Agenda - 04-24-2003-3 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Figure 5: Out of Pocket Expenses for Older Adults, 1999 ~ Insurance-51% ®Medications-23% ^ Medical Services-20% Medical Supplies-6% 4. Never before in history have we seen so many multiple generations living at one time, and scattered throughout the United States. Thus, we are seeing more "Long Distance" caregiving of older persons by relatives, as well as older persons having to rely more on community resources and government assistance in later years. While over half (55%) of older Americans (65+) lived with their spouse in 2000, a large and growing segment of older adults are "Older Persons Living Alone" or (OLA). In 2000 about 30% (9.7 million) of all Older Americans (65+) lived alone. Nearly 17% of older men (65+) lived alone while as many as 40% of older women (65+) lived alone. For women in the 75+ age group, almost half (49.4%) lived alone. In 2000, 28% of old North Carolinians lived alone and 25 % lived alone in Orange County. The percentage living alone increases with advanced age, again, especially for women. For the period 1990 to 2020, the Older persons 85+ living alone group is projected to double in size. (AOA, Ref #9) The negative societal implications for older adults increase as more and more seniors live alone in advanced years: (1) Little or no assistance with ADLs or IADLs within a household thereby allowing a person to live independently. (2) Higher rates of depression -especially among older men who live alone and are more prone to suicidal behavior. (3) Emergencies left undetected for long periods of time, such as falls, myocardial infarctions, cerebral vascular accidents. Personal emergency response systems (PERS) have developed to respond to this issue. (4) Little or no socialization can lead to cognitive decline. (5) No consistent person to assess changes in memory, mood, or behaviors. (6) No consistent person to coordinate care, even if funds are available to purchase this assistance. Page7of18