Understanding vulnerabilities in old age

A framework for understanding old-age vulnerabilities.

Identifying vulnerable older people and understanding the causes and consequences of their vulnerability is of human concern and an essential task of social policy. To date, vulnerability in old age has mainly been approached by identifying high risk groups, like the poor, childless, frail or isolated. Yet vulnerability is the outcome of complex interactions of discrete risks, namely of being e...

Understanding the Urban Poor’s Vulnerabilities in Sanitation and Water Supply

Many millions of urban dwellers are excluded from formal systems of water and sanitation service delivery. Without access to piped water and acceptable sanitation services, households and individuals are forced to use limited supplies of water, often of poor quality, from unreliable sources and usually at a high cost. Safe sanitation and the means to practice hygienic behaviours are often entir...

Obesity in old age.

Many older people in developed countries are overweight or obese. The prevalence is increasing as more people reach old age already overweight. Obesity in old age is associated with increased morbidity and a reduction in quality of life. The relative increase in mortality is less in older than young adults and the body weight associated with maximal survival increases with advancing age. Althou...

Spirometry in old age.

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are highly prevalent in older people [1–4]. This well established fact has not, however, overcome the problem of underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis of both conditions in old age, with the inevitable effect on morbidity , and possibly mortality [1, 5]. Properly performed spirometric measurements of Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1) an...

Disability in Old Age