Elders Count 2021

Dr. Larry Weiss Center for Healthy Aging

Elders Count Nevada 2021

Back in 2007 I was the Director of the Sanford Center for Aging at UNR and I created a data book on elders in Nevada – Elders Count. It was based on a model program – Kids Count, which was in every state. Elders Count was done for Nevada again in 2009 and 2013. Unfortunately, to my knowledge to this day no

Larry Weiss U.S. states are doing it like Kids Count, which is still being done in every state! Just this past month the Nevada Aging and Disability Services Division (ADSD) of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced the release of a new Elders Count Nevada 2021, a comprehensive document that includes as much validated data from authoritative sources on Nevada elders and provides recommendations to support state and local services. ADSD, the DHHS Office of Analytics, the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) School of Medicine, Office of Statewide Initiatives, and the Center for Healthy Aging all contributed to this collaborative report that utilizes data from authoritative sources on Nevada’s senior population. The report contains data on key topics including population, economics, health status, health risks and behaviors, health care, and infrastructure, with a subsection on workforce related to elder care. Each section includes data highlights as well as descriptive analysis of the data charts. This report is supplemented by an online Elders Count Dashboard with additional data elements for analysis. Elders Count Nevada 2021 and the dashboard can be found on the ADSD website. In addition, ADSD has committed to produce the report bi-annually. Nevada’s population of older adults (439,000 based on 2018 data) continues to grow at a rapid rate, with the population age 85 and older increasing at a rate that is double the U.S. growth rate of the same age group. Nevada will continue to see higher growth rates in the population of older adults as compared to the rest of the U.S. These trends are expected to last into 2030. The growth of the age 55 to 64 continues to increase and will impact available human service resources. The report also shows that Nevada’s older adults’ health status is lower than the U.S. rate in critical areas based on data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Couple this with continued workforce shortages and the growing population, Nevada is at a pivotal point to ensure older adults are aging healthy. (Elders Count page 10)

Take into consideration that in Nevada 14.3 percent of the people who live alone are age 65 or older. Of that, 53.4 percent are females compared to 30.7 percent of males. In addition, 9.6 percent of the elders live in poverty. The U.S. Census Bureau defines annual poverty thresholds based on age and household composition. For an individual aged 65 and over, the poverty threshold was $12,043 in 2018. Nevada’s percentage is likely to increase in the future because 11.8 percent of the 45 to 64 age group currently falls under the poverty threshold; many of the financial challenges faced by this age group may continue into their later years. These financial stressors may increase the demand for public services such as healthcare and long-term services and supports. Poverty also creates homelessness. In addition, 1200 are homeless with 2,000 near homeless. Social Security Benefits (monthly average 65+ is $1347) are the primary source of income for many older adults, leading many to stay in the labor force as they age. Elders Count not only reports on population, economics, and living situation but also reports on elder’s health, health risks and behaviors, chronic diseases, healthcare utilization and infrastructure. As we age, we use more health care resources – hospitals, physicians, home health, social services, aging and disability services. Out of the 65+ population in Nevada 12 percent are at risk for high health care costs. This means 55,000 Nevadans are high risk for more acute medical attention for which there are fewer available specialists resulting in higher costs using emergency services from the health care system. Of particular note is the rate of suicide among older adults which is significantly higher than the U.S. rate. Factors such as high risk of social isolation, economic concerns, and overall health status of older adults lead to high rates of suicide. According to the 2020 America’s Health Ranking report, Nevada has the highest suicide rate among people age 65 and older. When looking at healthcare resources, one area that needs attention is that Nevada is experiencing a shortage of primary care physicians, as compared to the U.S. rate, especially those trained in geriatrics. This goes for all health care workforce positions, especially in rural communities. Other community services such as housing, transportation, meal programs, etc., also have service shortages that are creating long waitlists and need attention. Other health risks effecting elders include falls, obesity, drugs, smoking, and abuse. The incidence of falls significantly increases with age almost doubling every ten years. The rate of falls doubled from 4.1 percent age 75 to 84 to 8.8 percent for those 85 and older. The Centers for Disease Control notes the percentage of falls by older adults is 25.5 percent nationally. In Nevada, that is roughly 111,690 people who experience a fall each year. I know this personally since I had a major fall myself. Being overweight or obese is another issue. About 70 percent of people age 60 and older in Nevada are overweight or obese. Being obese leads to higher rates of diabetes, heart disease and other medical issues. With respect to drugs and alcohol, Nevadans age 55 and older reporting heavy alcohol use has held relatively steady around approximately 6 percent over the last several years. While overall the rates of drug overdose for people age 55 and older is relatively small, there is an alarming increase in the rate of age 85 and older as compared to the 75-84 age group. The rate of hospitalizations for the older age group is 58 percent higher and correlates with the increased rate of falls of this age group as well. Throw in the COVID–19 pandemic with elders and you have the 3rd leading cause of death, health, social isolation, and economic loss that has a major impact on aging services that will last for years. Elders Count provides the basis to start conversations about healthy aging of Nevada’s population and the document also includes policy recommendations for state and local leaders to consider to improve healthy aging focused on chronic care interventions, caregiver support, mental health support, strengthening protections against elder abuse, housing, employment, transportation and increasing public awareness of healthy aging. Please utilize this data book and develop recommendations that will add life to years for Nevada elders. Here is the web link: http://adsd.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/ adsdnvgov/content/About/Reports2/Remediated%20Elders%20Count%202021%20-%20FINAL.pdf Lawrence J. Weiss, Ph.D. is CEO of the Center for Healthy Aging. Dr. Weiss welcomes your comments on this column. Write to him at larryjweiss@gmail.com or c/o Center for Healthy Aging, 11 Fillmore Way, Reno, NV 89519.