Chronic Conditions
Most older adults have two chronic diseases or more. Explore how this impacts their lives.
View all in Chronic Conditions Topic
Addressing the Diabetes Epidemic in America
Civica Rx, the nation’s first not-for-profit generic pharmaceutical company co-founded by the Gary and Mary West Foundation in 2018, announced plans to manufacture and distribute insulins at significantly lower prices than those currently on the market. The availability of affordable insulins will benefit people with diabetes, particularly the uninsured or underinsured, who often pay the most out ...
9-1-1: Older Adults with Dementia Need Better Care in America’s Fast-Paced Emergency Rooms
Local emergency rooms are often the first and last places older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers turn to for care either because their options have run out or they feel they have nowhere else to turn. Both can be true at the same time, and sadly when it comes to dementia, it often is.The problem though is that while ERs are effective at handling medical emergencies, they are no...
Home-Based Primary Care for California’s Seniors
Key Facts: Home-Based Primary CareCalifornia's senior population is entering a period of rapid growth; by 2030 the over-65 population in the state will grow by four million people.Approximately 90 percent of seniors plan to stay in their homes as they age.CMS cut payments for home health care by $260 million in 2016, $60 million in 2015 and $200 million in 2014.Successful HBPC programs have been s...
Association Between Physical Therapy in the Emergency Department and Emergency Department Revisits for Older Adult Fallers: A Nationally Representative Analysis
AbstractObjectivesTo determine whether providing physical therapy (PT) services in the emergency department (ED) improves outcomes for older adults who fall.DesignWe used Medicare claims data to examine differences in recurrent fall-related ED revisit rates of older adults who presented to the ED for a ground-level fall and whether they received PT services in the ED. Our logistic regression model...
Factors Associated With Geriatric Frequent Users of Emergency Departments
AbstractStudy ObjectiveFrequent users of the emergency department (ED) are often associated with increased health care costs. Limited research is devoted to frequent ED use within the increasing senior population, which accounts for the highest use of health care resources. We evaluate patient characteristics and patterns of ED use among geriatric patients.MethodsThis was a multicenter, retrospect...
Limiting Coverage Based On Efficacy And Safety: A Path Forward For Medicare Regarding The Alzheimer’s Treatment Aducanumab
Today, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) will announce a decision on whether to approve the biologic aducanumab, intended to alleviate symptoms in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease. Currently, more than 6 million Americans over the age of 65 are living with Alzheimer’s Disease. As the US population continues to age, the number of seniors with Alzheimer’s Disease is only expected to grow. An est...
Value-Based Care for Seniors with Heart Failure: Mobile Interventions and Reduced Hospitalizations
BackgroundNew models for delivering cost-effective and high-quality acute care are needed to meet the demands of the quickly growing and medically complex senior population. This is particularly true for seniors with heart failure who are often high utilizers of hospital-based services. In response, Geisinger health system implemented a mobile integrated health paramedic program (MIHPP) whereby tr...