Longer sentences handed down for serious crimes in Michigan and other states in recent decades mean that a greater portion of people in state and federal prisons are older adults. However, research from Wayne State University’s Department of Gerontology finds that elderly inmates with special health needs aren’t getting the care they need. The study finds that half of all people in prison have at least one chronic health condition, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease or arthritis.
Roscinda Sneed, an associate professor at Wayne State University, said without intervention these conditions will worsen as the prison population ages.
“What you’re going to see in most prison systems is that they have programming that focuses on mental health, they have programming that focuses on substance abuse, but there really isn’t a lot of deliberate attention to chronic disease,” Sneed explained.
Sneed will use those funds to study the effectiveness of an existing program called the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, which he explained is used primarily in community settings and has improved health communications, reduced emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and reduced health care spending. .
The grant from the National Institutes of Health is $600,000 over five years, and Sneed said he is applying for an additional grant to expand the program for widespread use in state prisons in Michigan and other states to maximize its effectiveness. She said she is particularly interested in how prisons adapt chronic disease management programs to reflect the unique constraints of incarceration.
“What we want to do is talk to them about their experiences implementing this program so that we can develop a plan for scaling, then a plan for how to actually implement this program at scale.” he continued. “And this is what we would like to test in a future study.”
Sneed added that incarceration is already expensive. In 2013, the Federal Bureau of Prisons spent $881 million caring for older inmates, an amount that continues to grow exponentially.
“I think prisons are under-resourced in general, so they try to do the best they can in terms of managing health issues, but there’s always an opportunity to do better,” she said.
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North Dakota officials are urging people receiving health coverage through a key public program to stay up to date on their renewal if they’re still eligible. Follows the end of the pandemic rules for Medicaid. Early in the COVID crisis, Congress paved the way for states to keep people continuously enrolled in Medicaid. But with the public health emergency over, states like North Dakota are winding down the measure.
Krista Fremming, director of the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services’ interim medical services division, explained that when they sent out renewal notices recently, only one in three people returned them. She stressed that some people may have found other options, but her team suspects that many who still need help haven’t taken the necessary steps to get it.
“For forms that have been returned, about seven out of ten people are still qualified,” he added. “So, that gives a good indication that a lot of the unreturned forms are for people who would still qualify. And we want to continue their coverage if they do.”
He said more than 4,000 people were deregistered last Wednesday. The state ran a media campaign, as well as reaching out to providers, in hopes of ensuring recipients knew the forms had been sent to them. Fremming said the state is exploring other ways to connect with members. Those who have been canceled have 90 days to return forms to receive backdated Medicaid coverage if they are still eligible.
Fremming added that he was particularly concerned about families with children losing coverage.
“We know that getting immunizations and having access to dental care and behavioral health services are so important to laying a strong foundation for children as they grow up,” she continued.
North Dakota has an automatic renewal process to make it easier for staff to check if an individual is still eligible for coverage. But Fremming said it’s still new and limited, and added that it doesn’t include people who have self-employment income or who are subject to wealth tests. Meanwhile, renewal forms are mailed around the 20th of each month and are due within 30 days.
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Nevada received an overall score of 43 in the nation for the health and well-being of its seniors in the state. According to the United Health Foundation’s 2023 Senior Report, seniors in the Silver State fare well when it comes to lower rates of obesity, alcoholism and inactivity. The state is facing challenges related to high suicide rates and high poverty rates, as well as low flu vaccination rates among Nevada’s senior citizens.
Dr. Rhonda Randall, Chief Medical Officer of United Healthcare, said that when it comes to suicide, they’re noticing a higher prevalence in some groups than others.
“We see it disproportionately affecting white men and older white men because they have a tendency to choose more lethal means with suicide attempts,” he explained. “They’re more successful, and that’s what we see in the trend here. It’s been persistent for quite some time.”
Randall added that the report consists of 52 different measures of older adults’ health across five different categories, including socioeconomic factors, the physical environment in which older adults live, the clinical care they receive, behaviors and other health outcomes.
Nevada saw a 15% drop from just over 30 carers per 1,000 adults age 65 and older in 2018 to 26 per 1,000 adults in 2021. The state also saw an 8% increase in early deaths among the elderly. Randall said opioid overdoses have led to an increase in premature deaths and added that it reflects “the same troubling trend” prevalent in other populations in the United States; the elders are not intact.
“The reason I point out that as a geriatrician is, I think, a lot of people don’t think that older adults are as affected by substance use and opioid use disorders, but they are,” she said.
Randall added that it is concerning that, as a country, many of the gains it has made in recent years related to longevity and increased life expectancy have begun to reverse. Her group is calling for greater connectivity and community engagement among seniors in Nevada and across the country.
Disclosure: United Healthcare contributes to our health reporting fund. If you want to help support news of public interest, click here.
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Stress and normal aging are often blamed on a lost cell phone, car keys, or the lyrics to a familiar song. But these could also be the warning signs of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Health Awareness Month. In Indiana, an estimated 110,000 people over the age of 65 are living with Alzheimer’s, a number that is expected to grow by 20,000 over the next two years.
Initially, a person has difficulty remembering recent events. The intermediate stage can produce disorientation, mood swings, neglect of hygiene and language difficulties.
Laura Forbes – communications director with the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Indiana chapter – said the disease can’t be prevented, but there are ways to reduce your risk.
“Eating a healthy diet, exercising, not smoking—all those things you hear about when it comes to physical health,” said Forbes. “But in the case of brain health, being socially active, keeping your mind engaged, doing crossword puzzles.”
The latest data from the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Indiana confirms that the disease disproportionately affects women.
Blacks are twice as likely to be diagnosed as whites, and Hispanics are one and a half times more likely to get an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
In late-stage Alzheimer’s, a person often cannot feed or clothe themselves, so the role of a caregiver is extremely important. Forbes said it’s not unusual for caregivers to be so focused on their loved one that they neglect their own health.
The Indiana study says nearly 58 percent of caregivers report chronic health problems related to their care duties, and nearly 19 percent said they were in “general poor health.”
Forbes said these findings aren’t surprising.
“Two hundred and sixteen thousand Hoosiers serve as unpaid family caregivers,” Forbes said. “More than a third of health care workers here in Indiana reported having suffered from depression.”
A National Institute on Aging report on the care of Alzheimer’s patients states that it is common for healthcare professionals to feel discouraged, sad, lonely, frustrated, confused, even angry.
It emphasizes the need for more self-care, from seeking respite care to joining a support group, finding time for hobbies and friends, and seeking professional help.
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