THE PUBLICATION this week of an initial report into the health and social status of the over-50s represents the first feedback from the most comprehensive study of its kind ever undertaken in the State. The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing is a 10-year prospective study of the health, social and economic circumstances of a representative sample of 8,000 people aged 50 years and older.
It is due to be completed in 2018. Led by Prof Rose Anne Kenny of Trinity College Dublin, the €12 million research project will provide policymakers and service providers with in–depth and reliable information needed to plan for the future needs of older people.
While the initial results show the majority of older people consider themselves healthy and are enjoying life, objective measurements of health parameters by researchers show how health declines with age. The prevalence of blood pressure problems, for example, increases from 30 per cent in those aged 50-64 years to 54 per cent in the over 75s. Some three–quarters of those surveyed are either overweight or obese.
Perhaps the most significant finding to date is the level of undiagnosed illness revealed by the screening process. Almost six in ten cases of hypertension in men and 50 per cent of cases in women had not been identified previously. The results also highlight the existence of a “sandwich” population of older people who use health services to a lesser degree. Among those identified as being in poor health, attendance at either GP clinics or emergency departments is lower among those not poor enough to qualify for a medical card but who are unable to afford private health insurance. This suggests the existence of a vulnerable group of over-50s who are most likely to experience unidentified and untreated illness.
Of those screened and found to have objective evidence of depression, 78 per cent did not report a doctor’s diagnosis of depression. Levels of anxiety were also under-diagnosed. This diagnostic deficit is disturbing and warrants immediate action by health professionals working at the frontline as well as by those charged with planning primary healthcare for older people. A consistent finding is that people with higher levels of education and wealth enjoy better health outcomes in later life. It is a reminder that inequalities in health arise from social parameters set early in life.
On a positive note, people aged over 50 are a huge source of support to their adult children, and more than a quarter of them undertake voluntary work at least once or twice a month. Among those with surviving parents, some 25 per cent provide an average of 18 hours personal care each week for their parents. These findings underline the valuable societal role played by older people among their extended families as well as in the wider community.
This study is a valuable and strategic investment for the nation. The Minister for Health must ensure that its first report does not gather dust and that these early findings are acted upon by policymakers.