State does well in senior care

BY ERIC GALATAS PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE

Colorado ranks third nationally when it comes to caring for its most vulnerable adults, according to a new UnitedHealthcare report.

e strong showing can largely be attributed to the state’s lower than average poverty rate for people aged 65 and older, and the choices people make every day.

Dr. Michael Stockman, market chief medical o cer for UnitedHealthcare, said Colorado seniors ranked rst in the U.S. for being physically active.

“And being physically active leads to lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and premature death,” Stockman outlined. “ e prevalence of obesity and chronic medical conditions for Colorado seniors is also some of the lowest in the nation.” e biggest challenges facing Colorado seniors between 2019 and 2021 include the high cost of housing, a lack of investment in community support services, and a shortage of home health care workers. e success is not shared evenly across the state. Older Coloradans living in southeastern counties experienced the greatest rates of social isolation, based on risk factors including poverty, marriage status and di culties involved with living independently.

Dr. Rhonda Randall, chief medical o cer of Employer and Individual for United Healthcare, said there has been an alarming increase in drug deaths across the U.S., mostly due to opioid overdoses. Colorado saw a 70% rise between 2019 and 2021.

“So that same troubling trend that we’re seeing across other populations in the United States is a ecting seniors too,” Randall explained. “A lot of people don’t think that seniors may be as a ected by substance use disorders and opioid use disorders, but they are.”

Randall added nutrition is very important as we age, and the report’s data showed seniors saw signi cant improvements in food security during the pandemic. More people who were eligible signed up for SNAP bene ts, the program formerly known as food stamps, and other services designed to deliver food to is Public News Story via e Associated Press’ Storyshare, of which Colorado Community Media is a member.

“Food insecurity decreased 6%,” Randall reported, noting fewer seniors are worried about getting access to nutritious food, more seniors got home-delivered meals, and more seniors got assistance with meals.

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