Americans are living longer lives, but they are also living sicker lives as more and more senior citizens grapple with preventable chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. This was a key finding of the United Health Foundation’s 2012 America’s Health Rankings® Report and one that we found deeply troubling, particularly in light of how quickly our senior population is growing. While we should certainly celebrate the strides we are making in longevity, we must also do all we can to ensure those extra years are healthy and vibrant ones.
To help promote an informed discussion about the health and wellbeing of America’s seniors and to indicate specific actions that can lead to healthier seniors, on May 29, 2013, United Health Foundation will release the first-ever America’s Health Rankings Senior Report: A Call to Action for Individuals and Their Communities.
This report will offer a comprehensive analysis of senior population health on both national and state levels, based upon the findings from data spanning 34 different measures of senior health, identified by a panel of experts as the most pertinent factors in the health of older adults. Just like our annual America’s Health Rankings report, this new Senior Report will rank the 50 states overall and on each of these 34 measures to help us identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of each state that help pinpoint opportunities for action. As such, the Report will also provide stakeholders with examples of interventions that have proven effective and tools to help improve senior health. These resources will be included in the Senior Report’s commentaries, the report launch event and the “Take Action” resource library section of AmericasHealthRankings.org.
I hope this report – and the accompanying tools – will help us all focus on what we can do to ensure our nation’s Baby Boomers move into and through their senior years in as healthy a way as possible so they can enjoy their lives, have happier families, participate more fully in community life and contribute to the best possible vision for our nation.