INTRODUCTION Apical refers to apex which means peak. Infancy is better thought of as the ages before childhood. Before apex/peak is reached, there would be beginnings, if numerically written, this starts from zero. Apical point again suggests that that is the highest point or one of the highest points that can be attained in the world. Infanthood is obviously talking about human beings. Therefore, trying to bring together the two words, there is a certain numerical value that human beings' age can get to that people or others shall call apical point or age.
HISTORICAL Yorubas, (from the section of the world, the continent and the region that have her densely populated in and from whence this writer is writing from) believed that at a certain juncture of human development, human beings get to the peak of their livelihoods, but subsequently after attaining this age, "law of dimishing returns", time when there will be marginal productivity and at times zero productivity, “sets in”. Thus, this, the Yorubas put in one of their adage as "when human beings grow to certain age they become infants again."
One shall notice that this has been from the time immemorial, that is why "health-rhythm" (physiological or biological clock) is found to be in full operation in humans
LITERATURE REVIEW There are controversies about the physical year for the natives or people of Yoruba land those days. What I am infering at is that people say Yorubas’ calendar is slightly different from the globalised presently commonly used year regulation or monitoring (calendar). But that notwithstanding, the Yorubas don’t ascribe a fixed age to when old age starts to manifest in the lives of her citizenry. They broadly base their judgment on physical appearance of their people, thence, their assessment of old age isn’t well balanced, misconstruing and generally unacceptable for use this age. However, the health educationists, working in tandem with the globalised calendar set a certain age as the standard age at which they expect that old age should begin in individual persons. This set age also varies from country to country, but this writer based this write-up on 65 years and above as the age that someone should be called aged, with the (women) females' about 4% lower than males.
ASSOCIATED HICCUPS
Certain noticeable but untoward manifestations associated with this age or stage include among others the followings: 1. Toilet habits affected, 2. Poor judgment acumen, 3. Short term memory affected, 4. Sight affected, 5. Delayed healing process, 6. Immunity impairment, 7. Reduce energization, 8. Reduce business acumen/strength etc
AFFECTEE Except for some minute abberations, everyone is affected by this. This does not exempt any sex.
PALLIATION To resolving the crisis and the problems that are usually accompanying old age, so many things are being tried which include:
1. Relocation on permanent or temporary basis (commonly used in this region) 2. Special accommodation 3. Special hospital etc
RELOCATION
This is movement of somebody or something from a place to another. It could be on temporary basis if the person who moves to that new place only does that for a short period of time or some numbers of years, say between 0 and X years at the end of which the person returns to its former abode again
This kind of method is commonly used in our region and particularly used because the government doesn’t have a sordid establishment to cater for the well-being of the old people due to several factors. Findings have shown that this currently in use method is not very effective in taking care of old ones because: 1. Some's problem/s grow worse 2. Development of non-existing problems etc
I wish to briefly state why I think these are so:
SOCIO-PHYSIO-PATHOLOGY Due to the newness of the old people in the new environments they get to, their normal body functioning suddenly starts to malfunction, all in a bid to respond to the geographical changes of the new area. When they are unable to adequately respond to these environmental changes, their bodies systems functions begin to re-adjust. They at times socially react to some things which they ordinarily wouldn’t have reacted to before.
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY The change in environment can cause sickness eg frequent stooling as if they have been infected by microbes, dementia, loss of appetite, leading to weight loss etc
The increase in frequencies of stooling could be due to the change in intestinal secretions associated with the change in the environment and the climate changes, this kind of situation normally ought not to subsist but subsisted because of the psychologic notion of not being at home. This may lead to a cascade of other diseases
THEIR GENERAL VIEW The psychology of being at a strange land, perhaps at that age of theirs’, make them feel uncomfortable and they wish to return to where they have come from. Many assumptions can be alluded to this among which are: 1. Through the experiences had in the time past, they believe old friends are better than new ones. Their actions also show that they can not readily make new friends there 2. They are contented at where they were before, irrespective of what they maybe experiencing there, which others feel are not good for their age 3. They believe they have gotten to the peak and are not interested in pursuing other worldly or mundane things or gains again
SUGGESTIONS 1. Things could be supplied to them where they are. They also could be asked of what they prefer should be done for them and meet wit it or such
2. Jobs can be created for them, since some of them hate joblessness or idleness. The created jobs can be supervisory in nature so that they have feelings of doing something 3. Religion is of high value here, a comfortable means of transportation can be provided for them to be conveying them to their place of worship if not near to where they are living,
4. Each region of the world has specialized kind of sports meant for the old people, more of these specialized sports should be made available for them
OUTCOME
1. Economic dependency would be reduced 2. Recurrent sickness would be reduced 3. Life span would be increased 4. Social menace catered for
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