Caring For Mom And Dad As They Grow Older: What Baby Boomers Need To Know About Geriatric Health Care

I often get letters, like the two below, from Baby Boomers who are caring for aging parents and trying to find health care that meets the unique needs of older people. Finding the right kind of care can seem daunting, but a little information and some key resources can help tremendously.

Q: My 81-year-old mother recently fell and was rushed to the emergency room. The doctor who saw her suggested that she start seeing a geriatrician. What is a geriatrician and why should she see one?

A: A geriatrician is a physician with special training and expertise in caring for older adults, especially those with complex health problems. Like children, older adults have unique health care needs. As we age, our bodies change in many ways that affect our health. Among other things, we're more likely to develop chronic health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and arthritis, and to need multiple medications (all with potential side effects). About 80 percent of adults 65 or older have at least one chronic health condition and 50 percent have at least two. As we grow older it's also harder for us to recover from illnesses.

Q: I've tried to find a geriatrician for my parents but haven't had any luck. Why aren't there more geriatricians? What should I do?

A: Today, there are fewer than 7,000 practicing geriatricians in the U.S. That's about one geriatrician for every 5,000 adults over age 65. Finding a geriatrician is likely to become even more difficult over the next 20 years, as the nation's 77 million Baby Boomers reach retirement age. To prepare for this "Aging Boom," we need to support programs that both train geriatricians and better prepare all health care providers to care for older adults.

Image: arztsamui / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Evan H. Farr on Google +

Walking speed may be used for predicting health, survival for elderly

Could walking speed analysis, also referred to as "gait speed," be a worthy tool for predicting remaining years of life? Inexpensive and simplistic, gait speed is being touted in a recent study that suggests there is a correlation between gait speed and longevity. The study recently appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Some seniors are accustomed to routine analysis of their blood pressure, BMI, consumption habits, genetic factors, and more. If the study is correct, then some seniors may want to consider monitoring their own walking speed. After all, it’d be a much less intrusive, costly, or bothersome method…with immediate feedback!

The usefulness of assessing gait speed is intuitive in nature: “[L]ife expectancy based on age and sex alone provides limited information because survival is also influenced by health and functional abilities," noted the JAMA study.

The question that comes to mind is: can “health and functional abilities” be accurately measured by gait speed?

The University of Pittsburgh conducted the study “to assess the association of gait speed with survival in older adults and to determine the degree to which gait speed explains variability in survival after accounting for age and sex,” reported by Senior Journal. This was not just a run-of-the-mill study, as it included a combined pool of 9 smaller studies and a whopping 34,485 participants. “Gait speeds of 1.0 meter (3.3 feet)/second or higher consistently demonstrated survival that was longer than expected by age and sex alone."

The most conclusive data corresponded to older individuals, but the researchers are quick to point out that gait speed is connected to likelihood of survival at all ages and in both sexes.

The gist of the study is that gait speeds correlate to survival rates which were longer than otherwise predicted by analysis of merely age and sex as the sole factors.

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Evan H. Farr on Google +