Like many things in life, good health often comes down to money. For those 65 years old and older, this is especially true as access to health care services becomes problematic with lower income. The 2015 Colorado Health Report Card from The Colorado Health Foundation bears this out.
The average grade in the 2015 report was A-minus for older adults, an increase from the B-plus of the last report card.
While the organization’s research found older Coloradans making $75,000 annually are doing just fine health-wise, those whose incomes are $10,000 a year or less suffer from poor physical and mental health. Only 13 percent of those making $75,000 a year say they have poor physical health, while 44 percent of those making $10,000 a year or less say so.
The numbers don’t start to improve until an older adult makes $25,000 to $35,000 annually. At this income, approximately 17 percent of older adults say they are in “poor health.” That’s still 3.5 percentage points lower than those making $75,000 a year or more, but they’re closing in.
When it comes to mental health, low-income seniors don’t fare any better. Overall, in Colorado, “fewer than 8 percent (of seniors) report poor mental health.” But when you delve into the numbers and bring income into the mix, the number of older adults in the state reporting poor mental health nearly doubles.
While the reasons for low income are manifold — poor planning, a lack of savings, events beyond one’s control — Colorado should work to ensure older adults at all income levels have the medical and mental health services they need.
Health care providers must improve the health and well-being of low-income seniors throughout the state.
Part of the answer is care coordination. It’s a simple concept: a single entity responsible for coordinating all health-related care. But that’s often difficult to achieve. Using care coordination ensures older adults have access to health services while generally reducing costs through better coordinated care. “Care coordination can help to improve care for this population, and reduce the cost of treating them,” according the Eldercare Workforce Alliance.
Identifying these older adults early and ensuring they get into the right programs can help improve the health and well-being of older adults with limited means.
Working together, we can raise the grades of all older adults throughout the state.
Maureen Hewitt is president and chief executive officer at InnovAge, based in Denver.
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