Abstract
The rapid growth of the global aging population has raised attention to the health and healthcare needs of older adults. The purpose of this mini-review is to: (1) elucidate the complex factors affecting the relationship between chronological age, socio-economic status (SES), access to care, and healthy aging using a SES-focused framework; (2) present examples of interventions from across the globe; and (3) offer recommendations for research-guided action to remediate the trend of older age being associated with lower SES, lack of access to care, and poorer health outcomes. Evidence supports a relationship between SES and healthcare access as well as healthcare access and health outcomes for older adults. Because financial resources are proportional to health status, efforts are needed to support older adults and the burdened healthcare system with financial resources. This can be most effective with grassroots approaches and interventions to improve SES among older adults and through data-driven policy and systems change.
Highlights
Healthy aging, known as successful aging [1], is defined by the World Health Organization as “the process of developing and maintaining functional ability that enables well-being in older age” [2]
This mini-review: [1] discusses the relationship between chronological age, socio-economic status (SES), access to care, and healthy aging; [2] presents examples of SES, Healthcare Access, and Healthy Aging interventions from across the globe; and [3] offers recommendations for research-guided action to remediate the trend of older age being associated with lower SES, lack of access to care, and poorer health outcomes
Socioeconomic status is intimately tied to healthy aging, with greater wealth producing a greater likelihood of health among older adults [25]
Summary
Known as successful aging [1], is defined by the World Health Organization as “the process of developing and maintaining functional ability that enables well-being in older age” [2]. Access to care can affect a person’s SES through a downward trajectory, where (for example) poverty reduces access to healthcare, which leads to increased morbidity, which leads to increased poverty and further reductions in access to care Context, such as rurality, neighborhood, or country has a similar relationship to healthy aging through SES. In a variety of contexts, lower SES is associated with reduced access to care, poorer health outcomes, and increased mortality and morbidity as individuals age [9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18] This mini-review targets the relationship between wealth, access to healthcare, and healthy aging. There is a relationship between SES and health, with low SES associated with poorer health [20,21,22,23,24]
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