There’s a group of vulnerable people in this country whose voices cannot be heard—a group who, for reasons of age or illness, cannot stand up and demand attention to their care and comfort. These plaintive voices belong to our grandparents, our mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives, our ill sons and daughters. Eventually every one of us will join this vulnerable group.
- A crisis surrounds the way we Americans are cared for during the last part of life
- Pain is often inadequately treated—if it is treated at all
- Medical schools teach very little about treating elders, people who are dying, and people in pain
- Care is fragmented and uncoordinated; sick people often feel they have “fallen through the cracks”
- Families are often devastated by the physical, emotional, and financial strains of caregiving
- There are so few staff in many nursing homes that many residents are malnourished because they can’t get help in eating
This is one national crisis that affects us all. And it’s only going to get worse—unless we take action to solve it.
- 20 percent of Americans die in hospital intensive care units, part of the 50–60 percent of Americans who die in hospitals. Another 25 to 35 percent die in nursing homes
- Only 20–30 percent of us die at home, despite the fact that surveys have repeatedly shown that most of us want to die where we live, at home, with the people who love us
- By 2030, the number of Americans 65 and older will more than double, from roughly 35 million in 2000 to about 71.5 million. For the first time in human history, in this third millennium there will be more old people than young people on the planet
- A congressional study found that more than 90 percent of American nursing homes have too few workers to care for patients
- By 2010, nearly half of all nurses will be over age 50, exacerbating what is already a national nursing shortage as these workers move to other positions or retire
We’re facing a national crisis, but it’s one that we can fix. Here in New Hampshire we’re acting on behalf of all Americans to take back this discussion. Using the power the presidential primary brings to us as individual citizens, we are reclaiming the last part of life.
We have a strategy for making sure everyone’s voice is heard. A strategy to ignite a serious national discussion on how to bring health care, social services, and the private sector together to care for people through the end of life. A strategy to get you and your loved ones the competent, comprehensive, compassionate, and dignified care we all deserve.