Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-sxzjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T06:03:44.530Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

54 - Resuscitation in elder persons

from Part VI - Special resuscitation circumstances

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 January 2010

Arthur B. Sanders
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson, AZ, USA
Norman A. Paradis
Affiliation:
University of Colorado, Denver
Henry R. Halperin
Affiliation:
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Karl B. Kern
Affiliation:
University of Arizona
Volker Wenzel
Affiliation:
Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Austria
Douglas A. Chamberlain
Affiliation:
Cardiff University
Get access

Summary

The percentage of elder persons throughout the developed world is rapidly increasing. In the USA, for example, the percentage of the population 65 years and older has increased from 4% in 1900 to 13% in 1990 and is projected to be 22% by 2030. The fastest growing segment of the elderly population is the oldest persons who are 85 years or older and made up about 1% of the population in 1990 but will increase to more than 5% over the next 30 years.

Similarly in developed countries worldwide (including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and countries in Europe and North America) the elderly segment of the population is increasing significantly. The highest proportion of elderly people in the world is in Sweden, with 18% of the population 65 years or older. This demographic change with increasing numbers of elder persons in the population is expected to continue over the next 30 to 50 years. By the year 2025, 5%–9% of the population in the developed nations will be 80 years or older.

This graying of the population in the developed world is largely due to several demographic factors. This includes a decline in the mortality rate especially from cardiovascular diseases and decreased fertility rates in much of the developed world. The post-World War II baby boom generation in the USA consists of 75 million persons born between 1946 and 1964. These people will be entering the geriatric population over the next 20 years.

This increased population of elder persons will have a major impact on the delivery of healthcare.

Type
Chapter
Information
Cardiac Arrest
The Science and Practice of Resuscitation Medicine
, pp. 960 - 968
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×