For millions of older people in America, health and well-being got worse in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical, mental and behavioral health took hits, depending on one’s living situation, social determinants of health risks, and even health plan, I write in the Medecision Liberate Health blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this essay on health disparities and equity for older adults, I weave together new data from,

  • The United Health Foundation’s study on seniors’ health status in America’s Health Rankings for 2022
  • RAND and CMS research into seniors health disparities among Medicare Advantage enrollees
  • A CDC report on Long-COVID being undiagnosed or overlooked in many older adults
  • AARP’s assessment of telemedicine use among older people in the pandemic
  • Mental health trends among seniors
  • A John Hartford Foundation project in collaboration with the AHA and the Catholic Health Association to build an Age-Friendly Health System, and,
  • An update from Papa, the start-up focused on addressing loneliness and isolation among older health citizens.

In the conclusion of the post, I share an inspiration saying from Sierra Leone:

Those who respect the elderly pave their own road toward success.

I assert: “This is the ethos we should embrace when reimagining healthcare for older people. Not only is this a pillar of cultural competence in healthcare, but sooner or later … we will be wearing our elders’ shoes.”

Thanks for checking out the post and all the links noted above that underpin these important findings.