"No One Wants to Die Alone": Incarcerated Patients' Knowledge and Attitudes About Early Medical Release.

CONTEXT: Deaths among incarcerated individuals have steadily increased in the U.S., exceeding 5000 in 2014. Nearly every state has a policy to allow patients with serious life-limiting illness to apply for release from prison or jail to die in the community ("early medical release"). Although studies show these policies are rarely used, patient-level barriers to their use are unknown. OBJECTIVES: To assess incarcerated patients' knowledge of early medical release policies and to identify patient-level barriers to accessing these policies. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 46 male patients in two state prisons and one large urban jail who had visited a primary care provider at least three times within three months was conducted. RESULTS: Participants' average age was 64 years, and 89% had more than one chronic illness. Fewer than half (43%) demonstrated the knowledge needed to apply for early medical release and 22% demonstrated no relevant knowledge. Participants with sufficient knowledge were significantly more likely to endorse anxiety (35% vs. 0%, P = .003) and loneliness (65% vs. 30%, P = .017). CONCLUSION: Many medically complex incarcerated patients in this study did not demonstrate sufficient knowledge to apply for early medical release suggesting that patient education may help expand access to these policies. Moreover, seriously ill patients with knowledge of early medical release may benefit from enhanced psychosocial support given their disproportionate burdens of anxiety and loneliness. Our findings highlight the pressing need for larger studies to assess whether improved patient education and support can expand access to early medical release.

Difficulty Managing Medications and Finances in Older Adults: A 10-year Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Difficulty managing medicines and finances becomes increasingly common with advanced age, and compromises the ability to live safely and independently. Remarkably little is known how often this occurs. OBJECTIVES: To provide population-based estimates of the risk of developing incident difficulty managing medications and finances in older adults. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. SETTING: The Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative study of older adults. PARTICIPANTS: 9,434 participants aged 65 and older who did not need help in managing medications or managing finances in 2002. Follow-up assessments occurred every 2 years until 2012. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcomes were time to difficulty managing medications and time to difficulty managing finances. Risk factors such as demographics, comorbidities, functional status, and cognitive status were assessed at baseline. Hazard models that considered the competing risk of death were used to estimate both the cumulative incidence of developing difficulty managing medications and finances and to identify potential risk factors. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, race, marital status, wealth and education. RESULTS: The 10 years incidence of difficulty increased markedly with age, ranging from 10.3% (95% CI 9.3-11.6) for managing medications and 23.1% (95% CI 21.6-24.7) for managing finances in those aged 65-69, to 38.2% (95% CI 33.4-43.5) for medicines and 69% (95% CI 63.7-74.3) for finances in those over age 85. Women had a higher probability of developing difficulty managing medications and managing finances than men. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of preparing older adults for the likelihood they will need assistance with managing their medicines and finances as the risk for having difficulty with these activities over time is substantial.

Rates of Recovery to Pre-Fracture Function in Older Persons with Hip Fracture: an Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge about expected recovery after hip fracture is essential to help patients and families set realistic expectations and plan for the future. OBJECTIVES: To determine rates of functional recovery in older adults who sustained a hip fracture based on one's previous function. DESIGN: Observational study. PARTICIPANTS: We identified subjects who sustained a hip fracture while enrolled in the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (HRS) using linked Medicare claims. HRS interviews subjects every 2 years. Using information from interviews collected during the interview preceding the fracture and the first interview 6 or more months after the fracture, we determined the proportion of subjects who returned to pre-fracture function. MAIN MEASURES: Functional outcomes of interest were: (1) ADL dependency, (2) mobility, and (3) stair-climbing ability. We examined baseline characteristics associated with a return to: (1) ADL independence, (2) walking one block, and (3) climbing a flight of stairs. KEY RESULTS: A total of 733 HRS subjects ≥65 years of age sustained a hip fracture (mean age 84 ± 7 years, 77 % female). Thirty-one percent returned to pre-fracture ADL function, 34 % to pre-fracture mobility function, and 41 % to pre-fracture climbing function. Among those who were ADL independent prior to fracture, 36 % returned to independence, 27 % survived but needed ADL assistance, and 37 % died. Return to ADL independence was less likely for those ≥85 years old (26 % vs. 44 %), with dementia (8 % vs. 39 %), and with a Charlson comorbidity score >2 (23 % vs. 44 %). Results were similar for those able to walk a block and for those able to climb a flight of stairs prior to fracture. CONCLUSIONS: Recovery rates are low, even among those with higher levels of pre-fracture functional status, and are worse for patients who are older, cognitively impaired, and who have multiple comorbidities.

Increase in Disability Prevalence Before Hip Fracture.

