Elderly hospitalized more here

County’s rate tops Racine’s, Milwaukee’s

BY MATTHEW OLSON molson@kenoshanews.com 

    The elderly in Kenosha County were hospitalized more, on average, than seniors in the rest of southeastern Wisconsin, according to state figures.

    Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ public health profiles from 2007 show 376.3 out of 1,000 Kenosha residents 65 years of age or older were hospitalized during that year. That rate is higher than Racine County (373.7 seniors per 1,000), Milwaukee County (352.8 per 1,000) and the entire state (303.3 per 1,000).

    Kenosha County’s hospitalization rate is down from 2006, 378.6 seniors per 1,000, but the 2007 number still represents a 14 percent increase since 1998.

    Gary Brown, executive director of Kenosha Area Family and Aging Services Inc., said a factor could be Kenosha County’s traditionally high number of smokers.

    “I think a high percentage of today’s elderly population smoked when they were younger. Some still smoke,” Brown said. “If you have a higher percentage of smokers, it raises the number of people who could be affected by smoking and other negative influences.”

    Kenosha seniors had higher rates of hospitalization for strokes (17.9 hospital stays per 1,000 seniors in 2007) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (13.9 stays per 1,000 seniors), both of which can be related to smoking, than other southeastern Wisconsin counties and the entire state.

    Patti Pagel, program coordinator for Aurora Health Care’s senior services, said hospitals throughout the state are seeing an increase in seniors being admitted. The elderly population is growing, but Pagel also said recent results could be due to financial worries.

    “We’re seeing an increase, especially in the last 12 months, because seniors are not seeing their primary doc- tors as much for insurance reasons,” Pagel said. “The emergency visits are up, and the primary doctor visits are down.”

    Brown also pointed to Kenosha’s poor air quality, due in part to pollution from both Chicago and Milwaukee and the We Energies power plant in Pleasant Prairie, as a potential factor in senior health.

    “I think the air quality here is definitely a concern, along with the smoking,” Brown said. “Kenosha County may be the worst place to smoke because of the air quality.”

    Kenosha’s elderly also had the highest rate of hospital stays due to injury. More than 33 of every 1,000 seniors were hospitalized for injuries in 2007, a 29 percent increase from 1998.

    Brown said a more difficult winter, which increases the amount of falls and slips, could factor into those numbers.

    “If you have a frail aging population, you have people who are vulnerable to taking a fall,” Brown said.

    Kenosha County also recorded a mortality rate of 53.3 deaths per 1,000 seniors in 2007, compared to 49.7 in Milwaukee County, 46.7 in Racine County and 47.6 on average in the state.

    There are ways for Kenosha County to improve, local officials and health professionals said.

    Brown said less smoking could assist Kenosha’s elderly health rates, along with more physical activity.

    “Even if someone is suffering from illnesses or health problems, exercise can be a regenerative activity,” Brown said. “Those are big behavior changes, but anyone can do it if they set their mind to it.”

    And Pagel said Aurora and other health providers continue to expand and enhance services for seniors, with programs that include training nurses to specifically aid seniors after a hospital stay.

   “The nursing staff and social workers talk about what we need to do to get elderly patients out of here healthy,” Pagel said.