Older Persons and Physical Disability

As of 2006, there were about 500 million people aged 65 and older, and there is predicted to be over 1 billion people in this age bracket by the year 2030 (Weir, Meisner, & Baker, 2010).  Since becoming an older person is such a ubiquitous topic, there is no reason or excuse for not having resources and accessibility that provide older persons with the ability to live independently and healthy.

I am currently visiting with a women who is almost 90 through my volunteer organization, who is having a difficult time being on her own.  She is managing, but there are many challenges she is currently facing.  Many of the people she was connected with; her husband, her parents, and most of her siblings, had passed away.  She constantly struggles with being lonely, but there is not much available to her in Winnipeg to help.  She has told me numerous times that she has trouble getting groceries because none of the grocery delivery services will let her order over the phone.  They will delivery groceries to her, but she has to come and pick them out at the store first, which is not an option for someone with a physical disability.  There is also the option of ordering online, but she does not have access to a computer, or even know how to use one.

Since having a physical disability affects so many aspects of a persons life, such as being active, independent, connected with others, etc., physical disability is the biggest factor for lowering life satisfaction in older persons (Mollaoglu, Tuncay & Fertelli, 2010).  This seems like a really big problem because the risk of having a physical disability increases with age.  But this should be encouraging for society to make their communities accessible for everyone, and everyone's life satisfaction will be increased.  It should be easy for older persons to order groceries, communicate with others, and be involved in the community, but so far Winnipeg is not quite there.

In one study, the authors found the best way to increase life satisfaction in older persons was for them to be busy with activities that "give happiness to individuals.  Feeling worthless, nonfunctional and powerless is the greatest handicap in obtaining life satisfaction" (Mollaoglu, Tuncay & Fertelli, 2010, p. 118). 

I completely agree with these statements because I have heard and seen the differences in older persons first hand.  I used to work at the hospital in Gimli in the Adult Day Program (ADP).  The program takes place Monday to Friday from nine in the morning until two in the afternoon, offered to any adults that wish to attend.  Most of the people who attend are older persons without much family support, and usually have physical disabilities.  Much like a school bus, the Handi-van bus picks them up and drops them off whenever they wish to attend.  Working at this job made me very aware of the difficulties older persons face everyday.  The program and hospital were very accessible for people with physical disabilities, as most of the ADP attendants used walkers or wheelchairs.  However, organizing field trips was often the difficult task.  For example, we were going to go for lunch on the River Rouge because it is wheelchair accessible.  But we noticed that many of the women did not sign their name on the attending list.  These women did not feel comfortable going somewhere like this because they do not know if the bathroom is accessible.  Many older persons have had bad experiences with places being wheelchair accessible as to let people with wheelchairs in, but not to accommodate them to every aspect of their organization, such as bars, patios, or in some cases, the bathroom.

The ADP program provides seniors with something to look forward to each week, social support, activities such as crafts, games, exercises, field trips, lunch and snacks, a sense of belonging, and many other benefits.  It just goes to show that with the right program available to older persons, and the accessibility to get there and back without feeling like a burden, older persons can and want to do the same thing everyone else in the world wants; an enjoyable life.  I think Winnipeg needs a lot more services similar to the Adult Day Program that is available in Gimli in order to improve older persons lives.

References:

Mollaoglu, M., Tuncay, F. O., & Fertelli, T. K. (2010). Mobility disability and life satisfaction in elderly people. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 51, 115-119.

Weir, P. L., Meisner, B. A., & Baker, J. (2010). Successful aging across the years : Does one model fit everyone? Journal of Health Psychology, 15(5), 680-687.

-Avery F