National policymakers discuss lessons learned from Covid-Retirement Research Center
In my recent podcast, I had the opportunity to talk to Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders, who is the entire Covid-19-19 pandemic. But Covid was just part of what she faced during her eight years.
Sudders noted that Massachusetts has an older population than most states, and by 2050, almost one-third will be over 65 years old. As a result, she and Gov. Charlie Baker formed a council to address Massachusetts’ aging to make the entire cabinet think about how to become an age-friendly state. The committee’s approach is to urge every community to plan locally how to help their residents’ ages.
Lack of continuity of housing options
One of the biggest challenges in the state is housing. Generally speaking, not only are there shortages, but there are gaps in the continuity of housing, allowing older residents to move from home to home but stay in the community. Two initiatives during Governor Baker’s tenure were designed to help solve this problem: 1) MBTA community laws require towns in eastern Massachusetts, which are part of the regional mass transportation system to free up zonings for multi-family housing; 2) all towns allow the establishment of an affiliated residence (ADU) requirements, which can be used to accommodate elderly parents who move with their adult children. They also changed the building codes to make new homes easier to use by older residents and other disabled people.
recent Boston Global The article describes how the lack of alternative housing has led to baby boomers living in houses where they raise their families, creating housing shortages for young families.
Sudders also explains the very different patterns of assisted living in Massachusetts than many other states. Massachusetts has always regarded assisted living as a housing option and distinguishes it from nursing homes that provide medical services. “You can't even assist accommodation here,” Sudders noted.
“We should have a continuous, not these bright lines,” she said. “If you are in assisted life and your care needs are increasing, you should be able to get that care before your location and ultimately need the level of care in a nursing home.”
Learn from the pandemic
Sudders leads the state's Covid-19 command center. It’s been five years now, and since the first “index” case in Massachusetts, you can’t track down infections that indicate community transmission. It is particularly affected by institutional care.
She cited some early developments that hindered the state’s response:
- The World Health Organization says Kuved is not an airborne virus.
- It took a while to learn that you might be an asymptomatic carrier.
- Testing capabilities and masks are very limited;
- It is not clear that Kuvid's disproportionate impact on the elderly is disproportionate.
- The density of nursing homes promotes the spread of infection; and
- The state realizes that their lack of testing ability to determine who is infected in nursing homes has hindered efforts to isolate the virus.
Sudders also lists some lessons learned from the pandemic, and the state has taken steps to better prepare for the next one:
- First, we need to reduce density as much as possible in nursing homes, prisons and group houses.
- Secondly, our supply chain vulnerability is exposed. At the time, many manufacturers stepped up making gowns, reagents and face masks. They have the ability to make a quick backup if necessary.
- Third, emergency preparedness plans cannot be just sitting on the shelf. They need regular review and updates. Now our public health warehouses are fully automated.
Improve nursing homes
The state has also increased financial compensation for nursing homes through attached conditions, including: no longer having four-person rooms, increased rates of care for residents, increased supervision, including if problems are found and the role of inspectors is modified, including closure of admissions. Now it’s easier to put nursing homes in takeover status, but it still needs to go to court.
These changes have resulted in fewer nursing home beds in the state, but Sudders said Massachusetts is making aging easier for communities, so her hope is that smaller seniors will need nursing home care forward and that those who don’t need it won’t take long.
“I want to think [we could] Provide health care to people in their communities so that people can maintain independence for as long as possible and do not need to be at the end of their lives or the level of care at the institution. It's about building competence and choice, not relying on a model of care. ”
What can you do
Sudders recommends that all seniors actively plan their next housing chapter and make sure that their homes are adaptable if they encounter travel problems. Don't wait for the crisis.
“And talk to your loved ones. I'm not only talking about family, but also the family you choose. It's not pathological; it's about controlling your life. It's a sure thing.”
For more information about Harry Margolis, check out his risk in Senior Blog and Podcast in the United States. He also answers consumer real estate planning questions at Askharry.info. To stay up to date on the Squared Blog, join our free email list. You will only receive one email per week.
