Healthcare

Health care is one of the most pressing issues facing seniors today. For many, access to affordable, accessible care is a struggle, and it remains to be seen how the passage of the Health Care Reform bill will affect health care services for seniors. Currently, many low income seniors struggle to pay for medication and doctor’s visits, and often must choose between buying their medicine or buying food. A growing issue in particular is the ability of seniors to receive home health care, which can often be the difference between a senior staying safely in their own homes and costly medical bills, trips to the hospital, or life in a care facility.

Mental Health & Seniors

Seniors face many emotional and mental challenges as they age: the loss of loved ones such as spouses and siblings, changes in living arrangements, access to limited or fixed income, and major or chronic illnesses are only some of the major life changes often faced by seniors. While feelings of grief and sadness can be healthy and normal in many circumstances, for some seniors these feelings can transform into depression if not addressed properly. Of the nearly 35 million Americans age 65 and older, an estimated 6% have a depressive illness (major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, or bipolar disorder), while another 14% have depressive symptoms associated with the development of major depression. Because many older adults face these illnesses as well as various social and economic difficulties, health care professionals may mistakenly conclude that depression is a normal consequence of these problems—an attitude often shared by patients themselves. These factors together contribute to the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of depressive disorders in older people.

Kinship Caregivers

Today many grandparents and other elders are raising young relative children, many of whom have been abandoned, neglected, or abused by birth parents. Advocates estimate that more than 60,000 children in Philadelphia are being raised by relative caregivers, primarily grandparents and other elderly family members. This accounts for 1 in 6 children in our community. These children are the innocent victims of their parents’ drug addiction, incarceration, violence, illness or death. Thousands of grandmothers and other elders have risen to the occasion to offer these children a home, and assume the role of parent in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, ensuring that these kids receive medical care, an education, and the stability, affection, and sense of family they need to survive.

Elder Abuse

Up to 5 million seniors suffer elder abuse each year. Such abuse can include physical abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and other forms of mistreatment. The typical victim of elder abuse is female, over the age of 75, and is dependent upon a spouse, relative, or friend to provide care, food, or shelter. Abuse may occur when a caregiver fails to meet the needs of the older person or when the older person fails to take care of themselves.

Alcohol abuse and elderly

There is an increasing prevalence of alcoholism among the older population, with studies indicating between 6 and 11% of elderly patients admitted to hospitals exhibit symptoms of alcoholism, as do 20% of elderly patients in psychiatric wards and 14% of elderly patients in emergency rooms. The prevalence of problem drinking in nursing home is as high as 49%. Because alcohol problems among older persons are often mistaken for other conditions associated with the aging process, alcohol abuse and alcoholism in this population go undiagnosed and untreated or treated improperly. Health care providers should discuss alcohol use with their older patient as part of routine care.

Seniors and gambling

Senior citizens are the fastest-growing group of gamblers and, some say, the most vulnerable. Those older than 65 who reported having gambled jumped from 35% in 1975 to 80% in 1998. Gamblers 60 and older lost $2.4 billion in Atlantic City casinos in 1997, 65 percent of total casino revenue. Some players may even lose their retirement savings and homes. Secondary health complications often arise in those senior adults who engage in pathological gambling. While these health conditions are common among the elderly population in general, the risk for developing these complications seems more prevalent among those with gambling addictions. These include cardiovascular complication, gastrointestinal complications, sexual dysfunction and even the onset of other substance abuse or at-risk behavior, with risk for depression, anxiety and antisocial behavior.

Fastest growing segment of the American Population

In 2008 38.9 million Americans were aged 65+ (1 in 8 Americans), and Pennsylvania has the 3rd largest percentage (14%) of persons 65+ in the nation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of seniors will increase by 40% over the next five years, and will more than double by 2050. This shift in the population will result in added pressure on the capacity of health care, assisted living, and other systems which serve the senior demographic. It will also place added demands on families and society in general as adult children increasingly try to care for elderly parents in the home while simultaneously working and raising their own children.