MOST
Filipinos are young, but the segment of older people is slowly growing and they
need to be taken cared of, health experts say.
“We still
have a young population today. But comparing from previous years, we have a
growing aging population,” Nestlé Health Science (NHS) Medical and Scientific
Affairs Lead Dr. Jimmy Bautista told the BusinessMirror.
Recent
studies showed the geriatric sector worldwide is growing, and this trend will
continue in the coming years.
For
instance, data from Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) showed the number of older people
in less developed countries, including the Philippines, is projected to
increase by 140 percent by 2030, as those in more developed nations will rise
by 51 percent.
The
highest number of people aged 65 and older is recorded in Asia at 304 million
as of July 2013, with China comprising 39 percent, or 120 million.
It is
also estimated there will be around 400 million people in the region reaching
their twilight years over the next five to six years.
At
present, Japan has the highest average median age at 45, followed by Hong Kong,
43; Germany, 40; Singapore, 40; South Korea, 39; the United Kingdom, 37; China,
36; the United States, 35; Thailand, 34; United Arab Emirates, 30.2; Indonesia,
28; and India, 26.
While the
mean age of Filipinos today is 23, the Retirement and Healthcare Coalition said
senior citizens now number 7 million, 90 percent of whom are not really taken
cared of.
Their
current number, the organization projects, will double from 8 percent to 16
percent by 2020.
“The
elderly is among the most vulnerable population right now. It’s the fastest
growing [age group],” noted Dr. Marianna Sioson, Section of Nutrition head at
The Medical City.
“But the
problem is we’re losing our working-age population to the people abroad. We
have plenty of OFWs [overseas Filipino workers], yet, it seems no one is left to
take care of our old folks. So that means we need to keep them functional for
as long as we can,” she said.
In doing
so, Sioson stressed the importance to optimize the nutrition of elders to get
them into healthy aging.
Sharing
the same sentiment, Bautista said this
is timely, considering the Filipino aging population is not yet ideal in terms
of nutrition and activities; hence, it has not yet hit the standard of
perfection or excellence when it comes to longevity that other countries have
already achieved.
“We have
not yet reached the status of Japan’s [aging] group, for instance, because our
nutrition and activity level is not yet that optimized,” he said. He cited the
Filipino culture of being celebratory as among the contributing factors to the
health and wellness status of the senior populace at present.
“We want
to have parties and celebrations all the time. But the question is do we eat
food that contains the essential nutrients—both micro [vitamins and minerals]
and macro [proteins and carbohydrates and good fats]?” he said.
As a
commitment to helping Filipinos live young longer, NHS has launched its Opt to
Be Active advocacy that promotes a full and active life by making proactive
choices, like maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly and keeping the
mind active.
“People
who optimize their health may have a biological age that is 10 years younger
than their chronological age,” the NHS executive said. “At the same time, the
presence of chronic conditions may accelerate the body’s decline, making us
biologically older than our chronological age.”
Sioson
said it is never too early to assess if everyone is meeting the energy and
nutrient requirements.
Since the
prevalence of developing malnutrition significantly increases as people grow older,
there is a pressing need to start taking nutritionally complete oral
supplements to continue to live a young and active lifestyle.
“We want
Filipinos to ask themselves if there is a need for them to optimize their
health and nutrient intake so that they can achieve a full life,” she said.
Conceding
that the optimal health of the general Filipino elder is still a far-fetched
reality in the near future, Bautista remains bullish this goal is still doable,
although it will take more time.
“It’s
like baby steps. The mere fact the number of older Filipinos is growing means
we are slowly getting there,” he said.
To reach
the kind of population of elderly in good health, he said a national initiative
to promote good health among the citizenry by doing physical activities and
proper nutrition is much needed.
“It’s a
definitely a cooperation between the people and the healthcare professionals,
with different organizations and the government,” Bautista said.
Since the
Philippines observes many holidays throughout the year, most Filipinos indulge
on the good food laid on top of their table on all occasions, thus, giving rise
to lifestyle-related, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the country.
In fact,
the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that NCDs account for 61 percent
of total deaths nationwide.
These
cases are defined by the WHO as chronic illnesses not passed from person to
person. They are categorized into four main types—cardiovascular diseases,
cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes.
It is
noted that simple lifestyle changes, such as preparing healthy meals and
maximizing the nutrient intake, could best shield the body from NCDs.
NHS
champions this approach by providing unconventional ways to bridge the gap
between nutrition and therapy.
The
health science arm of the leading global nutrition, health and wellness company
strongly believes that the food consumed daily is the biggest single influence
on one’s health.
“By
shifting the way people manage health and nutrition, we have the force to
improve lives around the world because beyond medicine, there is nutritional
therapy,” the NHS said. “This is what is considered the point where scientific
research meets human insight,” NHS Country Business Manager Angela Sison added.
As the
newest business unit of Nestlé founded
in 2011, NHS is an innovative and fundamentally different type of health
science company focused specifically on advancing nutritional therapy to change
the course of health.
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