Abstract

Chronic illnesses or non-communicable diseases have become the leading cause of death, among adults in every country. It is expected that the number of these diseases will increase by 17% in the ten years. Globally one out of every three people suffers from illnesses. In the United States four out of ten individuals (or six out of ten) are affected by two or more diseases. Estimates suggest that around 35 million out of the projected 58 million deaths in 2005 will be caused by illnesses. Unhealthy behaviours such as smoking, lack of activity poor eating habits and excessive alcohol consumption greatly contribute to the prevalence of these diseases. In nations, arthritis cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes cancers such as breast and colon cancer diabetes, epilepsy and seizures, obesity and oral health problems are among the common chronic conditions affecting older adults. The increasing incidence of illnesses poses a threat to public health as well, as impacted communities and economies. Until recently the true impact and nature of these conditions were not fully understood.