Seniors in New York have better and easier access to geriatricians and home healthcare providers. While that is conducive to senior health and safety, there are other challenges that seniors face here. For instance, the state of New York also has a much higher prevalence of underweight seniors compared to other states, and also a higher percentage of hospital fatalities involving seniors.
That information came from a new study that ranked senior health by state. New York is ranked at number 32 on the list. That isn’t a very good ranking, and indicates that the state can do much better in promoting good physical and mental health among seniors. For instance, Minnesota which has ranked at the top of the list for two years in a row, has high rates of volunteerism, quality nursing home facilities, and a lower percentage of food insecurity, making it a much more convenient place to live for seniors.
The report found that in New York, seniors did enjoy greater and much easier accessibility to health care providers and geriatricians. Seniors, who suffered from diabetes, were also much more likely to manage diabetes better here. New York also has a high percentage of dedicated health care providers. It has some of the lowest hospice use rates among seniors.
However, the percentage of underweight seniors is a huge challenge for health agencies. Besides, many seniors here seem to report many poor mental health days. The number of poor mental health days among seniors actually increased over the past year from 2.3 days in the past month, to 3.2 days. The report also took into consideration flu vaccination rates, and noted that in New York, vaccination coverage actually dropped over the past year, from 60% of all adults above the age of 65, to 55.1%.
College education seems to be linked to good health for seniors in New York. More than 53% of seniors with a college education reported high levels of health, compared to just 18% of seniors who had a high school education.
For a senior citizen, healthy living includes regular geriatric access, good dental care, a busy life devoid of anxiety and depression, and healthy and positive social interactions with others. To learn how our senior home care services can help your loved one maintain optimum mental and physical health, give us a call today.