According to a nation-wide survey of 2,058 elderly people aged 60 and over in 1994, 85.9% of the respondent reported that they had chronic diseases which lasted for more than 3 months. The proportion reporting chronic diseases lasting for more than 3 ...
According to a nation-wide survey of 2,058 elderly people aged 60 and over in 1994, 85.9% of the respondent reported that they had chronic diseases which lasted for more than 3 months. The proportion reporting chronic diseases lasting for more than 3 months was higher among the elderly in rural areas than the elderly in urban areas, and among females than males. The major chronic diseases turned out to be arthralgia(arthritis. rheumatism) by 56.6%, back pain by 31.2%, digestive diseases by 19.8%, hypertension by 19.3%, and respiratory diseases by 10.9%. As most of the eldelry have chronic diseases, health promotion activities such as health education and health examination are needed from middle ages. Also, there are urgent needs for the long-term care system based on community assistance as well as facilities such as intensive nursing homes and geriatric hospitals.