10 Things You

Need to Know

about Older Adults

in Harris County

Jane Bavineau

Care for Elders Leadership Briefing

November 17, 2010

Goals for Today

• Provide overview of key issues

facing older adults

• Share what Care for Elders has learned

• Present you with options and

opportunities for impact at

multiple levels

- Individual

- Organizational

- Community

Care for Elders

● Partnership of organizations and

individuals

● More than 80 since 1999

● Goals

- Increase access to services

- Enhance the quality of care

- Improve the quality of life

● Visit us at www.careforelders.org

???

#1

If everybody knows about

the age wave, why aren’t

we doing more to

prepare?

Why… ● 7,600 geriatricians when need 20,000? (1)

● So few caregiver education programs

in companies?

● No crosswalks or timed crossing

signals at all fatal intersections?

● Only about half of older adults

have advanced directives?

#2

It’s not just the heart

attack that will kill you

anymore.

47% increase in deaths attributable to

Alzheimer’s Disease (2)

Falls Leading underlying cause of

accidental deaths in Harris County (3)

Medication related problems Responsible for 28% of

hospitalizations (1)

Today’s health challenge

–Chronic Disease

74% – High Blood Pressure (4)

● 17% increase since 2002 (4)

52% – Arthritis (4)

36% – Diabetes (4)

● 22.7% in Older Texans (5)

26% – Heart Disease (4)

Serious…

65.8% of older

adults in the

Houston area are

obese (5)

The impact …

65,000 older adults

in our community who

can’t manage daily

living tasks (4)

Chronic Disease

Self Management

Program

Stanford University http://patienteducation.stanford.edu/programs/cdsmp.html

#3 and #4

#3 There are some

challenges that cut across

all socio-economic levels.

AND

#4 Love doesn’t have

anything to do with whether

you end up in a nursing

home.

Alzheimer’s Disease

and Dementia

Estimated 140,000 individuals with

Alzheimer’s or dementia in Southeast

Texas (6)

Effects nearly half – 47% of

people over 85 (7)

Alzheimer’s Disease

and Dementia

Every 70 seconds, someone in

America develops Alzheimer’s (8)

Alzheimer’s Disease

and Dementia

Every 70 seconds, someone in

America develops Alzheimer’s

By mid-century, reduced to every

33 seconds (8)

Family members

provide the care

30% of adults in Houston are

caregivers (9)

833,000 people

1 in 3 of us!

Not going to get easier

Shrinking pool of family members to

draw from

In 1990, ratio of 11 to 1 (10)

Not going to get easier

By 2050, ratio shrinks 4 to 1

Shrinking pool of family members to

draw from

In 1990, ratio of 11 to 1

45% increase in

demand for paid helpers (11)

Not going to get easier

Labor pool expected to

increase by only

2% ()

Caregiving is Hard Work!

More likely to have health issues

- Diabetes

- High cholesterol

- High blood pressure

- Heart disease

20% suffer with depression (12)

Up to $660,000 in lost wages (13)

#5 and #6

#5 Older adults and boomers

could use a lesson or two

about long-term care costs.

AND

#6 Individuals and families

aren’t the only ones being

overwhelmed by them.

Older adults don’t know how

expensive long term care is…

Cost of Nursing Home Care (4)

• 12% didn’t know

• 50% underestimated

● Nursing Home – $80,000 per year

● Assisted Living – $40,000 per year

● Home Care – $26,000 per year

● $16 to $18 per hour at just 4 hours per day

Average Costs in

Harris County

Older adults don’t know who

pays for long term care …

50% don’t know if Medicare or

Medicaid pays for personal

assistance services (4)

Not Just Effecting Families

Corporations incurring costs ranging from

$17.1 to $33.6 billion annually (13)

● 8% differential in health care costs

alone for working caregivers (14)

● Estimated $13.4 billion/year (14)

Public sector spending in excess of $5 billion in Medicaid for long-term services and supports

in Texas (15)

Care for Elders

Consumer Priority Setting

Process (17)

• Surveyed 1,200 individuals

- 830 (70%) older adults

- 132 (11%) family caregivers

- 240 (20%) professionals

• Based on Aging Agenda

• How to make Houston elder-friendly

8 Domains

● Health and Well-Being

● Access to Quality Care

● Basic Needs

● Housing

● Transportation and Mobility

● Safety and Security

● Civic Engagement/Volunteerism and

Employment

● Spirituality, Culture, Recreation and

Lifelong Learning

#7

Transportation and mobility

still lead the pack in

“opportunities for

improvement.”

58% of respondents

Improve how current

transportation programs

operate so that they

better meet seniors needs (17)

Not just a “supply”

issue… ● 47% reported concerns about

“safety” while using public

transportation (17)

● Nearly 40% – carrying

packages or bags made using

transportation difficult (18)

● 32% reported cost as a problem (17)

Top 5 Priorities (17)

Transportation – only one that rated #1 by

all three groups

Make it easier to get help with paying

electric and utility bills

Teach older adults about scams and

how to protect themselves from

being taken advantage of

Make it a law that all home care and

“hands on” workers must be trained

before they help a senior

Work with businesses to encourage

them to hire older workers

Themes from ALL Studies

● Older adults want to take care of and

protect themselves

- They want to be able to get out

and about

- They want to work and feel productive

- They want to be safe & feel safe

#8 and #9

#8 You can teach an old dog

new tricks.

