Older People Don't Get Enough Help

A study from Johns Hopkins University found about 25 million Americans who are trying to age in place are reliant on help from other people and devices to perform essential daily activities, but are not receiving adequate assistance, reports the Berkshire Eagle . Almost 60 percent of seniors with seriously compromised mobility reported remaining inside their residences, instead of getting out of the house, while 25 percent said they often remained in bed. Twenty percent of older adults who had significant difficulty putting on a shirt or pulling on undergarments or pants went without getting dressed, while 27.9 percent of those who needed assistance with toileting issues had an accident or befouled themselves. The researchers found about 33 percent of older adults who live in the community have a substantial need for help with daily activities like bathing, eating, getting dressed, using the toilet, transferring in and out of bed, or moving around their homes. Approximately 33 percent have relatively few needs, while another 33 percent get along well by themselves with no notable difficulty. Sixty percent of the seniors surveyed used at least one assistive device, most typically for bathing, toileting, and mobility.