Health of Older Adults: Comparison of NZ and Japan's Healthcare

This report delves into the health of older adults, focusing on life expectancy and healthcare systems in New Zealand and Japan. It begins by defining life expectancy and providing statistical data for both nations, highlighting variations within each country's demographics. The report then compares the two countries, analyzing factors such as diet, lifestyle, and government healthcare policies that contribute to differences in life expectancy. Recommendations are provided for New Zealand to improve the health and life expectancy of its older adults, including suggestions for financial support for healthcare, promoting nutritious diets, and implementing effective healthcare policies. The report also examines the 'Age-Friendly Initiative' and related strategies, such as the 'Healthy Ageing Strategy' and the 'Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health,' discussing their objectives and differences in improving healthcare for the elderly. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of these strategies in enhancing the quality of life and life expectancy of older adults globally.

Running head: HEALTH OF OLDER ADULT
Health of Older Adult
Name of the Student:
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Author’s Note:

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Life expectancy in New Zealand
Kontis et al. (2017, 1355) are of the viewpoint that the life expectancy of an organism
can be defined as a statistical measure of the average amount of time that the organism is
expected to survive on earth from its birth to death. According to the “United Nations World
Population Prospects 2015 Revision”, the average life expectancy of the male human beings
at birth is 67 years (Life expectancy at birth, total (years) | Data, 2018). On the other hand,
the average life expectancy of females at birth is 71.1 years (Life expectancy, 2018).
The average life expectancy of the individuals in the nation of New Zealand is 81.61
years as per the data of 2016 (Life expectancy, 2018). However, it is seen that there is a
variation in the life expectancy rate of the individuals of the nation belonging to the different
demographics (Barer, 2017, 214). For example, it is seen that the life expectancy rate of the
people living in the major cities of the nation like Auckland and others is more than 82 years
(Life expectancy, 2018). On the other hand, life expectancy rate of the individuals related to
the various ethnic communities of the nation like Maori and others is below 75 years
(Stoddart & Evans, 2017, 61). Furthermore, it is seen that the people living in the southern
part of the nation have a higher life expectancy rate (of more than 5 years) than the people
living in the northern part of the nation (Life expectancy, 2018).
Wang et al. (2016, 1501) are of the viewpoint that the high life expectancy rate that
the people of the nation enjoy can be attributed to the high quality of the public health care
services offered by the health care system of the nation. The various governmental health
care policies like “Health and Disability Services Eligibility Direction 2011”, “New Zealand
Public Health and Disability Act 2000”, “Nationwide Service Framework (NSF)” and others
have contributed in a substantial manner towards this high rate of life expectancy (Life
expectancy, 2018).

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Life expectancy of individuals in Japan
The life expectancy rate of the individuals in the nation of Japan is one of the highest
ones of the world and there are many individuals in the nation who live way above the age of
100 years of age (Welcome to Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2018). As per the
World Health Organization (2018), “the average life expectancy in Japan is 84.2 years
old. Men live an average of 81.1 years, and women live an average of 87.1 years”. However,
there is a disparity in the life expectancy rate of the individuals living in the different parts of
the nation. For example, it is seen that the people living in the rural areas have a higher life
expectancy rate than the ones living in the cities (Veroff & Veroff, 2016, 197). This can be
attributed to the fact that the people in the rural parts of the nation have access to better
quality natural resources than the ones living in the cities of the nation. More importantly, it
is seen that the life expectancy of the individuals in the nation has increased by three years in
the last five years (Life expectancy, 2018).
Chatterji et al. (2015, 575) are of the viewpoint that one of the major reasons for the
high life expectancy rate of the individuals of the nation is the nutritious diet which the
people of the nation consume. In addition to this, it is seen that the public health care services
which are being offered to the people of the nation by the governmental authorities is on par
with the ones offered by the developed nations like USA, Canada and others (Hughes et al.,
2015, 193). The national government of the nation over the years has formulated various
kinds of policies which had contributed in a substantial manner to increase the life
expectancy rate of the individuals of the nation. In this regard, it needs to be said that the
national government of the nation bears more than 70% of the health care costs incurred by
the individuals of the nation (George, 2018, 185). Furthermore, the nation, at the same time,
bears more than 90% of the health care costs for the people belonging to the below the
poverty line (Stoddart & Evans, 2017, 62).

