Paper Example on Queensland: Population, Age Gaps, and Economic Status

Slide 1: Introduction

Queensland is among the most densely populated regions in the country, with the current population estimated to be about 5 million people (Brennan et al., 2018). It is a major hub for many commercial and leisure activities, as well as an important tourist destination in the country. The Australian state of Queensland has several significant age disparity gaps, owing to a mostly aging population. The economic status of Queensland comprises a majority middle class society, mostly living within the cities and the suburban regions in the state. Many issues are surrounding the aging Australian population, but Queensland residents have differing health concerns due to the ecological factors in the region (Esterman et al., 2018). This presentation discusses the population statistics in Queensland, to present significant health problems in the region due to the aging population.

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Slide 2: Immigrant Age Statistics in Queensland

A majority of the people who migrate to Australia from different countries around the world come in at the age of 25 years and below. They make up about 25% of the population, who have lived in the country for less than five years. According to Anderlini, Wallis, and Marinovic (2018), the immigrant population in Queensland is about 25 percent of the total population, making up about 1.25 million of the overall population of the state. It is the second-largest province in the country and significantly presents a diverse mix of culture, religion, economic activities, and even race and ethnicity. The life expectancy in the state is approximately 80 years (Senserrick et al., 2018). With regard to age groups, the Australian Bureau of Statistics posits that about 50% of the immigrants in the state of Queensland is ranged between 30-40 years of age (Abs.gov.au, 2016). Of these immigrants, about 30% is above the age of 65, which makes up the senior population of immigrants in Queensland.

Slide 3: Immigrant Population Distribution Statistics

The distribution of the immigrant population in Queensland demonstrates a rather dense population in the major cities. These include; Cairns, Gold Coast, Brisbane, and Whitsunday Island. According to Scott et al. (2019), the aging population of immigrants in Queensland often participates in communal activities within the city. A majority is committed to care institutions while a good number presents aging diseases and conditions. It is critical to offer care for this population as a good number of these senior citizens cannot afford healthcare yet approximately 50% show symptoms of chronic conditions such as dementia and Parkinson's disease (Dementia Estimate and Projections, 2017). The population is nonetheless fairly distributed as with a life expectancy of 80 and an average population age of 38 years; it is possible to argue that the community is fairly diversified across different age brackets. The country's elderly population makes up a good number of patients struggling with various health concerns that need to be addressed as well.

Slide 4: Dementia in among Aging Immigrants

The major concern for the aged immigrants living in rural areas is that they are hardly able to access care of their dementia and alternative mental health issues (Scott et al., 2019). Queensland hosts more than 35% of the total immigrant population in the country (James & Bennett, 2019). According to The Australian Dementia Organization, the urban population of immigrants living with dementia gets more care and attention from the Australian government than the rural population (Dementia Estimate and Projections, 2017). Indeed, according to Scott et al. (2019), dealing with dementia for people who live in highly sparse regions can be quite demanding as there is not enough medical personnel in some of the rural areas in the country to handle conditions such as dementia and other mental health issues. It is crucial to deal with dementia in the rural areas of Queensland to care for the large immigrant population.

Slide 5: Dementia among Aging Immigrants in Queensland

The aging population of immigrants in Queensland presents several health concerns to the nation. The common health issue among aging immigrants in Queensland is dementia (Dementia Estimate and Projections, 2017). Dementia is a degenerative mental disorder that leads to loss of memory and a consistent inability to recall cognitive function. The main cause for dementia among aged immigrants in Queensland is the inability to access many familiar family members, friends, and relatives. Treatment for dementia requires a constant presence of a family member, friend or relative whom someone has had a good relationship within the past to remind them of the things they need to know about (Brennan et al., 2018). The patient's mind is often unable to coordinate activities and cognitive skills that would otherwise be achieved by a healthy individual.

Slide 6: Dementia Statistics among Immigrants in Queensland

According to Senserrick et al. (2018), at least 40% of the senior population of immigrants in the state of Queensland has shown signs of dementia. The Australian organization involved with dementia treatment (Dementia Australia) posits that on an annual basis, the number of immigrants diagnosed with dementia increases by at least 5% (Dementia Estimate and Projections, 2017)). Currently, of the 700,000 aged immigrants in the state of Queensland, about 200,000 have been diagnosed with dementia, representing 28% of the aged immigrant population (Brennan et al., 2018). Compared to the national statistic, about 1 in 3 of every aged Australian has been diagnosed with dementia. This is about 33% of the total number of senior citizens in the country (Dementia Estimate and Projections, 2017). Although it can be argued that the prevalence rate of dementia among the immigrant population is quite low, treatment options for the immigrant population also significantly vary from those of the native Australian citizens.