OBJECTIVES: To establish the prevalence and correlates of disability during the 2 years before hip fracture. DESIGN: Data from participants who experienced hip fracture in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) with hip fracture identified using linked Medicare claims. Each participant was interviewed at varying time points in the 2 years before hip fracture. Disability was defined as self-report of the need for assistance in any activity of daily living (walking across the room, eating, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, transferring). Based on the timing between interview and hip fracture, prevalence of disability was calculated in the cohort as a whole over the 2 years before hip fracture and in subgroups defined according to demographic and clinical characteristics. SETTING: The HRS is a nationally representative longitudinal study (1992-2010). PARTICIPANTS: HRS participants aged ≥65 with hip fracture (mean age at fracture 84, 77% female). RESULTS: The adjusted prevalence of disability was 20% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 14-25%) 2 years before hip fracture, with little change until approximately 10 months before fracture, when it started to rise, reaching 44% (95% CI = 33-55%) in the month before hip fracture. The prevalence of disability was highest in the last month before fracture for persons aged 85 and older (53%) and for those with dementia (60%). CONCLUSION: Care models for hip fracture need to consider not only the acute medical and surgical needs, but also the high level of need for supportive care and caregiver assistance that chronically disabled individuals require.

Geriatric Syndromes in Older HIV-Infected Adults.

BACKGROUND: Geriatric syndromes such as falls, frailty, and functional impairment are multifactorial conditions used to identify vulnerable older adults. Limited data exist on these conditions in older HIV-infected adults, and no studies have comprehensively examined these conditions. METHODS: Geriatric syndromes including falls, urinary incontinence, functional impairment, frailty, sensory impairment, depression, and cognitive impairment were measured in a cross-sectional study of HIV-infected adults aged 50 years and older who had an undetectable viral load on antiretroviral therapy. We examined both HIV and non-HIV-related predictors of geriatric syndromes including sociodemographics, number of comorbidities and nonantiretroviral medications, and HIV-specific variables in multivariate analyses. RESULTS: We studied 155 participants with a median age of 57 (interquartile range: 54-62) and 94% were men. Prefrailty (56%), difficulty with instrumental activities of daily living (46%), and cognitive impairment (47%) were the most frequent geriatric syndromes. Lower CD4 nadir incidence rate ratio [IRR: 1.16, 95% (confidence interval) CI: 1.06 to 1.26], non-white race (IRR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.74), and increasing number of comorbidities (IRR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.15) were associated with increased risk of having more geriatric syndromes. CONCLUSIONS: Geriatric syndromes are common in older HIV-infected adults. Treatment of comorbidities and early initiation of antiretroviral therapy may help to prevent development of these age-related complications. Clinical care of older HIV-infected adults should consider incorporation of geriatric principles.

Older jail inmates and community acute care use.

OBJECTIVES: We examined older jail inmates' predetainment acute care use (emergency department or hospitalization in the 3 months before arrest) and their plans for using acute care after release. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of 247 jail inmates aged 55 years or older assessing sociodemographic characteristics, health, and geriatric conditions associated with predetainment and anticipated postrelease acute care use. RESULTS: We found that 52% of older inmates reported predetainment acute care use and 47% planned to use the emergency department after release. In modified Poisson regression, homelessness was independently associated with predetainment use (relative risk = 1.42; 95% confidence interval = 1.10, 1.83) and having a primary care provider was inversely associated with planned use (relative risk = 0.69; 95% confidence interval = 0.53, 0.89). CONCLUSIONS: The Affordable Care Act has expanded Medicaid eligibility to all persons leaving jail in an effort to decrease postrelease acute care use in this high-risk population. Jail-to-community transitional care models that address the health, geriatric, and social factors prevalent in older adults leaving jail, and that focus on linkages to housing and primary care, are needed to enhance the impact of the act on acute care use for this population.

Dysphoria and anhedonia as risk factors for disability or death in older persons: implications for the assessment of geriatric depression.

OBJECTIVES: Either dysphoria (sadness) or anhedonia (loss of interest in usually pleasurable activities) is required for a diagnosis of major depression. Although major depression is a known risk factor for disability in older persons, few studies have examined the relationship between the two core symptoms of major depression and disability or mortality. Our objective was to examine the relationship between these two core symptoms and time to disability or death. METHODS: In a longitudinal cohort study, we used the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study to examine this relationship in 11,353 persons older than 62 years (mean: 73 years) followed for up to 13 years. Dysphoria and anhedonia were assessed with the Short Form Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Our outcome measure was time to either death or increased disability, defined as the new need for help in a basic activity of daily living. We adjusted for a validated disability risk index and other confounders. RESULTS: Compared with subjects without either dysphoria or anhedonia, the risk for disability or death was not elevated in elders with dysphoria without anhedonia (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91-1.36). The risk was elevated in those with anhedonia without dysphoria (HR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.06-1.60) and those with both anhedonia and dysphoria (HR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.13-1.46). CONCLUSION: Our results highlight the need for clinicians to learn whether patients have lost interest in usually pleasurable activities, even if they deny sadness.

