R.I. climbs to No. 26 in senior health ranking, but lags in N.E.

PROVIDENCE – In a national health study of America’s seniors, Rhode Island moved up four places to No. 26 from No. 30 last year, but ranked the lowest of any New England state, the United Health Foundation announced Wednesday.

The study found that the Ocean State ranked highly for several clinical care and behavioral measures, including No. 1 for highest percent of seniors with a dedicated health care provider, lowest percent of suicides among seniors, and highest percent of seniors who get regular health screenings.

Rhode Island also ranked No. 3 for lowest rate of hip fractures among Medicare beneficiaries and No. 7 for percent of seniors with very good or excellent overall health. Between 2013 and 2014, the percentage of seniors who reported their health to be very good or excellent increased 23 percent, the study found.

However, challenges facing the state include an exceptionally high percentage of hospital readmissions (ranked No. 49 for a rate of 16.9 percent of hospitalized patients aged 65 and older) and a low percent of social support for seniors (No. 49).

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In addition, the United Health Foundation reported socioeconomic disparities among Rhode Island’s seniors. According to the study, 15.4 percent of seniors with a college education are physically inactive, compared with 51.5 percent of seniors with less than a high school education.

Nationally, Minnesota was named the “healthiest state” for seniors, followed by Hawaii, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. Mississippi ranked the lowest in the country, below Louisiana (No. 49), Kentucky (No. 48), Oklahoma (No. 47) and Arkansas (No. 46).

In New England, Connecticut ranked No. 12 and Maine ranked No. 14, ahead of Rhode Island’s rank at No. 26.

“In the next 25 years, America’s senior population will double, and as America’s population ages, we know we must be attentive not just to how long we’re living, but also to how well,” wrote the United Health Foundation in the report. “We need to grapple with unhealthy behaviors in order to make much-needed progress against diabetes, heart disease and other chronic health conditions.”

This year was the second year that the United Health Foundation published the America’s Health Rankings Senior Report. The foundation also releases an annual America’s Health Rankings study that evaluates states for overall health measures. Rhode Island ranked No. 19 in the 2013 America’s Health Rankings.

To view the complete ranking and study, visit www.americashealthrankings.org.

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