Virginia needs better senior living centers and more senior healthcare workers, study finds

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s rating nationwide for general senior well being has improved for the reason that begin of the pandemic, based on a brand new report.

UnitedHealth Basis simply launched the America’s Well being Rankings 2022 Senior Report.

The great take a look at our senior well being within the nation at every state stage contains 62 measures of our well being from greater than 21 completely different information sources.

Virginia ranked sixteenth nationwide for the general well being of its senior residents in contrast. Virginia ranked 25 in 2019.

Dr. Rhonda Randall, Vice President and chief medical officer at UnitedHealthcare Employer and Particular person, stated Virginia’s enchancment comes on the expense of different states.

“I believe a part of that is because of the truth that in some particular outcomes, notably round behavioral well being, the place Virginia stayed just about the identical because it was earlier than the pandemic,” she defined. “A variety of different states bought worse. So, it wasn’t essentially that Virginia improved, however Virginia held regular the place there was a big worsening in our nation.”

Researchers ranked Virginia 11 for its low fee of meals insecurity amongst our seniors.

The Commonwealth ranked 15 within the nation for a low prevalence of inadequate sleep.

However Dr. Randall highlighted a number of points the place Virginia might enhance.

Total, Virginia reported too many preventable hospitalizations in comparison with the remainder of the nation. About 61 p.c of Virginia’s amenities have decrease than a four- or five-star score that means a low prevalence of high quality nursing properties in Virginia.

Staffing stays a difficulty right here, too.

“Virginia is ranked twenty eighth within the nation for the variety of house well being care employees. So, a few of these issues could be a name to motion. Virginia has about 38 house well being care employees for each 1,000 folks over the age of 65. On a nationwide common, it is 58 house well being care employees for each 1,000 folks over the age of 65,” Randall stated.

Seniors dying from suicides and drug overdoses are additionally up.

“The opposite important issues that went up, sadly, on a nationwide stage — we noticed important will increase in drug deaths and drug overdoses amongst seniors,” Randall stated. “That is notably non-prescription opioids. That is very regarding. It elevated amongst all age teams. I believe folks may assume that seniors are exempt from that, when in actual fact, they had been the inhabitants had been elevated essentially the most.”

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