elderly

Centenarians Honored at Annual Brunch

Flo Jonic — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:31:09 +0000

Rhode Island has the nation’s highest concentration of individuals over the age of 85. So, it should come as no surprise that we also have a lot of centenarians. Some of them were honored today at the Governor’s Annual Centenarian Brunch. Rhode Island Public Radio's Flo Jonic was there.

Without Unpaid Care, Alzheimer's Cost Would Soar Even Higher

Kristin Gourlay — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:44:52 +0000

News from the New England Journal of Medicine today finds that the cost of caring for people with dementia (including Alzheimer's) will more than double in the next couple of decades. That's because the nation's population is aging, and because the care can be expensive. Most of the estimated $215 billion dollars these diseases cost the economy can be chalked up to long term care.

Roger Williams, Fatima Open Senior-Friendly ERs

Kristin Gourlay — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Roger Williams Medical Center and Fatima Hospital have opened what they say are the state’s first emergency rooms designed to take better care of the elderly.

Hospital officials say it’s taken a year to renovate and retrofit both emergency rooms so that the physical environments are safer and more welcoming for seniors. Think non-skid floors, large print hospital forms, and portable devices to help the hard of hearing.

Monday, March18, 2013

Lydia Rogers — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:09:17 +0000

Senator Jack Reed wants to see Liberian refugees put on the path to US citizenship. State officials will consider reinstating bus service in Tiverton. These stories and more on the RIPR Morning News Podcast.

The Silver Boom: Aging Behind Bars in RI

Flo Jonic — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:00:00 +0000

In less than 20 years a quarter of the state's population will be older than 60. In a series we call "The Silver Boom: Aging in Rhode Island," we're looking at how the state will take care of this expanding older population .. and how it can benefit from it. In this installment, we travel to Cranston to look at the state’s aging prison population.

The Silver Boom: Aging in Rhode Island

Scott MacKay — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:59:50 +0000

Rhode Island’s older population is on the rise, and in 20 years a quarter of the state’s population will be older than 60. All this week, we’re looking at the state’s older residents in a series we’re calling “The Silver Boom: Aging in Rhode Island.” RIPR political analyst Scott MacKay helps us kick off our series with a look at what this growing older population means for younger residents.

Affording end of life and long term care

Kristin Gourlay — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 04:00:00 +0000

A new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine finds that nearly a quarter of Medicare recipients spend more than their total household assets on out-of-pocket health care costs in the last five years of their lives. That’s in co-payments, home health care, things Medicare doesn’t cover.

Are Seniors Taking Advantage of Free Preventive Health Care?

Kristin Gourlay — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Under the health care reform act, many preventive services like diabetes screenings, bone mass measurement, and so-called “Wellness” visits are now available for free (no co-payment) to Medicare recipients. (Medicare is health coverage for people over age 65.