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Comparison of life expectancy rate of Japan and New Zealand
The people of the nation of Japan enjoy a higher life expectancy rate in comparison to
the ones of New Zealand. It is pertinent to note that although the people of New Zealand have
access to far better health care services and also the policies of the national government of the
nation are far better than that of Japan (George, 2018, 186). However, this discrepancy in the
life expectancy rates of the two nations can be explained on the basis of the diet and also the
lifestyle of the people of Japan (Wang et al., 2016, 1502). It is pertinent to note that unlike the
people of New Zealand, people in Japan refrain from smoking, drinking and other kinds of
activities that can affect their health. In addition to this, the initiative of the national
government of Japan to bear the health care cost of the people has also contributed in a
substantial manner towards the enhancement of the same (Stoddart & Evans, 2017, 62). More
importantly, the suitable climate of Japan reduces the risks of chronic and other kinds of fatal
diseases and thereby enhances their life expectancy rate. These in short are some of the main
reasons for the higher life expectancy rate of Japan in comparison to New Zealand.
Recommendations
The three recommendations that the national government of New Zealand can follow
to increase the life expectancy of the older adult are-
 The national government of Japan bears more than 70% of the medical costs incurred
by the individuals and for the people belonging to below the poverty the authorities
bear more than 90% of the medical costs (Stoddart & Evans, 2017, 62). It is pertinent
to note that the individuals not only belonging to the older age brackets but to the
other age groups as well end up spending a substantial amount of capital on various
kinds of health and medical facilities. More importantly, it is seen that the quality of
these services or facilities depend to a large extent on the amount of capital that the

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individuals are willing to spend. However, because of the unequal distribution of
wealth in the society it is not possible for everyone to afford the expensive health care
services (Scharlach et al., 2014, 191). Thus, the national government of New Zealand
just like the one of Japan needs to take care of the health care costs incurred by the
older. This will not only ensure that they have access to quality health care services
which will increase their life expectancy but would also ensure that they do not have
pay extra amount of capital for the same.
 One of the major reasons for the high life expectancy of the individuals in Japan is the
nutritious diet that they consume (Kontis et al., 2015, 1355). This ensures the fact that
their body is getting the right kind of nutrients and others which are necessity to
maintain the normal functions of the body. For example, it is seen that fishes, plants
and vegetables in contrast to the people of New Zealand depend primarily on fast or
junk foods (Mathers et al., 2015, 541). Thus, devising effective diet plans which will
contain the right mixture of nutrients would help the national government of New
Zealand to enhance the life expectancy of its citizens. This is likely to enable the older
adults to resist the diseases and other kind of problems which cause premature deaths.
 It is recommended that New Zealand formulates effective health care policies which
will take into consideration the needs of these older adults. For example, in the nation
of Japan, it is seen that the government has implemented various kind of policies
through which not only the old people but others as well get quality treatment and that
too at affordable prices (Steels, 2015, 51). The national government of New Zealand
can adopt some of the policies of Japan and also the ones followed by other nations as
to implement the kind of policies which will help it to enhance the life expectancy
rate of the citizens of the nation.

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Age Friendly Initiative
According to “WHO Global Age-Friendly Cities project”, the notion of age friendly
can be defined as the “optimization of opportunities for health, participation and security in
order to enhance quality of life as people age” (Welcome to Age-friendly World - Age-
Friendly World, 2018). The primary focus of this initiative of the WHO is to make the
various cities of the world friendly wherein the ageing people would find the right kind of
environment, in terms of health care system and also the attitude of the people (Steels, 2015,
52). There are two important strategies, namely, “The Health Ageing Strategy” and “Global
Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health” which are being used by the various nations
to help the population of their nations to age in an effective manner.
The Health Ageing Strategy and Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and
Health
The “Healthy Ageing Strategy”, which replaced the “Health of Older People
Strategy” (2002) is in alignment with the new “New Zealand Health Strategy 2016” (Healthy
Ageing Strategy, 2018). This initiative of the national government of New Zealand is
intended to improve the quality of health care services which are available to the people and
thereby increase their life expectancy. The main objectives of this strategy are to prioritize
the medical needs of the ageing people and also to help them to live in an effective manner
even with disabilities and medical illnesses (Barer, 2017, 214). More importantly, this
strategy also focuses on improving the quality of care which is available to the older people
and thereby help them to perform the normal activities of their life in a fruitful manner. On
the other hand, the “Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health” was formulated
as per the dictums of World Health Assembly in 2014 (Welcome to Age-friendly World -
Age-Friendly World, 2018). This strategy has two goals which it intends to achieve by the
end of 2030-

