The older you get, the more important your health is. Doctor's visits multiply due to more visits for screenings and such, and your bills do as well. Based on studies by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, our elderly, although only accounting for 13% of our population, make up 34% of health care related spending. Also, as the age group that spends the most on healthcare, they worry about where the future will lead. In fact, 54% of seniors (ages 60+) say health care cost is one of their top concerns.
But, equal to the cost, they also worry about the quality of the care they receive. 28% of seniors live with one or more chronic conditions, and they have to see their doctors on a regular basis. If their condition threatens their day to day function, another layer of anxiety is added to the mix. It is important that our seniors feel secure when they visit their healthcare professionals, have a quality interaction with their physician, and feel that they are getting the best care possible. A good way to aid their worry is to help them educate themselves, both on financial and health issues.
For health, and conditional affairs, do some research and ask their physician to put it in easy-to-understand terms. From there, learn about the condition and re-learn how to live everyday life with that condition. Make sure constant growth is a part of their lives and write down how they do from day to day, so when they look back on when they received the diagnosis, they see their progress since then and gain confidence.
As for healthcare costs, make sure you have a plan that covers exactly what you need, not more. It can also be done by patient education, which reduces a few big challenges like penalties and limited resources.
SOURCES
Statistics:
Patient Education: