Health promotion activities for senior citizens Prevention of accidents at home Dimitrakopoulou E., Karnaki P., Frouzi E., & Linos A. 9th European IUHPE Conference on Health Promotion "Health and Quality of Life 27 to 29 September 2012
An Ageing Europe Europe has passed the 500 million population mark Population growth depends mainly on migration rather than fertility The EU population is becoming progressively older and more diverse
An Ageing Europe The working age population (20-64) will start to decrease by 2014 given that overall fertility rate is below 2.1 & Current migration rates do not compensate for slow population growth
An Ageing Europe There is a 2 million per year increase in the people aged 60 and above in the EU. The median age of the population in 2009 was 40.6 predictions are that this age will be 47.9 by 2060 The proportion of those aged 80 or over (the oldest-old ) is growing faster than any other segment of the population
Health Literacy and old age At a time when most countries are investing in a number of initiatives for senior citizens enhancing computer skills for instance- it is equally important to empower them to make healthy choices in everyday life. Being competent in healthcare makes a big difference for individuals and leads to a better quality of life and less claims for healthcare services
Health Literacy and old age There is evidence showing the health literacy decreases with old age Findings from the European Health Literacy Survey (HLS-EU) for example indicate that among 8 European countries, including Greece, health literacy problems increase with age and are rather high
Health Literacy and old age Improving health literacy can have a profound effect on health and wellbeing improving quality of life and prolonging productivity.
Greece In Greece the proportion of people aged over 65 is between 18% and 20% - the highest in the EU along with Germany and Italy According to the National Statistical Service of Greece people over 60 years old make up for 23% of the total population. By 2030 this figure would have risen by 10%, 1/3 of the total population
Greece The National Centre for Social Studies in Greece considers those aged 65 and above as belonging to one of the most precarious social groups in terms of suffering social exclusion, mainly due to reasons of low income/poverty which are increasing due to the continuous financial crisis
Accidents at home More than one third of adults 65 years and older are injured because of a fall each year Falls are the third cause of chronic disablement in older persons according to the World Health Organization. Each year about 30% of persons older than 65 years fall at least once and 15% fall at least twice
Accidents at home Twenty percent to 30% of people who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries including bruises, hip fractures, or head traumas Recovery from such trauma is slow and seriously limits independent living while putting extra strain on family and care givers. The risk of death is also increased
Preventing accidents among senior citizens in Athens Activities for the prevention of accidents at home among senior citizens are to be delivered in 11 Open Care Centers (KAPIs) in the wider Athens area. The Open Care Centers KAPI - are decentralized social welfare programs for senior citizens. Their operation is currently threatened by the financial crisis although they are to a large extent self financed through their members
Preventing accidents among senior citizens in Athens To date five events have been organized attended by over 500 senior citizens in different Municipalities in Athens The events are organized by Prolepsis and delivered by medical doctors
Preventing accidents among senior citizens in Athens Delivery methods are based on the presentation of Delivery methods are based on the presentation of practical examples and solutions which relate to a very realistic depiction of environments in which senior citizens in Greece are accustomed to
Preventing accidents among senior citizens in Athens Aim: To raise awareness among senior citizens about accidents at home and how to protect their safety and wellbeing Objectives Demonstrate to participants the risks of accidents at home Identify the most frequent accidents at home Inform participants of the effective and practical ways through which they can protect themselves against accidents
Preventing accidents among senior Material citizens in Athens 1. Presentation demonstrating through pictorial information and examples the areas in a house where seniors are mostly in danger of accidents It then goes on to actively demonstrate how to avoid accidents and what to do in order for seniors to protect themselves from falling
Preventing accidents among senior Material citizens in Athens 2. a Falls Risk Questionnaire identifying the number of dangers in their home 3. an Information Pamphlet summarizing the key issues about safety at home
Preventing accidents among senior Material citizens in Athens 4. a Home Safety Checklist outlining key danger areas in a house that each person needs to be aware of and can in turn, alter, in order to prevent falls 5. a Poster Assists learners to identify visually the danger spots within the home and can act as a reference point to the checklist
Αντικείµενα που εµποδίζουν το περπάτηµα Αποµακρύνετε από τους διαδρόµους και τις σκάλες: Ηλεκτρικά καλώδια Παπούτσια & ρούχα Μικροέπιπλα Περιοδικά & βιβλία Σακούλες σκουπιδιών Ηλεκτρικές συσκευές
Χρήσιµες συµβουλές: Ηλεκτρικά καλώδια Τοποθετείστε τα κάτω από έπιπλα Ασφαλίστε τα µε µονωτική ταινία στον τοίχο ή το πάτωµα
Χρήσιµες συµβουλές: Χαλιά και χαλάκια Χρησιµοποιήστε χαλιά µε λαστιχένιο υπόστρωµα Μην αφήνετε τα χαλιά σας µε δίπλωµένες άκρες
Ασταθείς & Ολισθηρές επιφάνειες Αποφύγετε: Μετακίνηση σε πρόσφατα σφουγγαρισµένο πάτωµα Είσοδο σε λουτρό γεµάτο µε υδρατµούς Μετακίνηση σε µπαλκόνια ή τον κήπο µετά τη βροχή Ανέβασµα σε σκαµνί όταν δεν στηρίζεται καλά Σκάλες µε ασταθή σκαλοπάτια
Did you like the presentation on the prevention of accidents you participated in? Results
Did the presentation you just participated in help you understand what dangers exist for having accidents?
After today s presentation will you be able to identify possible accident risk factors at home?
After today s presentation will you make any changes to your home so as to reduce accident risk factors?
How would you rate the easiness for you to follow the presentation?
Conclusions Feedback is positive requests have been made to include more health topics Participation is high Include in the evaluation qualitative methods
Thank you very much for your attention! For more information contact: Elena Dimitrakopoulou - e.dimitrakopoulou@prolepsis.gr Pania Karnaki - p.karnaki@prolepsis.gr