Writing on the opinion page of today’s Washington Post, Robert Samuelson says we need a crisis forcing Congress and the President to face the “political stinkbomb of an aging society” I hope he is wrong.
We all know Medicare and Social Security face insolvency. Recent updates from the monitoring trust funds move the dates closer, but Samuelson thinks they are not close enough to force action. Samuelson makes the point that reorganizing the medical system to improve care and restrain costs can be effective. I think Aging in Place is the central organizing principle that will solve the problem. Can we make it happen before the crisis?
We are paying attention to environmental issues like never before. Is it the crisis or the impact of communication? What tipped the issue from those who have cared for a long time to a general willingness to act? Was it “An Inconvenient Truth“, spokesperson Al Gore, the rise in gasoline prices, the economical meltdown, the election cycle or am I kidding myself that we are really committed to change?
How can we who care about the future of housing and care for the growing population of older Americans AND have some great ideas for the solution get the coverage and credibility to begin solving the problem before the funds are bankrupt? How can we best bring the policy changes to help Aging in Place reach it’s promise?
Louis Tenenbaum, one of the nation's leading authorities on aging in place, is the founder of HomesRenewed, a coalition of business, consumers and nonprofits, driving policy and investment to increase the number of age-friendly homes.
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Louis, I agree with your assessment about aging in place being central to averting the crisis. As the location of “sick care†(not really health care—and this is also part of the problem) treatments shift from the clinical setting—to—the home setting, the avoidance of many nosocomial infections may be possible.
Nosocomial infections are hospital acquired such as:
Staphylococcus aureus
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Acinetobacter baumannii
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
Clostridium difficile
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus
Legionella
Factors Are:
-Co-morbidities (sicker people with multiple disease processes)
-Immune compromised patients
-Poor hand washing of staff
-Over-use of antibiotics
-Medical treatments that bypass the body’s natural protective barriers
Known Pathogens:
Staphylococcus aureus
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Acinetobacter baumannii
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
Clostridium difficile
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus
Legionella
Diseases Caused:
Urinary tract infection
Tuberculosis
Hospital-acquired pneumonia
Gastroenteritis
Ventilator associated pneumonia
(all have the potential to cause death)
Aging in place can counter some of this, as much of the care will be given in the home with the help of emerging technologies. This is important because I’ve often told patients throughout the years the faster you get home the less you will be exposed to hospital-acquired infections.
Not to mention having home support of families, maintaining some sense of normalcy, and avoiding (for many) the psychological issues of being hospitalized for treatments.
So the financial and emotional savings realized by avoiding nosocomial infections may be some of the strongest arguments for aging in place.