Slide 7: Treatment for Dementia among Aged Immigrants

Treatment of dementia differs based on the support system the individual has. The Australian government should offer more care to the immigrant population above the age of 65, as many of them have very few family and friends that can present a strong support structure to help them deal with the Alzheimer's (Dementia Estimate and Projections, 2017). Although many Australians with Alzheimer's have strong support among friends and family, immigrants end up lonely and often with no one to turn to when they face Alzheimer's and other conditions due to aging (Taylor et al., 2018). According to Dementia.org.au (2017), the Australian government only offers support to persons with dementia who are admitted to aged care facilities. Dementia makes it difficult to deal with day to day activities, and most of the persons at this age can only rely on support from government institutions and relief organizations within the country.

Slide 8: What the Government Can Do

Currently, the Australian government has significant statistics on the number of immigrants in the country, and the problems faced by the aging immigrant population (Anderlini, Wallis & Marinovic, 2018). The statistics on the immigrant population in Queensland, Australia can help the government put in place programs to have nursing care offered to the aged immigrants with dementia in their homes. Persons with dementia should also not live on their own (Dementia Estimate and Projections, 2017). There should be efforts to identify aged immigrants with chronic health conditions and commit them to institutions that can offer better care to dementia patients. Only about 15% of the population of immigrants is above the age of 65 (Senserrick et al., 2018). It is crucial to ensure that the rest of the 85% of the population has proper measures to deal with the possible health concerns that will affect them as they age (Senserrick et al., 2018). More importantly, it is necessary to ensure that more immigrant families are accorded affordable healthcare that can guarantee them affordable yet effective care when they grow old.

Slide 9: Challenge to Policy Makers

Policy makers need to support the aging population of immigrants in Queensland in several ways. Immigrants in Queensland often find it more difficult to adapt to the differing economic and social conditions. It would be best to offer them social support, especially those who are retired. This can include transport, food, and affordable shelter. Government support for the immigrant communities who cannot afford care for the aged is often offered to registered groups of immigrants. It should be extended especially to aging immigrants with dementia. If the government extends such assistance, the immigrant population in Queensland will continue to increase rapidly.

References

Anderlini, D., Wallis, G., & Marinovic, W. (2018). Stroke hospital admission rates in Brisbane and Queensland in 2015: Data from 11,072 cases. International Journal of Stroke, 1747493018801221. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1747493018801221?journalCode=wsoa

Abs.gov.au (2016). 2071.0 - Census of Population and Housing: Reflecting Australia - Stories from the Census. Australia Bureau of Statistics. 2016 HYPERLINK "https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Ageing%20Population~14" https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Ageing%20Population~14

Brennan, J., Chan, K. C., Kippen, R., Lenard, C. T., Mills, T. M., & Williams, R. F. (2018). Applications of the cumulative rate to kidney cancer statistics in Australia. In Demography and Health Issues (pp. 97-106). Springer, Cham. Retrieved from https://eprints.usq.edu.au/34039/4/brennan%20et%20al.pdf

Dementia.org.au. (2017). Dementia estimate and projections: Australian states and territories. Dementia Australia. Retrieved from https://www.dementia.org.au/sites/default/files/20050200_Nat_AE_DemEstProjAust.pdf

Esterman, A., Thompson, F., Fitts, M., Gilroy, J., Fleming, J., Maruff, P., & Clough, A. (2018). Incidence of emergency department presentations for traumatic brain injury in Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents aged 15-64 over the 9-year period 2007-2015 in North Queensland, Australia. Injury epidemiology, 5(1), 40. Retrieved from https://injepijournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40621-018-0172-9

James, B. D., & Bennett, D. A. (2019). Causes and Patterns of Dementia: An Update in the Era of Redefining Alzheimer's Disease. Annual review of public health, 40. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040218-043758

Scott, T., Liddle, J., Mitchell, G., Beattie, E., & Pachana, N. (2019). Implementation and evaluation of a driving cessation intervention to improve community mobility and wellbeing outcomes for people living with dementia: study protocol of the 'CarFreeMe' for people with dementia program. BMC geriatrics, 19(1), 66. Retrieved from https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-019-1074-6

Senserrick, T., Boufous, S., Olivier, J., & Hatfield, J. (2018). Associations between graduated driver licensing and road trauma reductions in a later licensing age jurisdiction: Queensland, Australia. PLoS One, 13(9), e0204107. Retrieved from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0204107

Taylor, A. W., Dal Grande, E., Fateh-Moghadam, P., Montgomerie, A., Battisti, L., Barrie, H., ... & Campostrini, S. (2018). Comparison of Health and Risk Factors of Older, Working-age Australians, Italians and Italian-born Migrants to Australia, with Data from an Italian (PASSI), and an Aus...