TUESDAY, Nov. 4, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- About two-thirds of older Americans who have health problems that make them vulnerable to losing their independence fail to receive recommended medical care for age-related conditions.
Researchers at the RAND Corp. and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) say it shows the health-care system needs to take steps to improve primary care doctors' identification and treatment of age-related diseases such as dementia, mobility disorders and urinary incontinence in those 65 and older.
The study of 420 vulnerable older patients, which appears in the Nov. 4 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, also indicates that older people and their families must become better informed about geriatric health care to ensure that older patients received proper care.
Using health-care quality indicators developed by the Assessing the Care of Vulnerable Elders project, the researchers evaluated medical conditions that account for the majority of all forms of medical care received by elderly patients.
For most of those conditions, the quality of health care was inadequate. The following are examples of medical conditions for which vulnerable elderly patients received recommended care only the listed percentage of the time:
- General Medical Conditions: ischemic heart disease, 55 percent; pneumonia, 49 percent; depression, 31 percent; osteoarthritis, 31 percent.
- Geriatric Conditions: malnutrition; 47 percent; pressure ulcers, 41 percent; dementia, 35 percent; falls and mobility disorders, 34 percent; urinary incontinence, 29 percent; end-of-life care, 9 percent.
More information
Here's where you can find more about health care for older adults.
