10-15 Old People Questions

1. 1. 1. 1. What percentage of the elderly have dimensia?
         • 15 percent of the elderly suffer symptoms of mental illness.
         • http://healthyminds.org/mentalhealthofelderly.cfm

          

         2. When will somebody not be resuscitated?
         • When the odds are that it will not work in the situation.
         • http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HealthAndWellBeing/HealthServices/AccidentsAndEmergencies/DG_10029742

          

         3. What is the top fear of the elderly?
         • The top fears are (in order):

         ·      Arachnophobia (spiders)

         ·      Social phobia

         ·      Aerophobia (flying)

         ·      Agoraphobia

         ·      Claustrophobia (enclosed or confined spaces)

         ·      Acrophobia (heights)

         ·      Emetophobia (vomit)

         ·      Carcinophobia (cancer)

         ·      Brontophobia (thunder)

         ·      Necrophobia (death or dead things)

         • Note* These are overall for all ages, no survey have been conducted that specifically target the elderly
         • http://blogs.webmd.com/anxiety-and-stress-management/2007/08/fear-and-phobias-top-10-plus-one.html

          

         4. How long does the average person live?
         • On average, men live to be roughly 75 years old and women live to be roughly 80 years old.
         • http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005148.html

          

         5. What percentage of the elderly take pills?
         • 30 % of prescribed drugs are prescribed to those 65 or older and 40 % of all over-the-counter drugs are purchased by that same demographic.
         • http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/meds4old/697_old.html

          

         6. What age is considered “old”?
         • The AARP accepts members who are 50 years old and up to join.
         • http://www.aarp.org/about_aarp/aarp_overview/a2002-12-18-aarpmission.html

          

         7. What percentage of the elderly are sexually active?
         • 50 – 75 % of people aged 57 – 85 remain sexually active.
         • http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/22/AR2007082202000.html

          

         8. How many old people commit suicide every year?
         • Out of every hundred thousand elderly citizens, 19 people will kill themselves, translating to 0.0019%
         • http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C0DE3DD1039F931A25752C0A960958260

          

         9.  

          

          

          

         I think that these findings show that society does not give the elderly the same care that is given to others. The elderly are given care, but it is often more like they are just trying to prolong the inevitable and that the elderly are not given the same opportunities to thrive and improve as those younger than them. I think that this is possibly harmful to our culture, because though the elderly may not be as contemporary as the modern generation, there is a lot to be gained from their experience and by paying attention to their pasts and our history as a whole we could thrive forward.