Philadelphia Corporation for Aging - All About Aging in Philadelphia - 215 765 9040

As more Americans live longer and longer, the healthcare system is being taxed as never before.

The aging of the population increases the demand for medical care. This means many more visits to doctors and to hospitals, which makes the job of healthcare personnel “much harder than it was,” says Catharine Burt of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Between 1996 and 2006, the number of medical visits in the United States increased 26 percent. And older Americans today make more visits to the doctor than older people did 10 years ago, and represent a larger proportion of the hospital inpatient caseload.

And the number of geriatricians practicing in the U.S. is not keeping up with the increase in older patients, it’s noted in an American Geriatrics Society report, “Caring for Older Americans: The Future of Geriatric Medicine.”

By the year 2030, the report predicts, there will be only one geriatrician for every 7,665 older Americans. This could reach crisis proportions, warns the society’s president-elect, Dr. Cheryl Phillips, because geriatricians are “especially trained to manage older patients’ multiple problems and medications.”

Falls are a major cause of serious injury and even death for older Americans, a report points out in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

“As people age, they encounter changes in their health that may make them more susceptible to falls,” reports Dr. Mary Tinetti. She lists “things that older adults can do to reduce the risk of falls:”

• Remove loose carpets and rugs, or tack them down and add non-skid backing.
  
• Add lights in dimly lit areas and at the top and bottom of stairs.
  
• Clean up clutter, especially near staircases.
  
• Put hand rails on both sides of steps and stairs.
  
• Add “grab bars” near the toilet and bathtub, and no-slip decals or a rubber mat in tub or shower.
  
• Wear firm shoes that are not slippery on the bottom.
  
• Don’t walk around in loose slippers or socks.
  
• Wear boots with non-skid soles for better traction while walking in winter weather.
  
• Be sure to keep steps and walkways clear of ice and snow.
  
• Steer clear of ice- or snow-covered sidewalks; choose paths that are dry and have been properly shoveled.
  
• Replace the rubber tip of canes or walkers before worn smooth,
  which could make it slippery when wet.