USE OF HEALTH
Posted by admin on November 9th, 2008USE OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES
Older persons are more likely to use health care services than younger persons. While the elderly made up only 12% of the US population in 1990, they accounted for 34% of all hospital stays and 45% of all hospital days. For persons over age 65, the average length of stay was 8.7 days; for persons under age 65, it was 5.3 days. In 1990, older persons averaged nine contacts with physicians, while those under age 65 averaged only five contacts. Per capita spending on health care for those age 65 and older was $5360, compared with $1286 for those under age 65. Persons over age 65 use 34% of all prescription medications, with older Americans taking an average of 4.5 medications at any one time.
Older persons also use institutional services, such as nursing homes, more than younger persons. Evolving social and demographic dynamics have reduced the number of family members available to care for impaired elders. Older persons, particularly women, are likely to be widowed, and when they become very old, their children may be elderly themselves. The increasingly transient and mobile nature of American society and the increased divorce rate have contributed to geographic separation of families and weaker family ties.
The number of single-parent households, most headed by women, continues to grow. This phenomenon as well as new economic and social realities that foster a dependence on two-income households have produced a steady growth of women in the work force—women who in the past would have functioned as caregivers. Today, the demands of a job may diminish a woman’s ability to provide the informal support needed by elderly relatives. These factors together with the increased prevalence of disease suggest that the demand for both noninstitutional support systems and institutional services by an expanding population of dependent elderly will continue to grow.
Tags: Health
