Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Column from Hartford Foundation: Independence—It’s What Older People Want
We already know what older people want. A study from the National Conference of State Legislatures and AARP, as well as other studies, confirm, time and again, that the vast majority of us want to live in our homes and communities as we age, and, if possible, to avoid dependence on others and institutionalization.
Meeting this deeply personal goal requires that we design and provide good care in our hospitals and clinics, and expand that care beyond traditional boundaries. It requires the involvement of both health care and community-based service providers; a skilled paid workforce; and a well-supported, family-based “care force.” It also, of course, requires the correct blend of policies and funding.
This is an increasingly urgent concern. A person turns sixty-five every eight seconds, and according to Census numbers, the population of people age eighty-five and older, which doubled in the past thirty years, is projected to almost triple to more than 14 million people by 2040. . .