The health and ill health of older people
According to Statistics Denmark's population forecast, the proportion of people aged 65 and over is expected to increase from 15.9 per cent of the Danish population in 2009 to 25.0 per cent in 2035. This means that older people will demand more resources, not only with regard to preventive care and treatment provided by the healthcare system, but also in terms of services provided by other sectors (social services, culture, urban planning etc.), which must contribute to ensuring good living conditions for older people.
A description of the health and ill health of older people in 2005 generally shows that the youngest age group (65-74 years) lives more healthily, is less ill and enjoys a better quality of life in terms of their health than the oldest age group (75-84 years), and that women generally live more healthily but are ill more often than men and have a poorer quality of life from the point of view of their health.
Information in Danish
Ældrebefolkningens sundhedstilstand i Danmark (2010) - full report including a short English summary
English summary
The health and ill health of older people in Denmark 2010 - Summary of the Danish report 'Ældrebefolkningens sundhedstilstand i Danmark 2010'
According to Statistics Denmark’s population forecast, the proportion of people aged 65 and over is expected to increase from 15.9 per cent of the Danish population in 2009 to 25.0 per cent in 2035. This means that older people will demand more resources, not only with regard to preventive care and treatment provided by the healthcare system, but also in terms of services provided by other sectors (social services, culture, urban planning etc.), which must contribute to ensuring good living conditions for older people.
A description of the health and ill health of older people in 2005 generally shows that the youngest age group (65-74 years) lives more healthily, is less ill and enjoys a better quality of life in terms of their health than the oldest age group (75-84 years), and that women generally live more healthily but are ill more often than men and have a poorer quality of life from the point of view of their health.
A number of general trends emerge as regards the health and ill health of older people and the factors of relevance for this.
On the positive side, levels of physical functioning of older people and their quality of life have markedly improved since 1987, and this development is expected to continue in the future. Likewise, since 1987 there have been improvements in the health behaviour of older people with a fall in the prevalence of smokers, an increase in the prevalence of physically active and slightly improved eating habits. Older people have also become better at accepting offers of preventive health checks. Older people’s social network have improved – including their contact with family and friends, their access to help in the event of illness, and a fall in the number of people who, through no choice of their own, are living alone.
On the negative side, there is a steady increase in the prevalence of older people suffering from ill health. Widespread chronic diseases play a major role, leading to poor quality of life and putting a strain on the healthcare system – both hospitals and the primary health services. The growing prevalence of ill health also entails an increase in medicine use. The rise in the number of obese people is also a negative factor, as are the increasing prevalence of people who exceed the recommended maximum of alcohol units pr. week.
There are still clear differences in the health and ill health of men and women, as well as clear social differences in the health-related quality of life of older people, their health behaviour, ill health and the extent to which they use the healthcare system.
It is important, also in future, to be able to monitor developments in the population’s – and older people’s – health and ill health. Fortunately, this will be possible thanks to the new national, regional and municipal health profiling system which will gather data for the first time in 2010. A number of indicators used in this description will also be employed in prospective work and will therefore be useful for local health planning.