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 Conducting evidence based-action to “maximize functional ability” of the
individuals and
 Establishment of partnerships and evidence to support “Decade of Healthy
Ageing from 2020 to 2030” (Welcome to Age-friendly World - Age-Friendly
World, 2018).
The focus of the strategy under discussion here is on the achievement of five objectives-
 Implementation of the notion of “Healthy Ageing” in almost every nation of the world
. (Welcome to Age-friendly World - Age-Friendly World, 2018)
 Development of healthy ageing societies in the different nations of the world.
 Ensuring the fact that the health care facilities offered are in synchronicity with the
health care needs of the ageing population (Welcome to Age-friendly World - Age-
Friendly World, 2018)
 Development of “sustainable and equitable systems” so as to offer better quality care
facilities to the older people and
 Improvement of research, measurement and monitoring of Healthy Ageing
It is pertinent to note that both of these strategies are intended to improve the kind of
health care facilities which are available to the aged people and thereby enhance their life
expectancy rate yet there are some inherent differences between the two. Firstly, it can be
said that the “Healthy Ageing Strategy” is a national health policy of New Zealand whereas
the “Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health” is an initiative of the World
Health Assembly (Barer, 2017, 214). Secondly, the Healthy Ageing Strategy solely focuses
on offering better quality of care facilities to the elderly people whereas the “Global Strategy
and Action Plan on Ageing and Health” is focused on the improvement of the entire health
care facilities which are available to the people (George, 2018, 185).

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Importance of the age friendly cities
Scharlach et al. (2014, 192) are of the viewpoint that the notion of age friendly cities
benefits not only the people belonging to the older age brackets but people from all ages. For
example, it is seen that this concept has enhanced the “inter-generational solidarity” of the
various communities and also they are being able to connect with each other in a more
meaningful manner (Welcome to Age-friendly World - Age-Friendly World, 2018).
Furthermore, this measure also offers better quality of health services to people belonging to
all demographics and all sections of the society (Steels, 2015, 52). As a matter of fact, it is
seen that the average population of the world has increased by more than 22% since the year
2015 and more than 434 million people are over the age of 80 years of age (Welcome to Age-
friendly World - Age-Friendly World, 2018). In addition to this, it is also seen that the
average death rate of the world in the last five years has reduced by more than 2% (Welcome
to Age-friendly World - Age-Friendly World, 2018). One of the most important reasons
which has been ascribed to change in the population of the world and also towards the
increase in the people who are over the age of 80 years is the policy of age friendly which is
being followed by the different nations (Kontis et al., 2015, 1356).
It is seen that taking the help of this notion, the national governments of the various
nations of the world have devised the kind of health and other kind of policies which are
likely to benefit the older people. In this regard, mention needs to be made about Japan,
wherein it is seen that more than 90% of the costs related to health and other genres of the
older people are taken care of by the national government itself (George, 2018, 186). More
importantly, in the nation of New Zealand it is seen that the local communities as well as the
health care organizations are inter-connected which not only enables them to transfer
information but also to offer better treatment facilities to the individuals (Chatterji et al.,
2015, 575). This has not only enabled the nation to help the old people to age to in an

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effective manner but has at the same time increased the life expectancy rate of the individuals
as well. Thus, it can be said that the effective usage of the concept of age friendly is one of
the major reasons for the high life expectancy rate of the individuals in the nations of Japan
and New Zealand.

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