| Studies
Reveal Seniors in Michigan's Urban Areas are Dying Faster Than Seniors
Statewide, Lack of
adequate health care is key reason for increased mortality rate
DETROIT, Aug. 27, 2003 -- Studies
released Wednesday show senior citizens and those approaching senior
status in Detroit, and other urban areas in Michigan, are dying at a
dramatically higher rate than their counterparts statewide.
The studies, including an analysis of
2000 Census data conducted by a team from Wayne State University for the
Detroit Area Agency on Aging (DAAA), showed dramatically higher
mortality rates in Detroit and other urban areas in Michigan. Included
in the findings:
-- Detroit area adults age 50-59 are
dying at a rate 122 percent higher than the rest of the state;
-- Detroit area seniors age 60-74 are
dying at a rate 48 percent higher than their counterparts in the rest of
Michigan;
-- Residents age 55-64 of 10 other urban
areas in Michigan are dying at a rate 55 percent higher than their
counterparts elsewhere in Michigan; and,
-- Residents age 65-74 of 10 other urban
areas are dying at a rate 25 percent higher than the rest of the state.
"The results of the studies are
startling," said Paul Bridgewater, Executive Director of DAAA.
"We have known for some time that Detroit and other urban
communities are medically underserved, but we did not realize the impact
that it is having on the mortality rate. When compared with the rest of
the state, the area we serve experienced 16,000 deaths among adults and
seniors 50-74 in the 1990s in excess what would be expected based on the
mortality rates in the rest of the state."
"Seniors in the Detroit area are
medically underserved," said Tene Ramsey, Director of the City of
Detroit Senior Citizens Department." The result is that they are
dying prematurely because of preventable causes -- illnesses that if
found early enough, could be treated and the patient's life saved."
"When our service area was shown to
have lost over 43,000 older adults in a decade, we contracted with Wayne
State University to determine what factors were causing this alarming
loss of population," Bridgewater said. "We did not know that
health care status and excess deaths played such a critical role in the
loss of the area's population."
As a result of these findings,
Bridgewater and Ramsey said their agencies are cooperating on an
educational effort called "Dying Before Their Time: The Startling
Truth of Senior Mortality in Michigan." The campaign will work to
increase public awareness of the serious issues plaguing seniors, and
motivate the public to effect change.
Three separate studies examining the
status of senior citizens were conducted by the Detroit Medical
Center/Wayne State University Community Health Institutes, Wayne State
University's Institute of Gerontology, Center for Urban Studies and
Center for Healthcare Effectiveness Research. The studies were conducted
for DAAA and the City of Detroit Senior Citizen Department.
The health status study, which focused on
mortality rates compared the rate of deaths per 100,000 population in
different parts of the state. Findings include:
-- In the 60-74 age group there were
2,922 deaths per 100,000 persons in the DAAA service area between the
years 1999-2001. The rate in the remainder of Michigan was only 1,974
deaths per 100,000 persons.
-- In the 50-59 age group there were
1,306 deaths per 100,000 persons compared to 587 per 100,000 in the rest
of the state.
-- In the other 10 urban areas in the
year 2001, the 55-64 age group experienced 1,400 deaths per 100,000
compared to 904 per 100,000 in the rest of the state.
-- In the other 10 urban areas in 2001,
the 65-74 age group experienced 2,839 deaths per 100,000 compared to
2,268 per 100,000 in the rest of the state.
The DAAA service area includes Detroit,
Hamtramck, Harper Woods, Highland Park, and the five Grosse Pointes. The
City of Detroit Senior Citizens Department serves senior citizens in the
City of Detroit. The other 10 urban areas that were studied are: Ann
Arbor, Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo,
Lansing, Muskegon, Pontiac and Saginaw.
The DAAA service area has the largest
proportion of its senior population, 54.5 percent residing in a
medically underserved area as compared to the rest of Michigan. The
overall state average is 20 percent. Population loss in the service area
over the last 30 years has resulted in its share of Michigan's total
senior population decreasing from 24.9 percent in 1970 to 9.3 percent in
2000.
"The City of Detroit Needs
Assessment Survey, which interviewed 1,410 seniors over a six-month
period, further validates the two DAAA research studies' findings,"
Ramsey said.
"Clearly, access to health care is a
critical issue for our seniors," she said. "Our survey shows
that there is a very clear shortage of health services for our most
vulnerable seniors."
Among the findings:
-- The proportion of Detroit seniors
reporting a need for services is 66 percent greater than the proportion
reporting having used services. The most "used" service was
health screening.
-- The most economically disadvantaged
respondents were more likely to have low physical and mental health
scores. 39 percent reported three or more chronic illnesses; the most
prevalent conditions reported are hypertension, heart disease and
diabetes mellitus. When compared with the national norms, hypertension
and diabetes are more prevalent than expected on national data.
-- A majority of Detroit seniors feel
that there is social support in their area and felt assured of
assistance if the need were to arise. Overall 62 percent measured high
perceived social support, which has benefits beyond actual support
received or size of the network.
"The need for increased services in
our region is very evident," said Bridgewater. "In an era of
diminishing resources, innovative and well- targeted programs will be
the key to success."
"We look forward to working with the
Detroit Senior Citizens Department in launching this advocacy
campaign," stated Bridgewater. "I feel that the findings of
the City of Detroit needs assessment survey are very closely related to
our two surveys and really hits home with the factors that are
contributing to the loss of the population."
"This study is the voice of our
citizens," said Ramsey. "It shows that the need for senior
services is greater than the funding allows and that there is no
'uniform experience' in aging. I feel that the DAAA understands the need
for increasing services like we do and therefore we have joined together
in launching this campaign."
The DAAA and the City of Detroit Senior
Citizens Department will work together to bring a higher level of
visibility to the issues affecting seniors throughout the campaign. The
following are ways seniors and other concerned citizens can lend their
support to the campaign:
-- A mailing and informational drop will
occur throughout the month of September of a brochure titled
"Something Startling is Happening to Your Older Neighbors."
The brochure outlines the information found in the surveys and will
offer individuals an opportunity to get involved in finding solutions to
the problem of premature senior deaths.
-- A "Support Our Seniors"
hotline has been established at 313-862-2655 for seniors or their
caregivers to relate their personal experiences related to health and
health care and its availability.
-- A senior symposium is scheduled to
take place in September to help interested individuals better understand
the data, come up with possible solutions, and explore possible changes
to the Older Americans Act of 1965. Many senior advocates believe the
Act has become outdated for the issues affecting seniors today and needs
to be revised.
-- In October, seniors and other
concerned citizens can join DAAA and the Detroit Senior Citizens
Department at a rally being planned in Lansing.
For more information and upcoming events
on the advocacy campaign, citizens can call 313-872-2202.
The Detroit Area Agency on Aging (DAAA)
is a private nonprofit agency established in 1980 to serve older adults
age 60 years and over residing in the cities it serves in central and
eastern Wayne County. Currently, there are more than 670 Area Agencies
on Aging (AAA) in the United States; DAAA is one of sixteen (16)
agencies in Michigan.
The Detroit Senior Citizens Department
provides planning, research, and monitoring of direct and indirect
services for seniors. The Department includes information and
assistance, special events, consumer affairs/advocacy and housing
preservation.
Source: Detroit
Area Agency on Aging
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