Oldest People

3 OLDEST PEOPLE IN BULAN

                          Lolo Valerio Gilliego is one of the oldest citizen of Bulan. He is living at the residence of Barangay G. del Pilar. A veterans soldier during World War 2. 

                          Lola Mercedes Del Rosario is one of the three oldest citizen of Bulan. She has 10 children more than 50 grand children. Lola live at the residence of Barangay G. Del Pilar (tanga). Lola was born on November 15, 1914 at present she is 100 years old. Unlike Lolo Valerio, Lola Mercedes cannot stand alone, cannot speak and even identify the people around her. 

                         Lola Consorcia Gosgolan was born on June 22, 1913 at present she is 101 years old, she is the oldest among the three older citizen in Bulan. We can find Lola Consorcia at the risedince of Barangay Beguin.

               Lola has 10 children and 97 grandchildren. She experienced the war between Japanese in the Philippines, unlike Lola Mercedes, Lola Consorcia can talk clearly, she can even identify her 97 and give response in any conversation. Lola has Rayuma and it is one of her problem.

               When we asked Lola what is the reason behind her long life, she said: “Magsimba ng bukal sa loob hindi dahil may bago kang gamit” which refers to the present popular song of Basilyo “Lord Patawad”. Lola is very industrious at her past age and we think lola will live more years because she is strong enough.

What is age?

• Age refers to the age of a person (or subject) of interest at last birthday (or relative to a specified, well-defined reference date).
• Age of person is usually derived. It is usually calculated using the person's date of birth and the date of interview or other well-defined reference date.

By: Static Canada

How Old Is Old Age?

• How old do you feel? And how old will you be when you reach old age?
• The public’s views on age and aging are explored in a new national survey on aging from the Pew Research Centre, explained in a story by my colleague Sarah Arnquist.
• Most adults over age 50 feel at least 10 years younger than their actual age, the survey found. One-third of those between 65 and 74 said they felt 10 to 19 years younger, and one-sixth of people 75 and older said they felt 20 years younger.
• And at what age does old age begin? Most people in the survey said old age starts at age 68. Are they kidding? That seems way too young to me. Not surprisingly, most people over 65 have a different idea about old age. Among those getting the senior citizen discount, most say old age begins at 75.

By: Tara Parker-Pope

Physical marks of old age

1. Sexual activity decreases significantly with age, especially after age 60, for both women and men. Sexual drive in both men and women decreases as they age.
2. Skin loses elasticity, becomes drier, and more lined and wrinkled.
3. Sleep trouble holds a chronic prevalence of over 50% in old age and results in daytime sleepiness Physical marks of old age include the following:

• Bone and joint. Old bones are marked by “thinning and shrinkage.” This results in a loss of height (about two inches by age 80), a stooping posture in many people, and a greater susceptibility to bone and joint diseases such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.
• Chronic diseases. Most older persons have at least one chronic condition and many have multiple conditions. In 2007-2009, the most frequently occurring conditions among older persons in the United States were uncontrolled hypertension (34%), diagnosed arthritis (50%), and heart disease (32%).
• Dental problems. Less saliva and less ability for oral hygiene in old age increases the chance of tooth decay and infection.
• Digestive system. About 40% of the time, old age is marked by digestive disorders such as difficulty in swallowing, inability to eat enough and to absorb nutrition, constipation and bleeding.
• Eyesight. Diminished eyesight makes it more difficult to read in low lighting and in smaller print. Speed with which an individual reads and the ability to locate objects may also be impaired.
• Falls. Old age spells risk for injury from falls that might not cause injury to a younger person. Every year, about one third of 65 years olds and over half of 80 years old fall. Falls are the leading cause of injury and death for old people.
• Hair usually becomes thinner and grayer.
• Hearing. By age 75 and older, 48% of men and 37% of women encounter impairments in hearing. Of the 26.7 million people over age 50 with a hearing impairment, only one in seven uses a hearing aid.
• Hearts are less efficient in old age with a resulting loss of stamina.
• Immune function. Less efficient immune function (Immunosenescence) is a mark of old age.
• Lungs expand less well; thus, they provide less oxygen.
• Pain afflicts old people at least 25% of the time, increasing with age up to 80% for those in nursing homes. Most pains are rheumatological or malignant.In a study of 9,000 persons with a mean age of 74, only 12% reported no sleep complaints. By age 65, deep sleep goes down to about 5%.
• Taste buds diminish so that by age 80 taste buds are down to 50% of normal. Food becomes less appealing and nutrition can suffer.
• Urinary incontinence is often found in old age.
• Voice. In old age, vocal chords weaken and vibrate more slowly. This results in a weakened, breathy voice that is sometimes called an “old person’s voice.”
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Mental marks of old age

Mental marks of old age include the following:

• Adaptable describes most people in their old age. In spite the stressfulness of old age, they are described as “agreeable” and “accepting.” However, old age dependence induces feelings of incompetence and worthlessness in a minority.
• Depressed mood. According to Cox, Abramson, Devine, and Hollon (2012), old age is a risk factor for depression caused by prejudice (i.e., “deprejudice”). When people are prejudiced against the elderly and then become old themselves, their anti-elderly prejudice turns inward, causing depression. “People with more negative age stereotypes will likely have higher rates of depression as they get older.” Old age depression results in the over-65 population having the highest suicide rate.
• Fear of crime in old age, especially among the frail, sometimes weighs more heavily than concerns about finances or health and restricts what they do. The fear persists in spite of the fact that old people are victims of crime less often than younger people.
• Mental disorders afflict about 15% of people aged 60+ according to estimates by the World Health Organization. Another survey taken in 15 countries reported that mental disorders of adults interfered with their daily activities more than physical problems.
• Reduced mental and cognitive ability afflicts old age. Memory loss is common in old age due to the decrease in speed of information being encoded, stored, and received. It takes more time to learn new information. Dementia is a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Its prevalence increases in old age from about 10% at age 65 to about 50% over age 85. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases. Demented behaviour can include wandering, physical aggression, verbal outbursts, depression, and psychosis.
• Set in one’s ways describes a mind set of old age. A study of over 400 distinguished men and women in old age found a “preference for the routine.”Explanations include old age’s toll on the “fluid intelligence” and the “more deeply entrenched” ways of the old.