Pain as a risk factor for disability or death.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether pain predicts future activity of daily living (ADL) disability or death in individuals aged 60 and older. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: The 1998 to 2008 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative study of older community-living individuals. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve thousand six hundred thirty-one participants in the 1998 HRS aged 60 and older who did not need help in any ADL. MEASUREMENTS: Participants reporting that they had moderate or severe pain most of the time were defined as having significant pain. The primary outcome was time to development of ADL disability or death over 10 yrs, assessed at five successive 2-year intervals. ADL disability was defined as needing help performing any ADL: bathing, dressing, transferring, toileting, eating, or walking across a room. A discrete hazards survival model was used to examine the relationship between pain and incident disability over each 2-year interval using only participants who started the interval with no ADL disability. Several potential confounders were adjusted for at the start of each interval: demographic factors, seven chronic health conditions, and functional limitations (ADL difficulty and difficulty with five measures of mobility). RESULTS: At baseline, 2,283 (18%) participants had significant pain. Participants with pain were more likely (all P < .001) to be female (65% vs 54%), have ADL difficulty (e.g., transferring 12% vs 2%, toileting 11% vs 2%), have difficulty walking several blocks (60% vs 21%), and have difficulty climbing one flight of stairs (40% vs 12%). Over 10 years, participants with pain were more likely to develop ADL disability or death (58% vs 43%, unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.57-1.79), although after adjustment for confounders, participants with pain were not at greater risk for ADL disability or death (HR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.91-1.07). Adjustment for functional status almost entirely explained the difference between the unadjusted and adjusted results. CONCLUSION: Although there are strong cross-sectional relationships between pain and functional limitations, individuals with pain are not at higher risk of subsequent disability or death after accounting for functional limitations. Like many geriatric syndromes, pain and disability may represent interrelated phenomena that occur simultaneously and require unified treatment paradigms.

Half of older Americans seen in emergency department in last month of life; most admitted to hospital, and many die there.

Emergency department use contributes to high end-of-life costs and is potentially burdensome for patients and family members. We examined emergency department use in the last months of life for patients age sixty-five or older who died while enrolled in a longitudinal study of older adults in the period 1992-2006. We found that 51 percent of the 4,158 [corrected] decedents visited the emergency department in the last month of life, and 75 percent in the last six months of life. Repeat visits were common. A total of 77 percent of the patients seen in the emergency department in the last month of life were admitted to the hospital, and 68 percent of those who were admitted died there. In contrast, patients who enrolled in hospice at least one month before death rarely visited the emergency department in the last month of life. Policies that encourage the preparation of patients and families for death and early enrollment in hospice may prevent emergency department visits at the end of life.

Glycosylated hemoglobin and functional decline in community-dwelling nursing home-eligible elderly adults with diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels predict functional decline in older adults. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling, nursing home (NH)-eligible individuals with diabetes mellitus enrolled at On Lok between October 2002 and December 2008 (367 participants, 1,579 HbA1c measurements). SETTING: On Lok Lifeways, the original model for Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. MEASUREMENTS: The outcomes were functional decline or death at 2 years. The primary predictor was HbA1c. Age, sex, race and ethnicity, baseline function, comorbid conditions, length of time enrolled at On Lok, insulin use, and clustering of HbA1c within participants were adjusted for with mixed-effects Poisson regression. RESULTS: Mean age was 80, and 185 participants (50%) were taking insulin. Sixty-three percent of participants experienced functional decline, and 75% experienced death or functional decline during the study period. At 2 years, higher HbA1c was associated with less functional decline or death (P for trend = .006). Accounting for clustering and confounding factors, HbA1c of 8.0% to 8.9% was associated with a lower likelihood (relative risk = 0.88, 95% confidence interval = 0.79-0.99) of functional decline or death than HbA1c of 7.0% to 7.9%. CONCLUSION: In community-dwelling, NH-eligible individuals with diabetes mellitus, HbA1c of 8.0% to 8.9% is associated with better functional outcomes at 2 years than HbA1c of 7.0% to 7.9%, suggesting that the current American Geriatrics Society guideline recommending a HbA1c target of 8.0% or less for older adults with limited life expectancy may be lower than necessary to maintain function.

