ER Visits for Older Americans May Signal Decline
Maybe you are noticing that your older parent is declining a bit. Often the first wake-up sign for an adult son or daughter that Mom or Dad may have some significant aging issues is when they learn of an emergency room visit.
Research shows that ER visits by older Americans continue to increase every year. Studies are showing a 25% to 34% increase. Women are more likely to go to the ER with 62% compared to 38% men.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the annual visit rate to an ER among persons aged 65 years or more was 511/1000, and it increases with age. Older patients have a higher rate of hospitalization, require more resources, and are at increased risk of adverse outcome
Falls a Leading Reason Older People End Up in the ER
Falls are one of the biggest reasons older Americans end up in the ER with an older American treated in an ER due to a fall every 11 seconds. Injuries from falls result in roughly 2.2 million emergency room visits a year for older adults.
A visit to an ER can signal the onset of serious health challenges in the elderly, even when they are not admitted. The health and age-related challenges can be a surprise to the family until they meet their parent at the hospital.
Research published recently in the Annals of Emergency Medicine outlines these risks. Seniors were 14% more likely to have acquired a disability six months following a visit to an emergency room. These disabilities include an inability to independently bathe, dress, climb down a flight of stairs, shop, manage finances or carry a package. This is compared to older adults of the same age with similar illnesses who didn't end up in the ER.
"Illnesses or injuries that lead to ER visits can initiate "a fairly vulnerable period of time for older persons" and "we should consider new initiatives to address patients' care needs and challenges after such visits," study co-author Thomas Gill, M.D., professor of medicine, epidemiology and investigative medicine at Yale University, told Kaiser Health News.
Prior research has indicated seniors who already had problems with activities of daily living were especially vulnerable to the aftereffects of an ER visit.
ER Visit is a Wake-Up Call for Family
Emergency room staff may neglect to address the underlying reasons that lead seniors to visit the ER in the first place. These include depression, dementia, or delirium. If these conditions remain unaddressed by emergency room staff, they often lead to the necessity for long-term health care in a facility.
Older people are at a higher risk of health and functional decline and developing medical complications after visiting the emergency room. Many of these ER visits could have been avoided if proper care had been provided in their home, but many families are unaware of the decline in loved ones, and seniors often resist sharing about their need for help.
For Americans over 65, many tend to cope with issues and hide these problems from family members. The ER visit becomes that wake-up call for the family and creates "crisis management" unless that senior had planned for long-term care in advance.
Longevity Requires Planning
Longevity has become a significant health and financial issue for people planning for their future retirements. The ER visit has become the wake-up call for the family. It often creates "crisis management" unless that senior had planned for long-term care in advance.
Why would seeking help in an ER often become a sentinel event with potentially adverse consequences for older adults?
Experts offer various suggestions. Older adults who previously were coping adequately but declining health catch up to them. They may be tipped into an "I can't handle this any longer" state by an injury or the worsening of a chronic illness, such as diabetes or heart failure.
They now may need more help at home than available, and their health may spiral downward without the proper attention.
Experts suggest if you have an elderly family member, be sure to see how they are coping with their aging. Can they perform normal activities of daily living? Are they at risk for falls? Do you see any cognitive decline which may require them to need supervision?
Find out of they have Long-Term Care Insurance. If they do, the benefits from the policy often provide resources for care at home, adult day care, assisted living memory care, and the traditional nursing home.
Some people think they are protected because they have some type of legal trust in place. This thinking is a fallacy. Trusts usually are not a plan for long-term health care or asset protection.
If your elder parent is in excellent health, there may still be time to put a Long-Term Care insurance plan in place, depending on their age.
Think About Your Own Aging Before You Get Old
The best time to plan is before retirement. Too often, people in their 40s or 50s, despite planning for retirement, fail to plan for one of the most significant risks to retirement savings - the risk of needing long-term health care services. Experts say Long-Term Care Insurance is very affordable and much easier to obtain when younger and in reasonably good health.
Even people in good health overall can be ineligible for Long-Term Care insurance at one point or another. It's vital to sync up health and affordability when pursuing a Long- Term Care policy. Just like homeowner's insurance—you can't buy it when the house is on fire. Individuals often want to make use of this intersection early, when they' re young and healthy, to put a plan in place.
Cassandra Watson - a leading Long-Term Care specialist who runs NextGen LTC.
A parent's declining health, mobility problem, or dementia quickly creates a family crisis. This "crisis management" often forces adult children to make quick decisions about their parent's living conditions and care options.
Most of us never want to think about acquiring chronic illness, disability, needing help with our activities of daily living, or having short-term memory loss. Planning ahead can bring a tremendous relief for those closest to us.
Brent Donarski - a 30-year veteran of long-term care planning who operates MyLTCSpecialist.
The National Institute of Health says the continuing increase in lifespan for the U.S. population, including those with chronic diseases or disabilities, will increase the demand for more and improved quality of long-term health care.
Older adults are healthier than ever. However, there is a growing number of older people with chronic conditions and disabilities. These disabilities are coming especially at very advanced ages, along with cognitive impairments and depression, which can substantially diminish the quality of life and functional status.
Caregiving is hard on family members. Spouses, especially if they are older, cannot provide quality care and risk their own health in the process. Adult children have their own careers and family responsibilities and can't be relied on for full-time caregiving roles. This is why an advance plan which includes affordable Long-Term Care Insurance is critical.
Matt McCann, a leading expert on long-term health care planning.
McCann says LTC Insurance will provide access to the care recipient's choice of quality care services. These guaranteed tax-free benefits safeguard income and assets, protecting lifestyle and legacy while reducing the tremendous burdens otherwise placed on loved ones.
Retirement Plan Should Include Affordable LTC Insurance
Planning for the financial costs and burdens of aging is an essential part of retirement planning. Experts advise seeking the help of a qualified Long-Term Care Insurance specialist who has extensive experience and works with multiple companies.
Most financial advisors and general insurance agents lack the required knowledge and skills to adequately advise their clients on how best to plan for the costs and burdens that longevity places on them and their families.
Keep an Eye on Mom and Dad
Be cognizant of elderly family members and their aging problems so you can satisfactorily address their health and safety concerns. Then start thinking about your future and your future need for long-term health care in the decades ahead. The best time to plan is before you retire when you still enjoy good health and can take advantage of low premiums.
Remember, without an advance plan, the family often becomes default caregivers. Caregiving is hard on your family, and professional care is expensive and changes income, lifestyle, and legacy.
No plan results in a family crisis which often starts in the emergency room. Better planning offers better outcomes.