Author: Julie Potyraj

What it means to be a caregiver today: The data
If you’re a caregiver feeling strain, you’re not alone. Many caregivers feel your strain. In order to understand the magnitude of this strain in the U.S., let’s consider a few facts about our aging population and what it means to be a caregiver today.

There are more than 46 million Americans older than 65, which is more than 14 times the number in 1900, when there were just 3.1 million people over 65. By the year 2026, baby boomers will begin to turn 80 years old. The number of older adults who will need care is only expected to grow as time go on.

As the number of older Americans increases, the need for family caregivers will also increase. Right now, there are 40 million unpaid caregivers in the United States providing support to adults 65 and older. Caregivers dedicate time, money and emotional energy to caring for their loved ones. Though their role is both necessary and rewarding, it’s important to be aware of the different types of stressors caregivers face. Over time, the strain adds up.

Time Strain

Caring for a loved one is often a long-term commitment. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the American Psychological Association:
- Nearly 15 percent of caregivers provide care for more than 10 years.
- Almost 25 percent of caregivers provide care on a daily basis.
- On average, caregivers spend more than 20 hours per week caregiving.
- While 70 percent of caregivers care for one person, 30 percent care for more than one relative.
Health Strain

By its nature, caregiving means that you put someone else’s needs first. As a result caregivers may ignore their own physical and mental health. This can cause severe health problems, as the majority of caregivers have a higher chance of death in a four-year period compared to those not caring for a loved one.

Financial Strain

The economic value of the services that family caregivers provide is more than $350 billion a year. This equates to out-of-pocket expenses of about $2,400 each year per person. On average, older adults’ health care expenses are nearly three times those of adults younger than 65. On top of this, most caregivers are employed and their caregiving responsibilities often require them to forgo earned income.

Here’s more from Just Care:
May 31, 2016
Is aging in place right for you?
With the population in the United States aging at a rapid clip, we are seeing more home and community supports and services. Older adults have an increasing ability to remain in their homes and communities as they age. Not surprisingly, an AARP survey found that almost 90 percent of older adults want to remain in their homes as they grow older, and the aging in place concept is growing in popularity. But, aging in place is not right for everyone.

Here, we’ll discuss what aging in place is all about—and how to determine if it’s a realistic and right option for you.

What Is Aging in Place?

Aging in place refers to the decision that people make to remain in their homes or communities as they age, for as long as they can. In order to age in place, older adults need access to whatever services and supports will ensure them a good quality of life over time.

Of course, as we age, we must address an evolving array of issues related to our health, mobility, nutrition, self-care, and home safety. In addition, many older adults also face challenges related to memory and cognition. The possibility of multiple challenges means that in order to age in place, we should plan ahead—before the need for additional services and supports arises.

What Services and Supports May be Needed?

Each person’s individual situation will vary, but needed resources often include those related to mobility and activities of daily living, shopping and errands, meal preparation, social activities, finances, and health care. It also can be important to have a relative or close friend nearby and available to help you and provide support on a consistent basis.

Some of the most common barriers that individuals face when it comes to aging in place relate to the structure and layout of their homes. It’s really important to adapt your home to meet future needs and to avoid major challenges later on. You want to be able to get in and out of your home without climbing stairs if at all possible. Ideally, your bedroom should be on the first floor. Doorways and passageways should accommodate wheelchairs and walkers. And, door and faucet handles should be levers, rather than knobs. A small amount of home modification work early on can go a long way to allowing you to remain in your home.

According to the Bipartisan Policy Center that published the report, America’s Growing Senior Population, five universal design features can help ensure homes safety for older adults:
- No-step entries
- Single-floor living
- Switches and outlets accessible at any height
- Extra-wide hallways and doors to accommodate walkers and wheelchairs
- Lever-style door and faucet handles
The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development’s consumer guide for home improvements provides a concise list of both simple and more involved improvements that you can start making to your home now and integrate into home updates in the years ahead.