The epidemiology of pain during the last 2 years of life.

BACKGROUND: The epidemiology of pain during the last years of life has not been well described. OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence and correlates of pain during the last 2 years of life. DESIGN: Observational study. Data from participants who died while enrolled in the Health and Retirement Study were analyzed. The survey interview closest to death was used. Each participant or proxy was interviewed once in the last 24 months of life and was classified into 1 of 24 cohorts on the basis of the number of months between the interview and death. The relationship between time before death and pain was modeled and was adjusted for age, sex, race or ethnicity, education level, net worth, income, terminal diagnosis category, presence of arthritis, and proxy status. SETTING: The Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey of community-living older adults (1994 to 2006). PARTICIPANTS: Older adult decedents. MEASUREMENTS: Clinically significant pain, as indicated by a report that the participant was "often troubled" by pain of at least moderate severity. RESULTS: The sample included 4703 decedents. Mean age (SD) of participants was 75.7 years (SD, 10.8); 83.1% were white, 10.7% were black, 4.7% were Hispanic; and 52.3% were men. The adjusted prevalence of pain 24 months before death was 26% (95% CI, 23% to 30%). The prevalence remained flat until 4 months before death (28% [CI, 25% to 32%]), then it increased, reaching 46% (CI, 38% to 55%) in the last month of life. The prevalence of pain in the last month of life was 60% among patients with arthritis versus 26% among patients without arthritis (P < 0.001) and did not differ by terminal diagnosis category (cancer [45%], heart disease [48%], frailty [50%], sudden death [42%], or other causes [47%]; P = 0.195). LIMITATION: Data are cross-sectional; 19% of responses were from proxies; and information about cause, location, and treatment of pain was not available. CONCLUSION: Although the prevalence of pain increases in the last 4 months of life, pain is present in more than one quarter of elderly persons during the last 2 years of life. Arthritis is strongly associated with pain at the end of life. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Institute on Aging, National Center for Research Resources, National Institute on Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, and National Palliative Care Research Center.

Length of stay for older adults residing in nursing homes at the end of life.

OBJECTIVES: To describe lengths of stay of nursing home decedents. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: The Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults aged 50 and older. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand eight hundred seventeen nursing home residents who died between 1992 and 2006. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was length of stay, defined as the number of months between nursing home admission and date of death. Covariates were demographic, social, and clinical factors drawn from the HRS interview conducted closest to the date of nursing home admission. RESULTS: The mean age of decedents was 83.3 ± 9.0; 59.1% were female, and 81.5% were white. Median and mean length of stay before death were 5 months (interquartile range 1-20) and 13.7 ± 18.4 months, respectively. Fifty-three percent died within 6 months of placement. Large differences in median length of stay were observed according to sex (men, 3 months vs women, 8 months) and net worth (highest quartile, 3 months vs lowest quartile, 9 months) (all P <.001). These differences persisted after adjustment for age, sex, marital status, net worth, geographic region, and diagnosed chronic conditions (cancer, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, lung disease, heart disease, and stroke). CONCLUSION: Nursing home lengths of stay are brief for the majority of decedents. Lengths of stay varied markedly according to factors related to social support.

Coming home: health status and homelessness risk of older pre-release prisoners.

BACKGROUND: Older adults comprise an increasing proportion of the prison and homeless populations. While older age is associated with adverse post-release health events and incarceration is a risk factor for homelessness, the health status and homelessness risk of older pre-release prisoners are unknown. Moreover, most post-release services are geared towards veterans; it is unknown whether the needs of non-veterans differ from those of veterans. OBJECTIVE: To assess health status and risk of homelessness of older pre-release prisoners, and to compare veterans with non-veterans. DESIGN/PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional study of 360 prisoners (≥ 55 years of age) within 2 years of release from prison using data from the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities. MAIN MEASURES: Veteran status, health status (based on self-report), and risk of homelessness (homelessness before arrest). KEY RESULTS: Mean age was 61 years; 93.8% were men and 56.5% were white. Nearly 40% were veterans, of whom 77.2% reported likely VA service eligibility. Veterans were more likely to be white and to have obtained a high school diploma or GED. Overall, 79.1% reported a medical condition and 13.6% reported a serious mental illness. There was little difference in health status between veterans and non-veterans. Although 1 in 12 prisoners reported a risk factor for homelessness, the risk factors did not differ according to veteran status. CONCLUSIONS: Older pre-release prisoners had a high burden of medical and mental illness and were at risk for post-release homelessness regardless of veteran status. Reentry programs linking pre-release older prisoners to medical and psychiatric services and to homelessness prevention programs are needed for both veterans and non-veterans.