Primary Health Care: An Interdisciplinary Team Approach Toward The Aging Population.
The topic of this paper is primary health care: an interdisciplinary team approach toward the aging population. It has been estimated that by the year 2000, approximately 20% of our population will be age 65 or over, with up to 95% continuing to live in our communities. (Krieger, 1981). This aging population presents unique challenges to primary health care providers. For instance, approximately 80% of the elderly experience multiple chronic diseases, such as arthritis, hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. Further, 50% have activity limitations ranging from sensory loss and cognitive impairment to locomotors dysfunction. (Kee, 1984) In addition to physiological changes and disease processes, aging presents unique social, psychological, cultural, economical, and environmental factors, which must be addressed when providing primary health care. Issues surrounding unfounded prejudices towards the elderly by the health care system further complicate geriatric care.
