Tom
Murphy
RedwoodAge.com
As the Great Recession drags on, a new study from America's heartland reflects a disturbing trend among people over 50 to skip medical care, largely due to its cost.
The study by the University of Wyoming’s Geriatric Education Center and AARP found nearly one in five Wyoming residents age 50 and older skipped such care during the past two years.
The findings echo other recent surveys, including another recent study by AARP that found nearly half of ethnic elders over 45 have bypassed care to save money.
The Wyoming study looked at a broad ranges of health concerns. For example, it found 24 percent of those who didn't receive any follow-up plan after treatment in a health care facility were re-admitted within three months for the same condition.
Better Communication
“These
findings clearly indicate the need for doctors and their patients to speak more
clearly and openly about their care,” AARP Wyoming Director Tim Summers
said.
Although many patients are skipping medical visits and getting health information online, 73 percent still think their doctor is the most helpful source of informaiton. One in three said they'd like to use email to contact their doctor, but more than two in five said they didn't want to use email.
“Since we also provide health literacy training, we wanted to better understand how older Wyoming residents get their health information and learn more about whom they trust to provide that information," said. Deb Fleming, Director of the Wyoming Geriatric Education Center.
