Health Situationfor Elderly Persons in Developing Societies: The Case of Cameroon

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue V, May 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Health Situation for Elderly Persons in Developing Societies: The Case of Cameroon

Teke Johnson Takwa (PhD)
Demographer, Central Bureau for Censuses and Population Studies, Yaoundé-Cameroon
Lecturer, Department of Geography and Planning, University of Bamenda, Cameroon

Abstract: This study examines the health situation of elderly persons in Cameroon using data from the 2005 General Population and Housing Census. This health situation is measured via the prevalence of chronic diseases,disabilities and life expectancy after 60. This study reveals that 6% of elderly persons in Cameroon suffer from at least one disability with blindness being the most prevalent. 5.8% of them suffer from at least a chronic infection with hypertension being the most frequent, followed by diabetes. With proper diagnosis, prevalent rates of chronic infections could be much higher. At 60, life expectancy is 15.4 years and by age 80, this expectancy has dropped to only 4.2 years. Life expectancy for elderly women is higher than that of elderly men.Gaps for life expectancy for both elderly women and men reduce with age and become almost zero after 89 years. The elderly population is increasing in Cameroon at a time when the health care systemis not yet fully developed to handle their complicated health situations. There is need to develop geriatric health care with emphasis on early diagnosis, and treatment of chronic infections and disabilities as well as need to subsidize health care costs for the elderly. There is also need to advise younger generations against risky behaviours that expose them to chronic infections before they reach old age.

Key words: Elderly, chronic diseases, disabilities, life expectancy

I.INTRODUCTION

When many people reach old age, it is a triumph for public health care as well associal and economic development. However, as people grow old, their organisms grow weaker and old age becomes associated with many health problems. 0ld age is highly associated with increased risks of having at least one chronic disease such as hypertension, diabetes, poor vision or blindness, impaired hearing, cancers, cardio-vascular diseases and osteo-musular conditions. In fact, one of the major consequences of ageing is an increase in the occurrence of chronic diseases. Old age is known to be a non-modifiable risk factor for several disorders. These non-communicable diseases are the leading causes of death at old age. The situation becomes more challenging in health care use and costs when multiple chronic conditions challengea single individual. The degree of illnesses mostly common to elderly persons with multiple chronic conditions is evident through an increase in the number of physician visits, hospitalizations and the use of drugs.

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