Bob Blancato - Older Americans

To tackle aging as a major risk factor for chronic disease, we need to develop a more aggressive public-private investment strategy in prevention and health promotion. On the private side, as the Medicines in Development for Older Americans report shows, biopharmaceutical research companies are developing over 400 medications for the top chronic diseases to allow these older adults to live a better and in some cases longer life.     On the public side, it is about investing in federal programs such as nutrition. For example, studies have shown that the top three chronic conditions (hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol) that affect 87 percent of older people could be prevented with better nutrition.  Federal programs that provide better nutrition for older adults such as the Older Americans Act can also save billions in future Medicare and Medicaid costs because home- and community-based nutrition programs are far less expensive than hospitals and nursing homes. For the cost of one day in a nursing home, an older adult can receive nutritious meals for a year under Older Americans Act congregate or home-delivered meals programs. Finally, aging as a risk factor in chronic disease can be alleviated with a higher degree of personal commitment to prevention and wellness.  One of the more obvious forms of prevention (also noted in the report) is medication adherence.  Drugs provide fewer benefits when not taken properly. In part, Medicare Part D and lower costs for olde...
Source: PHRMA - Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Source Type: news