Public Health

A national survey of Area Agencies on Aging is conducted every two to three years. The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) has released their 2017 survey report. They surveyed 622 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), with 412 completing the survey, to discover what services they commonly offer, how AAAs address funding, and what their policy priorities are.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has released data regarding emergency department visits for injury and illness among adults aged 65 and over in the United States, covering the years 2012–2013. Key findings included a visit rate of 12 per 100 persons for injury and 36 per 100 persons for illness.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted a study to examine the policy issue of long term care and its financing. This research investigated the awareness, attitudes, and understanding of long term care by Americans over the age of 40 through three different studies. The studies have explored diverse issues surrounding long term care like the caregiving experience, person-centered care experiences, and opinions on long term care policy.

The AARP Public Policy Institute released a new report conducted by Truven Health Analytics. The two part study examined Medicaid Managed Long Term Services and Supports program contracts in 18 different states for older adults and people with physical disabilities and case studies of new care coordination models in Ohio and Illinois. The findings indicate that states need care coordination and that these care coordinators provide crucial support for consumers and their family caregivers.

The UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform and Modernization released a new brief. Many Americans do not have health insurance coverage, and Medicaid enrollment can cover the gap of the uninsured, if successful practices are used. This brief highlights four approaches used in Kentucky and Arkansas to increase enrollment for low-income residents to cut their uninsured populations in half. The solutions in this brief can inform other states on efforts to decrease the number of uninsured people.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report and the white paper commissioned by the National Interprofessional Initiative on Oral Health both examine the wide disparities in oral health due to lack of access. The U.S. fails to provide proper access for ongoing and preventative oral health care needs. A push must be made to integrate dental care as a component of primary care. There is also a focus on the impact and burden of oral diseases and their effect on quality of life.

This third edition of an annual report takes an in-depth look at the health of seniors in America. The report examines core measures of behaviors, community and environment, policy, clinical care, and outcomes. The findings are provided at a national level as well as in state summaries and rankings.

This resource list includes key resources on the mental health needs of older adults, effective interventions, workforce issues, and more.

This report reflects on Medicaid’s accomplishments and challenges and considers the issues on the horizon that will influence the course of this major health coverage and financing program moving forward. The report follows Medicaid’s evolution, including major legislative changes and other inflection points in the program’s history and analyzes how Medicaid threads through our health care system today and the measure of its impact.

This is the official White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) Toolkit that organizations and individuals can use to host their own events and submit to the official 2015 White House Conference. The four focus areas of the 2015 WHCOA include retirement security, healthy aging, long-term services and supports, and elder justice.