Hawaii Is the Healthiest State for Older Adults

The United Health Foundation's 2019 America's Health Rankings listed Hawaii as the top U.S. state in terms of senior health, according to U.S. News World Report . Researchers analyzed each state across 34 measures of health, including smoking habits, affordability of healthcare services, and risk of social isolation. The report indicated that Rhode Island, Wisconsin, California, and Montana experienced the most improvement in their overall health ranking since 2013, while Kansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Iowa witnessed the biggest decline. The five lowest-ranked states were Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. On a national scale, the study found that hospice care rose 48 percent from 2013, climbing from 36.7 percent to 54.4 percent of Medicare decedents 65 and older who were enrolled during their last six months of life.