“Many older people in rural areas feel very depressed, lonely and desperate. This is a problem that we have to deal with. But right now it takes months.” so that psychologists can help us.”
This case was denounced by the President of the Democratic Union of Pensioners and Pensioners (@MayoresUDP), Immaculate Ruiz, is just one example among many others, a necessary service for older people that, although vital, is not fully covered by public health.
Specifically, according to the UDP barometer on primary care and public health services, carried out by Simple logic (@s_logica), people over 65 years of age miss some type of oral health care (87%), mental health (77%), physical therapy (64%) and podiatry (40%) in their referral healthcare facilities.
And although respondents rated the service they receive in primary care at 7.5 out of 10 and generally feel well treated and listened to by professionals, they also criticize this The system still has flaws. Some deficiencies that affect certain groups more, such as: women and people with scarcer resources, who also report above-average poor health.
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“More than half of older people do not agree with the system, We should use this data to reflect together. The situation has not been reversed since the pandemic. Private companies have to improve a lot, but public administrations have to improve even more,” warned the member of the UDP Barometer working group when presenting the study. Jose Ignacio Casas.
“We need action at the institutional level.” We need to meet with all associations, with working groups, to see what solutions we can find, we all want to work together. “Governments must recognize that there are older people and that we have our problems,” suggested the UDP president. Inmaculada Ruiz.
Good review from professionals
In general, it can now be said that the majority of those surveyed are very satisfied with the specialists who look after them. “There is a very high level of appreciation for the staff” Casas stated. And the best-rated service is consultations in the health center with the family doctor, with a 7.9 out of 10.
However, this value drops slightly when questions are asked about income and performance. This is what patients say, for example are less satisfied with hospital emergencies or specialists than with basic care.
Where you live also influences this perception. At health centers and clinics, satisfaction is “lower in the age segments under 75 and in large cities.” “Although The most common difference comes from purchasing capacity,” You qualify for the course.
Digitalization
What all patients agree on is assessment plus personal attention as telematics; in some cases due to the difficulties in accessing “public health” online, particularly among women aged 80 and over, women living in large cities and women with primary education.
However, if you have resorted to telephone advice, 85% were satisfied although they prefer to be face-to-face with their referring doctor or nurse.
Age discrimination in healthcare?
The Barometer also asked patients whether they had felt discriminated against because of their age. 3.4% said they had suffered from age discrimination in primary care; 2.7%, in specialized services; 2.7%, in emergencies; and 2.4% when they were hospitalized. “The situation of age discrimination is increasing significantly among women aged 65 to 69 in specialized care advisory services (5.7%) and in emergencies (5.7%),” says the study presented this Tuesday by UDP.
The health status of older people
The survey also covers the health status of older people. Specifically, 49% of people over 65 say they are in good or very good health 13.7% consider their health to be poor or very poor.
Let’s go into more detail, Women aged 80 or older are considered to have the poorest health (21.5%). It should be noted that, as Sergio Azañedo, senior technician for Simple Lógica Studies, in the Barometer could only contact those over 80 “in better conditions”, so these percentages may be higher or different taking everyone into account.
The barometer also asked about chronicity. “In more than half of the houses where older people live There are household members with chronic or long-term illnesses or health problems (55.6%),” they state in the study.
“The existence of people with chronic illnesses is increasing in households where… The residents are women between the ages of 70 and 74 (68.2%) and among those who do not have sufficient purchasing capacity (71.1%). In addition, the exclusive suffering of chronic diseases stands out among women aged 80 and over (75.3% compared to 61.9% of the total),” they conclude.
