical help for their incontinence symptoms. Just one in five of those with hearing difficulties uses a hearing aid. The study also found evidence of the under-treatment of clinical depression in the over 50s.
The latest Tilda data illustrates a yawning gap between actual levels of disability among older people and their potential for better health and wellbeing. It suggests a need for significant attitudinal change in a society that continues to accept health declines and chronic conditions as an untreatable part of ageing.
But there are clear messages for government also. The findings confirm an increasing demand for hospital services among older patients; one in four of those aged over-80 attended an emergency department in 2014, compared to one in six in 2010. These increases have significant policy implications: the need to provide dedicated tailored care for the oldest in emergency settings; and the need for additional hospital beds, ringfenced for the care of older people.
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That the prevalence of undiagnosed disorders, such as hypertension, osteoporosis and elevated cholesterol, was almost unchanged over a four-year period, must act as a wake-up call for frontline health professionals. We must see evidence of an increase in the diagnosis and effective management of existing health conditions among older people in future Tilda reports.