aging health needs

Case Study Part IV: What Joan Really Needs From Her Healthcare

September 14, 2015

Today, I’m going to share the fourth and final part of my case study about Joan, a 79 year old woman struggling to manage her many chronic conditions.

I created this case study for my upcoming ebook, because over the years I’ve noticed that different people can have very different perspectives on a single person’s health challenges.

So in the book, I cover the perspective of Joan herself, the perspective of Joan’s worried family caregiver, and then the viewpoint of Joan’s primary care provider, Dr. Miller.

But of course, there’s one more perspective that’s essential to consider, if you are developing tools to help people with their health. That’s the external “expert” analysis and perspective, which I share below.

When it comes to healthcare — or anything important — we can’t assume that front-line users know just what is best, and what’s most likely to help them achieve their goals. That’s why truly useful tools must facilitate “best care,” or at least better care. Here’s what that could look like for Joan.

What Joan Really Needs From Her Healthcare

Dr. Miller’s not a bad doctor. But he’s busy, he’s under pressure to meet quality measures, and he hasn’t been trained to modify healthcare for older adults.

Like many doctors, he’s pretty focused on Joan’s documented health diagnoses. But what Joan really needs is for someone to help her with her health problems. I’d list these as follows: [Read more…] about Case Study Part IV: What Joan Really Needs From Her Healthcare

Case Study Part III: The PCP’s View on Joan’s Health

August 28, 2015

People often wonder why doctors aren’t more interested in apps for their patients, or in trying something new to help patients. After all, we expect doctors to care about their patients’ health.

Plus, we know that doctors are now being held more accountable for outcomes, because we’re moving towards “pay-for-value.”

I do believe that most doctors care about their patient’s health. But it’s not easy being a PCP, and there are lots of reasons that the average PCP has difficulty optimizing the health of a medically complex senior.

Here is part III of the case study I created for my upcoming ebook: the point of view of Joan’s PCP, Dr. Miller. As you read, consider

What’s the doctor focusing on when it comes to Joan’s health? How does that align with what Joan herself is most concerned about, and what her daughter is concerned about?
What kinds of tools or services might help the PCP with what he’s trying to do for Joan’s health?

And for extra credit: what’s he overlooking that someone applying geriatrics — the art & science of modifying healthcare so it’s a better fit for older adults — probably would address? (Hint: it’s related to Joan’s vitals.)

Joan’s Health Story (According to Her Doctor)

How the White House & Others are “Gauging Aging”

July 18, 2015

If you were to host a conference on aging, what would you put on the agenda?

And how would you talk about it?

I found myself mulling this over as I watched the first part of the White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA), which took place on July 13th.

What’s your frame on aging? Start with the Gauging Aging report

It’s especially interesting to consider the WHCOA in light of the recently published “Gauging Aging” report by the Frameworks Institute.

“Gauging Aging,” simply put, is a report about the differences in how aging experts and the public think about aging. It’s based on an in-depth analysis of how experts talk about aging and supporting an aging society, compared to how the public views the issues and the potential solutions.

By understanding the differences, experts can then get better as using communications that brings us to a shared understanding of the problems to be addressed, in order to effect changes that are meaningful and beneficial. After all, narratives and ideas are important in framing how people perceive problems, and their options for addressing them.

What PBS Forgot in its Caregiver Resources Section

May 8, 2015

As many know, family caregivers of aging adults are of extra-special interest to me. I’ve been studying their needs and creating health content for them since 2008, and these days I spend over half my time working on GeriatricsForCaregivers.net and a related site.

So I was thrilled to find out that PBS was releasing a special titled “Caring for Mom & Dad,” which is premiering this month.

But then I took a look at the website, clicked “Caregiver Support,” and I was a bit dismayed. Here are the resource sections I saw listed:

Getting Started
Managing Finances
Government Resources & Support
Workplace Resources & Support
Communicating with Family
Technology

Notice anything important that is missing? That’s right. Nothing about how to manage health or medical. (Sorry, but the Medicare Nursing Home Locator does not count.)

I also noticed there is nothing about addressing advance care planning, which is really crucial for family caregivers since nearly half of seniors require surrogate decision support during hospitalizations.

This is a disappointing oversight. Because as any family caregiver will tell you, they spend a lot of time dealing with health issues.

This was confirmed by an important 2012 report published by the United Hospital Fund and AARP’s Public Policy Institute. Titled “Home Alone: Family Caregivers Providing Complex Chronic Care,” it reports that 46% of family caregivers are performing medical and nursing tasks.

And of course, underlying health issues are why families step in to help aging adults. If it weren’t for health problems, then aging challenges would mainly be about things like dealing with losses and age-related discrimination and loneliness…all of which are very important but those are not why people end up having to take care of Mom and Dad.

Aging Problems, Caregiving Problems, & Health Problems Are Always Interconnected

I am going to say this again, mainly because it seems clear that it’s not top of mind when people think about caring for aging relatives, and it really should be:

Almost all aging problems that cause worry in families track back to underlying health problems.

Aging in Place Safely: Dr. K vs APS vs the latest start-up

April 11, 2015

This week, I did a lot of thinking about aging in place and safety.

That’s in part because I ended up going to head-to-head with a local Adult Protective Services agency (APS), who was worried that my 91 year old fiercely independent patient with dementia was not safe to keep living in her own home as she’s doing.

Also, my Twitter friends brought my attention to the latest darling of the aging innovation press: a new start-up called Honor, promising “Home Care Built For Our Parents, and For You.” (Founded by an ex-Googler! Raised $20 million!)

So, seems like as a good a moment as any to write about what it can take, to support an older person in aging in place, and what might get in the way.

(Note: I haven’t read it but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that gerontology professor Stephen Golant has recently published a book arguing that the aging in place model is being oversold; see this good article about the book “Aging in the Right Place” for more.)

Betty, a 91 year old woman who wants to age in place

“Should she still be living at home?”

I get asked a variant of this question all the time. It’s what families worry about and why geriatric care managers sometimes consult me.
[Read more…] about Aging in Place Safely: Dr. K vs APS vs the latest start-up