Psychosocial aspects

               According to Erik Erikson’s "Eight Stages of Life" theory, the human personality is developed in a series of eight stages that take place from the time of birth and continue on throughout an individual’s complete life. He characterises old age as a period of "Integrity vs. Despair", during which a person focuses on reflecting back on his life. Those who are unsuccessful during this phase will feel that their life has been wasted and will experience many regrets. The individual will be left with feelings of bitterness and despair. Those who feel proud of their accomplishments will feel a sense of integrity. Successfully completing this phase means looking back with few regrets and a general feeling of satisfaction. These individuals will attain wisdom, even when confronting death. Coping is a very important skill needed in the aging process to move forward with life and not be 'stuck' in the past. The way a person adapts and copes, reflects his aging process on a psycho-social level.

               Newman & Newman proposed a ninth stage of life, Elderhood. Elderhood refers to those individuals who live past the life expectancy of their birth cohorts. There are two different types of people described in this stage of life. The "young old" are the healthy individuals who can function on their own without assistance and can complete their daily tasks independently. The "old old" are those who depend on specific services due to declining health or diseases. This period of life is characterized as a period of "immortality vs. extinction." Immortality is the belief that your life will go on past death, some examples are an afterlife or living on through one's family. Extinction refers to feeling as if life has no purpose.

Top 10 Most Common Health Issues

Physical Activity and Nutrition

               Research indicates that staying physically active can help prevent or delay certain diseases, including some cancers, heart disease and diabetes, and also relieve depression and improve mood. Inactivity often accompanies advancing age, but it doesn't have to. Check with your local churches or synagogues, senior centers, and shopping malls for exercise and walking programs. Like exercise, your eating habits are often not good if you live and eat alone. It's important for successful aging to eat foods rich in nutrients and avoid the empty calories in candy and sweets.

Overweight and Obesity

               Being overweight or obese increases your chances of dying from hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, dyslipidemia and endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon cancers. In-depth guides and practical advice about obesity are available from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Insitutes of Health.

Tobacco

               Tobacco is the single greatest preventable cause of illness and premature death in the U.S. Tobacco use is now called "Tobacco dependence disease." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that smokers who try to quit are more successful when they have the support of their physician.

Substance Abuse

               Substance abuse usually means drugs and alcohol. These are two areas we don't often associate with seniors, but seniors, like young people, may self-medicate using legal and illegal drugs and alcohol, which can lead to serious health consequences. In addition, seniors may deliberately or unknowingly mix medications and use alcohol. Because of our stereotypes about senior citizens, many medical people fail to ask seniors about possible substance abuse.

HIV/AIDS

              Between 11 and 15% of U.S. AIDS cases occur in seniors over age 50. Between 1991 and 1996, AIDS in adults over 50 rose more than twice as fast as in younger adults. Seniors are unlikely to use condoms, have immune systems that naturally weaken with age, and HIV symptoms (fatigue, weight loss, dementia, skin rashes, swollen lymph nodes) are similar to symptoms that can accompany old age. Again, stereotypes about aging in terms of sexual activity and drug use keep this problem largely unrecognized. That's why seniors are not well represented in research, clinical drug trials, prevention programs and efforts at intervention.

Mental Health

               Dementia is not part of aging. Dementia can be caused by disease, reactions to medications, vision and hearing problems, infections, nutritional imbalances, diabetes, and renal failure. There are many forms of dementia (including Alzheimer's Disease) and some can be temporary. With accurate diagnosis comes management and help. The most common late-in-life mental health condition is depression. If left untreated, depression in the elderly can lead to suicide. Here's a surprising fact: The rate of suicide is higher for elderly white men than for any other age group, including adolescents.

Injury and Violence

               Among seniors, falls are the leading cause of injuries, hospital admissions for trauma, and deaths due to injury. One in every three seniors (age 65 and older) will fall each year. Strategies to reduce injury include exercises to improve balance and strength and medication review. Home modifications can help reduce injury. Home security is needed to prevent intrusion. Home-based fire prevention devices should be in place and easy to use. People aged 65 and older are twice as likely to die in a home fire as the general population.

Environmental Quality

               Even though pollution affects all of us, government studies have indicated that low-income, racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to live in areas where they face environmental risks. Compared to the general population, a higher proportion of elderly are living just over the poverty threshold.

Immunization

               Influenza and pneumonia and are among the top 10 causes of death for older adults. Emphasis on Influenza vaccination for seniors has helped. Pneumonia remains one of the most serious infections, especially among women and the very old.

Access to Health Care

               Seniors frequently don't monitor their health as seriously as they should. While a shortage of geriatricians has been noted nationwide, URMC has one of the largest groups of geriatricians and geriatric specialists of any medical community in the country. Your access to health care is as close as URMC, offering a menu of services at several hospital settings, including the VA Hospital in Canandaigua, in senior housing, and in your community.

From: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/senior-health/common-issues/top-ten.cfm