As 2010 draws to a close, I find myself looking back through the 100 or so posts we made to HealthAGEnda this year. I thought about doing a “Best of” post like we did last year, but there are too many good ones. I couldn’t pick. Instead, I’d like to share the posts that I feel best sum up the themes we touched on most often this year.
First up, we continue to write about the importance of well-managed transitions from hospital to home. Both Nora and I wrote about our personal experiences with poorly managed transitions as we scrambled to help out an older family member. Additionally, for the most comprehensive links to the various transitions-related programs we fund, see this post about accountable care organizations. And be sure to watch the embedded video if you haven’t seen it. It really is quite funny, in a depressing sort of way.
In addition to highlighting transitions, the family-related posts from Nora and I cited above also touch on another key theme: caregiving. The importance of family caregivers cannot be overstated. Family members work tirelessly, without pay, to care for frail and chronically ill older relatives, often compromising their health and careers in the process. Amy Berman and I both wrote about how important it is for health professionals to support family caregivers, and Cory Rieder pointed out the critical role that direct care workers play in stepping in when family members aren’t available—despite the terrible pay and working conditions they endure.
Finally, one key theme that I revisit on HealthAGEnda time and again: our health care system is broken and woefully unprepared to care for older adults. I believe that part of the solution is to make sure that all health professionals are properly educated in the care of older people. And for anyone reading HealthAGEnda who has an interest in caring for older people but who has not yet made a professional commitment to do so, let me end in the words of my colleague Rachael Watman: We need you!