Population ageing is very fast catching up worldwide and with a resultant rise in demands for health services and medical costs. This is because older adults are typically more vulnerable to falls and chronic diseases. It is estimated that by 2025, 57% of the world’s population aged 80 years or older will be living in less developed regions. By 2050, there is an estimated increase of more than 70%. Although, Africa, on average, has the lowest life expectancy in the world, in virtually every country, the section of people aged 60 years and over is developing faster than any other age group, because of both longer life expectancy and declining fertility rates. Older adults have recommended that nurses should receive some training for improving their behaviour and attitude. Older adults and their significant health needs are different from that of an adult or a child and should be considered to meet SDG Goal 8: “ensuring equitable access to, and utilisation of, health and long-term care services …”. Their intense use of health services puts older adults at greater risk of receiving fragmented or poor-quality care. The sheer number of people entering older ages is bound to challenge national structures, particularly health systems. This chapter seeks to review the literature on geriatric health care by specialists.
The former Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Kofi Annan, at the second UN World Assembly on Ageing quoted: ‘In Africa, it is said that when an old man dies, a library vanishes’. This is because older people in Africa have traditionally been celebrated and respected, although they accounted for a minority of the population. With increasing life expectancy globally and specifically in developing countries, the older adult population constitute a bigger proportion of society than previously. Ashirifi et al. [1] estimate that approximately two-thirds of the world’s population aged over 60 years are living in developing countries, and by 2050, 212 million of those will live in Africa. As the ageing population continues to grow exponentially, their demand for hospital care also increases.
Across the globe, various initiatives have been put in place to improve the health outcomes of the elderly, to lengthen their life span and decrease the rate of morbidity and mortality of the older adult which in turn increases their numbers among the population [2, 3, 4]. The use of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) for assessment, goal setting and care delivery has been adopted in the United Kingdom to improve relational working [5, 6]. CGA has been shown to improve outcomes for older people including improved physical and cognitive function, reduced mortality, and readmissions of the elderly to hospitals [6]. Over the years, geriatric care has received a lot of attention, from specialised training of healthcare professionals in the field of practice, to care given to the aged by their families till the end of life [7, 8].
Other factors that have accounted for the increase in the population of older adults in developed countries also include favourable social policies, geriatric care facilities, elderly retirement incentives and insurance schemes to facilitate a comfortable life for the elderly before their demise occurs. All communities in the world are advocating for healthy ageing. The United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for several years have been encouraging governments to promote policies aimed at the healthy and successful ageing of their people [9]. Additionally, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) recently, made recommendations to guide federal, state and local governments in making decisions about the best care for older adults residing in assisted living facilities (ALFs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic [10].
Geriatric populations are prone to a wide variety of disorders; physical, psychological and social, which require specialised care [11, 12]. Over the years, the maintenance of a healthy body system for the aged has been of utmost importance, with information being sent forth to the public, families and health workers on how to combat physiological, biological, social as well pathological changes among the older adult.
These are all factors that account for the rise in the number of the ageing population across the globe, as their standard of living is improved, prolonging their length of stay as active or thriving members of the world’s population. Taking into view some common problems that affect the elderly, several reforms have been made in the health system to fend for the needs of the aged, for example, the guidelines put in place by the National Health Service of the United Kingdom towards the care and surgery of aged patients with hip fractures [13]. A multidisciplinary approach to caring for older adults is highly recommended and in the United Kingdom, national guidelines have been published in this regard. For example, between orthopaedic surgeons and geriatricians in the United Kingdom. This approach to modern hip fracture management aims at achieving the goals of coordinated multidisciplinary care, early surgery and facilitated discharge [13]. Over the years literary works educating the public, families and individuals are published centred on the care of older adults to build upon the public’s knowledge of geriatrics.
According to the WHO [14], an age-friendly world enables people of all ages to enthusiastically participate in communal activities being treated with respect, irrespective of one’s age. An age-friendly world enables older people to be with people they love promoting healthy living and appropriate support for those who can no longer engage in activities of daily living.
In recent years, international organisations and governments have developed age-friendly community models that incorporate aspects of the natural built, and social environment and optimise opportunities for well-being in old age.
Given the growing aged population, the WHO [15] called for special attention to the older adult friendliness of hospitals. Physical aspects of an elder-friendly hospital are defined as features of environmental design including the safety, physical, social and psychological needs of older adults [16, 17, 18].
Creating awareness about the need to improve care and support for older people and building agreements within all segments of society on the nature of care and its delivery in the most economical way [19] is vital. In most sub-Saharan countries, older persons are cared for in general wards with no geriatric specialist. However, evidence from developed countries shows this is not healthy for the vulnerable aged population as they have specific needs.