Health Situation for Elderly Persons in Developing Societies: The Case of Cameroon

Teke Johnson Takwa (PhD)
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Teke Johnson Takwa (PhD): Demographer, Central Bureau for Censuses and Population Studies, Yaoundé-Cameroon Lecturer, Department of Geography and Planning, University of Bamenda, Cameroon

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2022, vol. 6, issue 5, 880-884

Abstract: This study examines the health situation of elderly persons in Cameroon using data from the 2005 General Population and Housing Census. This health situation is measured via the prevalence of chronic diseases,disabilities and life expectancy after 60. This study reveals that 6% of elderly persons in Cameroon suffer from at least one disability with blindness being the most prevalent. 5.8% of them suffer from at least a chronic infection with hypertension being the most frequent, followed by diabetes. With proper diagnosis, prevalent rates of chronic infections could be much higher. At 60, life expectancy is 15.4 years and by age 80, this expectancy has dropped to only 4.2 years. Life expectancy for elderly women is higher than that of elderly men.Gaps for life expectancy for both elderly women and men reduce with age and become almost zero after 89 years. The elderly population is increasing in Cameroon at a time when the health care systemis not yet fully developed to handle their complicated health situations. There is need to develop geriatric health care with emphasis on early diagnosis, and treatment of chronic infections and disabilities as well as need to subsidize health care costs for the elderly. There is also need to advise younger generations against risky behaviours that expose them to chronic infections before they reach old age.

Date: 2022
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