Special Population: Older Adults
Adults are living longer lives due to public health measures, treatment for infectious diseases, and other medical advancements, with a resultant increase in the number of older adults living with one or more chronic conditions. Seventy percent of Medicare beneficiaries have two or more chronic diseases, and 71 cents of every dollar spent on healthcare goes toward treating people with multiple chronic conditions. Older adults, especially those with chronic conditions, represent up to 80% of COVID-19 hospitalizations with 25 times the risk of death than those under age 65. Social determinants of health have a considerable impact on older adults. Caring for older adults with chronic illness requires consideration of the individual’s current state, the potential for improvement, and the patient and family’s overall goals of care with attention to the quality of life, the rate of functional decline, consideration of life expectancy and prognosis, advance care planning, and development of systems of support for the individual and their caregivers. From hospital medicine to home-based services, models of care for older adults aim to improve care for the patients who are most at risk, especially those with multiple chronic illnesses.