Before deciding to age in place, consider these five things:
1. What modifications to your home do you need?
2. Can you cover the cost of these home modifications?
3. Who will care for you if you remain in your home? Is a local relative or close friend able to provide consistent help and support?
4. Can you afford to hire additional help, if needed?
5. Will you be able to socialize and get together with friends?
As University of Florida professor and gerontologist Stephen M. Golant, the author of Aging in the Right Place notes, remaining at home as you age may not always be the best option: “Aging in place is not for everyone and may not be the right place, but there are alternatives that they should consider as ways to improve quality of life.” Some older adults might also want to consider aging in place villages.

Golant says that the key to knowing if aging in place is right for you is to know yourself and what your needs are for maintaining your quality of life as you grow older.

Here’s more from Just Care:
May 10, 2016
Could your hospital make you sick? How to protect yourself against hospital-acquired infections
The hospital is a place that’s supposed to make us well. However, it can also make us very sick. Individuals who go to the hospital too often end up with severe—and sometimes fatal—infections simply from being there. For aging Americans, the risk is even higher.

Hospital-acquired infections are a major concern for patients, their families, health care administrators—and all personnel who are associated with patient care. Here are some practical tips to better protect both you and your family against hospital-acquired infections.

Officially known as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), hospital-acquired infections fall into a broader category of infections that patients get while receiving treatment in a health care setting. They can be associated with procedures (like surgery), or devices that are used for treatment—such as invasive catheters.

The overuse of antibiotics greatly contributes to both the existence of HAIs, as well as the inability to treat them effectively. Indeed, the effectiveness of many antibiotics is at serious risk because of their overuse and the consequent emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

If you receive care in health care settings other than hospitals, you also can get these infections. These include places like outpatient surgery centers, dialysis centers, physician offices, and long-term care facilities.

Two of the most common infections are Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (C. difficile). C. difficile caused almost half a million infections among patients in the U.S. in just one year. More than 80 percent of the deaths associated with C. difficile occurred in patients 65 years or older, and many were in nursing homes. Aging Americans are more vulnerable to HAIs because they often have multiple medical conditions and their systems are more fragile and less able to fight off disease.

The problem has become so serious that the White House has developed a strategy to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has developed a national action plan to prevent health care-associated infections.

The good news is that there are a number of steps you can take in the hospital or other health care setting to help protect yourself and your family from getting one of these—or other—infections:
- If possible, choose your hospital carefully; Consumer Reports offers hospital safety ratings on its web site by state at not charge. Medicare also has a web site comparing hospitals that provides information on healthcare-associated infections.
- Ask health care workers to wash their hands before they touch you.
- Ask if equipment has been properly sterilized before it’s used on you.
- Ask questions about antibiotics, including what they are and if you really need them.
- Know how to recognize an infection and ask about suspicious symptoms—such as diarrhea, fever, chills, and redness or drainage at a site.
- Get vaccinated for common ailments that make your body susceptible to infection—according to your doctor’s guidance. (Medicare covers the flu shot, as well as the pneumonia vaccine, and the shingles vaccine.)
- Consider having a health care buddy who can stay with you and advocate for you.
- Stay away from health care settings, if at all possible. Talk to your doctor about whether receiving care at home may be a better option.
For more information on topics related to hospital and health care administration, check out the blog by MHA@GW, the online Master of Health Administration program offered by The Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University.

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Here’s more from Just Care:
March 30, 2016
U.S. health care vs. the world

Over the past few years, the United States has made some major changes to its health care system. But have these structural changes resulted in an increased quality of care? That answer might depend on whom you ask. One thing is for sure: There is still room for improvement in terms of health service availability and accessibility. MHA@GW, the online Master of Health Administration offered through the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University, recently developed an infographic that compares health care in the United States to health care in 16 other countries.

Though the United States leads the world in per capita health expenditure, it is surpassed by countries like Germany, Australia and the United Kingdom in every other category, including average number of practicing physicians and of hospital beds. In order to reduce health care costs and simultaneously increase availability, perhaps the United States needs to learn from other parts of the world.

To learn more about how the U.S. compares with other countries on health care, click here. To see how drug costs compare, click here.

March 9, 2016