Summary
Published Date: June 01, 2005
The number of older people in the United States will double in the next thirty years. The public discussion about this growing number of elders often focuses on the increased demand they will create for retirement income as well as for health and social services. Health issues play a particularly important role in these discussions because healthcare is a major cost in governmental budgets and because good health is a priority for everyone.
The discipline of public health contributes to this discussion from a unique perspective. Public health is dedicated to promoting the conditions under which people can be healthy (Institute of Medicine, 2002). Three key elements characterize public health efforts: an emphasis on health rather than disease, a proactive rather than reactive approach, and a focus on the population rather than the individual. Each of these elements contributes to the unique approach of public health to the issue of health and aging. In addition, the "public" aspect of public health means that its programs and policies are designed to address the collective good, whether or not they contribute to the private gains of any particular individual person or entity.
Wallace, Steven P. The Public Health Perspective on Aging. Generations. 29:2(2005), 5-10.
Publication Authors:
The discipline of public health contributes to this discussion from a unique perspective. Public health is dedicated to promoting the conditions under which people can be healthy (Institute of Medicine, 2002). Three key elements characterize public health efforts: an emphasis on health rather than disease, a proactive rather than reactive approach, and a focus on the population rather than the individual. Each of these elements contributes to the unique approach of public health to the issue of health and aging. In addition, the "public" aspect of public health means that its programs and policies are designed to address the collective good, whether or not they contribute to the private gains of any particular individual person or entity.
Wallace, Steven P. The Public Health Perspective on Aging. Generations. 29:2(2005), 5-10.
Publication Authors:
- Steven P. Wallace, PhD