The Advocate
CSRA Coalition of Advocates for the Aging, Fall Issue
AWARENESS IS THE FIRST STEP!
As we approach the fall season, there are a several issues to focus on. Increase your awareness of the facts that can make a difference in the lives of senior adults and the most vulnerable. They include:
SEPTEMBER: *National Suicide Prevention Week: Sept. 7th – 12th
DID YOU KNOW:
*95% of people who die by suicide have a mental health diagnosis.
*Suicide is the tenth-leading cause of death in the United States, eleventh-leading cause of death in GA, (highest among older white males ages 75 and above).
Risk factors associated with suicide include: feeling of hopelessness, isolation, family history, experiencing loss, lack of housing stability, physical illness, unwillingness to seek help due to the stigma associated with mental health, substance abuse.
Credits: CDC’s National Vital Statistics System. CDC Vital Signs: June 2018. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Suicide Facts & Figures: Georgia 2018. https://afsp.org/aboutsuicide/state-fact-sheets/#Georgia.
OCTOBER: *October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
DID YOU REALIZE:
*Over 8,000 women in Georgia are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.
*50% of newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer occur in women over age 60. Credits:Aging.Com National Council for Aging Care-https://www.aging.com/guide-breast-cancer-older-adults Georgia Breast Cancer Coalition-https://www.gabcc.org/breast-cancer-facts-figures
OCTOBER: *Mental Illness Awareness Week: Oct. 4th – 10th
DID YOU KNOW:
*20% of adults over the age of 55 have a mental health issue
*Mental illness costs the United States an estimated $300 billion each year. This includes health care expenses of $100 billion, $24 million in disability benefits, lost wages of $193 billion.
*1 out of 8 visits to the emergency room involves mental health or substance use.
Credits: https://caringpeopleinc.com/blog/mental-illnesses-in-the-elderly https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3654957
https://www.nami.org/NAMI/media/NAMI-Media/StateFactSheets/GeorgiaStateFactSheet.pdf
*National Depression Screening Day: Thursday, Oct. 8th.
*13.5% of older adults receiving home healthcare are affected by depression.
Credits: https://caringpeopleinc.com/blog/mental-illnesses-in-the-elderly https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3654957
NOVEMBER: 46th Presidential Election
DID YOU KNOW:
*The first Presidential election in America was a unanimous decision in 1789 when 69 electoral votes were cast for George Washington.
*About 56% of U.S. registered voters cast their vote in the 2016 election; this is low when compared to other countries, (Australia has a 75% rate; Belgium’s rate is 80%).
*Voters are encouraged to participate through early voting, in person voting or other methods to make their choices known, their votes count.
Credits: mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/presidential-election-of-1789 https://www,pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/05/21/u-s-voter-turnout-trails-most-developed-countries/
*Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month
REMEMBER:
*Over 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s Disease (10% are over the age of 65
*150,000 Georgians ages 65 & older have Alzheimer’s disease currently, (2020).
*Senior adults with Alzheimer’s have a higher rate of skilled nursing stays.
*Those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other dementias have twice the number of hospital stays each year, with 22% being readmitted for care.
*The costs of Alzheimer’s & other dementias in the US in 2020 is expected to be $305 billion which includes $206 billion for payments through Medicare, Medicaid.
*1 of every 3 senior adults die with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, (over 4,500 in GA annually as of 2018).
*Over 16 million unpaid caregivers in the US provide care for those with Alzheimer’s & other dementias, (615,000,000 hours of care in GA).
*Alzheimer’s is the 5th leading cause of death among those 65 & over.
*Alzheimer’s deaths have increased 146% between 2018 and 2020.
Credits:https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures
*American Diabetes Awareness Month
JUST THE FACTS:
*34.2 million, (10.5% of the US population) have diabetes.
*Prediabetes has been diagnosed in 24.2 million over 65 in the US.
*Older age is a contributing factor to the onset of diabetes; it was the 7th leading cause of death in 2017.
*The cost of diagnosed diabetes in the US: $327 billion.
Credits: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2020. http://www.diabetes.org/resources/statistics/statistics-about-diabetes and https://diabetes.org/older-adults
*Great American Smokeout: Thursday, November 19th
DID YOU KNOW:
*Over 16 million Americans live with a disease related to smoking, with 34 million continuing to smoke cigarettes.
*480,000 deaths occur annually from smoking.
*E-cigarettes, (vaping), used by millions of Americans should not be used to reduce or quit smoking. Learn more from the American Cancer Society. Credits: https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/great-american-smokeout.html
*Schedule a Healthy Family Meeting:
During Thanksgiving, take time to have some health care conversations. Address the topics now rather than in the midst of an emergency. Talk about Advanced Care Planning. Break down the issues. What types of procedures would you or your loved one want to avoid? Examples: Would you want to have CPR administered? Would you consent to being placed on a ventilator? What about artificial nourishment, “tube feeding”? What end of life decisions are preferred? Who will make those decisions if you or your family member are unable to communicate? Without the legal documents in place, your wishes may not be followed in the event of an emergency. Be proactive; make a list of your concerns. Take time to talk, even about the hard stuff.
Credits:https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/caregiving/advance-care-planning https://www.nhpco.org/patients-and-caregivers/advance-care-planning/
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Adopt & Advocate on behalf of each topic listed, every issue mentioned! Each one has a powerful impact on the elderly, disabled. Your support can make a positive difference in so many lives.
Assist the people that you are in contact with to assure that they have access to the resources needed.
Activate system awareness regarding all improvements needed to help fellow Georgians enhance their quality of life.
Allow time for yourself to be recharged in order to create the best version of yourself possible.
Accept our thanks for all of your support on these and other issues!
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Please join us in supporting the Coalition of Advocates for Georgia’s Elderly, (COAGE), Issues for 2021:
Budget: Behavioral Health and Housing
Legislative: Coroner Notification (presented by Mark Bowen, Richmond Co. Coroner)
Disaster Planning Equity
Telehealth for Dentistry View the summaries of each issue can be reviewed at:https://www.gcoa.org/2021issues
Credits:CO-AGE August Newsletterhttps://www.gcoa.org