Dzerounian Jasmine, Mahal Guneet, AlShenaiber Leena, Angeles Ricardo, Marzanek Francine, Pirrie Melissa, Agarwal Gina
Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, 100 Main St W, Hamilton, Ontario L8P 1H6, Canada.
Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8, Canada.
Health Aff Sch. 2024 Nov 27;2(12):qxae154. doi: 10.1093/haschl/qxae154. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Older adults living in social housing are a vulnerable population with unique health challenges that often lead to poor health outcomes and high emergency service utilization. However, the needs of this population are frequently overlooked. This policy note describes the characteristics of older adults living in social housing in Canada and discusses why they are a vulnerable, underserved population in need of immediate attention and priority. Older adults in social housing have higher rates of chronic disease, lower quality of life, and lower health literacy and face challenges caused by various compounding social determinants of health. There is a large gap in research and tailored interventions focusing on this population. Based on these findings, the authors highlight the need for the allocation of resources to support this growing population, including dedicated funding, research, and programming. Proactively addressing the issues that exist in the health and social care of this high-needs population will also have larger implications for reducing healthcare system burden.
居住在社会住房中的老年人是弱势群体，面临着独特的健康挑战，这些挑战往往导致健康状况不佳和急诊服务利用率高。然而，这一群体的需求常常被忽视。本政策说明描述了加拿大居住在社会住房中的老年人的特征，并讨论了他们为何是一个需要立即关注和优先对待的弱势、服务不足的群体。居住在社会住房中的老年人慢性病发病率更高、生活质量更低、健康素养更低，并且面临由各种复杂的健康社会决定因素所导致的挑战。针对这一群体的研究和量身定制的干预措施存在很大差距。基于这些发现，作者强调需要分配资源来支持这一不断增长的群体，包括专项资金、研究和项目。积极解决这一高需求群体在健康和社会护理方面存在的问题，对于减轻医疗系统负担也将产生更大影响。
