The importance of Prevention and Continuing Care in the Elderly Population – Antena 1 interview
According to Eurostat's latest statistics, the elderly population is growing very rapidly in Portugal. According to statistics, more than 50% of the portuguese population is on an average above 47 years old.
Antena 1 invited several experts to discuss the topic of aging in Portugal, such as Manuel Lopes (director of the São João de Deus School of Nursing - University of Évora, member of the Administration Board and researcher of CHRC), Nuno Marques (National Coordinator of the Aging Observatory) and the Secretary of State for Inclusion, Ana Sofia Antunes. How can a possible crisis in the labor market, health sector and social assistance be reversed, taking into account the fast growth of the elderly population in Portugal?
Manuel Lopes' intervention sought to demystify aging as something that can have a negative impact on society. Usually, when the topic is discussed, it´s mentioned as something negative, giving space to a preconceived idea that aging is a problem and an inconvenience to the country. The problem related to aging is to grow old with multimorbidity and dependence, bringing a great impact on the economic and health sector. There is insufficient action within the area of prevention and little offer of a functional model related to continued and integrated care, as explained in the interview.
Manuel Lopes indicated two major important areas whose action has yet a very limited dimension: lack of effectiveness in prevention and in adaptation of health care models for the portuguese senior population, both at the level of social assistance and in the health sector. This age group has to look themselves for solutions to their problems as there is no follow -up model available for continued care for the elderly.
Inevitably, one of the necessary solutions would be to work and make a plan within the social and health sector, allowing to build a model of continued and integrated care and prevention, so that the elderly dependence can be avoided and to ensure the improving of their living conditions, avoiding a major impact on the health and economic sector.
One of the solutions presented by Manuel Lopes is the implementation of this model with local initiatives, through incentives necessary to perform and implement this same work/model.
Listen to the interview in full: bit.ly/3SYfmFw