Reducing Social Health Inequalities in Older People

Extract

[...] In order to combat social health inequalities, it is necessary to have a global vision of the population of older people and its territorial distribution. Indeed, the risk of relying solely on observational studies is not taking into account the various origins of social health inequalities but rather observing the facts without intervening in the population's exposure conditions. This type of study may have low statistical power if the sample size is small. Large-scale epidemiological studies are therefore required to have large representative samples of the entire population, in order to obtain a real image of the heterogeneity of access to care and social disparities. [...]

[...] The notion of 'healthcare professionals' encompasses all individuals who care for older people by providing care. This includes, among others, general practitioners, geriatricians, caregivers, nurses, occupational therapists, home care workers, social workers, psychomotor therapists, or even podiatrists. Their specific skills must be coordinated around the older person for a multidimensional care approach. In the context of this policy, these professionals have, among other tasks, the mission to identify and respond to the health and social needs of older people and to analyze if the effects are beneficial. [...]

[...] Social benefits, access to care must therefore be put in place as close as possible to the places of life of older people, in the form of proximity action programs. The interpretation of demographic data can also weigh because the health of the most vulnerable older people corresponds to the emerged part of the iceberg. In a context of population aging, access to the healthcare system must therefore be improved by putting the social dimension at the heart of the problem of health inequalities. [...]

[...] They make it possible to verify the existence of these social health inequalities and to quantify them. It is therefore a fundamental step in public health. Question 3 : Beyond the intrinsic factors related to resources, the professional environment and living conditions, in what way do health policies, the interpretation of demographic data and conjectural factors also weigh on the social health inequalities of older people in France? Health policies have their limitations and can impact social health inequalities of older people. [...]