AND

#9 Older adults are spending

their encore years in a wide

variety of ways.

Many are working (19)

• 19% of the U.S. workforce in 2009

• Up from 12% in 1999

• 25% by 2019

More are volunteering (20)

• 41% of adults 65-74

• 39% of adults age 75+

Raising grandchildren • 45.2% in Harris County (21)

New Tricks

● Self-Management of Health Conditions

● 50,000 older adults in U.S. to be trained

in CDSMP (22)

● Internet and Social Media

● 922.7% growth in Facebook

users age 55 and older in 2009 (23)

● 16% increase – Harris County

seniors relying on the internet (4)

#10

#10 We know what it

takes to live a long

and healthy life!

Individuals who live long

and healthy lives…

● Take control of their health

● Eat a healthy diet

● Remain physically active

● Engage with other people

● Have a sense of purpose

Call to Action

● Create opportunities for healthy

aging

● Ensure services and supports for

family caregivers

● Honor the voice of the older adults

in this community

Contact Information

Jane Bavineau

Executive Director, Care for Elders

Vice President, Sheltering Arms Senior Services

713-685-6506

jbavineau@careforelders.org

www.careforelders.org

References 1. Alliance for Aging Research. 2009 Task Force on Aging Research Funding. Retrieved from

http://www.agingresearch.org/content/article/detail/2366

2. Texas Department of State Health Services. Alzheimer’s Disease Statistics. Retrieved from

http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/alzheimers/statistics.shtm

3. Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services. Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services Annual Report 2009.

Retrieved from http://www.hcphes.org/

4. Cannon, J. and Kim, J. Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. The Community Partnerships for Older Adults Program: Second Survey of

Older Adults. Houston/Harris County. February 22, 2010.

5. Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas Chronic Disease Burden Report. (2010). Retrieved from

http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/chronic/publications.shtm

6. Alzheimer’s Association- Houston and Southeast Texas Chapter. Retrieved from http://www.alz.org/texas

7. Fillit, H.M., & Picariello, G. (1998). Practical geriatric assessment. London: Greenwich Medical Media.

8. Alzheimer’s Association. Texas Alzheimer Statistics. Retrieved from

http://alz.org/documents_custom/ALZ_FF_Texas.pdf?type=interior_map

9. Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Houston Area Survey, 2009. Retrieved from http://has.rice.edu/content.aspx?id=2334

10. National Alliance for Caregiving & American Association of Retired Persons. (1997). Family caregiving in the United States. Retrieved

from http://www.caregiving.org/finalreport.pdf

11. Direct Care Alliance. Texas Direct Care Fact Sheet. Retrieved from

http://directcarealliance.org/_data/global/images/DCA%20state%20fact%20sheets_Texas.pdf

References 12. National Alliance for Caregiving. The MetLife Caregiving Cost Study: Productivity Losses to U.S. Businesses. (2006).

http://www.caregiving.org/data/Caregiver%20Cost%20Study.pdf

13. Day, T. Guide to Long Term Care Planning. National Care Planning Council. Retrieved from

http://www.longtermcarelink.net/eldercare/long_term_care.htm

14. MetLife Mature Market Institute. Market Survey of Long Term Care Costs. The 2009 MetLife Market Survey of Nursing Home, Assisted

Living, Adult Day Services and Home Care Costs. October 2009.. Retrieved from

http://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/mmi/publications/studies/mmi-market-survey-nursing-home-assisted-living.pdf

15. National Alliance for Caregiving. The MetLife Study of Working Caregivers and Employer Health Care Costs. (2010). Retrieved from

http://www.caregiving.org/data/Caregiver_Costs_Study_Web_FINAL_2-12-10.pdf

16. Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts. Texas: Medicaid Spending. Retrieved from

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?cat=4&sub=47&rgn=45

17. Bhaloo, T. [2010] Stakeholder Priorities for an Elder Friendly Community: Results of Care for Elders 2009/10 Consumer Input Initiative

Final Report. http://careforelders.org/files/DDF/Consumer%20Input%20Report%20FINAL.pdf

18. Texas Citizen Fund. Assessing Transportation Challenges: Findings and Opportunities. Retrieved from

http://www.texascitizenfund.org/files/United%20Way%20of%20Greater%20Houston-

Texas%20Citizen%20Fund%20Transportation%20Report.pdf

19. National Council on Aging. Mature Workers Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://www.ncoa.org/press-room/fact-sheets/mature-workers-

fact-sheet.html

20. Harvard School of Public Health- MetLife Foundation Initiative on Retirement & Civic Engagement. Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers

and Civic Engagement. (2004). Retrieved from http://www.reinventingaging.org/

21. U.S. Census Bureau. 2005-2009 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Harris County, Texas. Retrieved from

http://www.factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=05000US48201&-qr_name=ACS_2009_5YR_G00_DP5YR2&-

ds_name=&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false

References

22. Administration on Aging (AoA). American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Communities Putting Prevention to Work: Chronic Disease

Self-Management Program. Retrieved from http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/AoA_Programs/HPW/ARRA/index.aspx

23. Istrategylabs. Facebook Demographics and Statistics Report 2010. Retrieved from http://www.istrategylabs.com/2010/01/facebook-

demographics-and-statistics-report-2010-145-growth-in-1-year/