Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 2-7-24

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February 7, 2024
MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE
I MATURE FOCUS I 23
Eating disorders are more prevalent among older women than commonly believed,
especially after menopause.
(Adobe Stock photo)
News & Notes
By LISA RUSSELL
Eating disorders in
older adults
February is Eating Disorders Awareness
Month, bringing attention to a problem
that’s become epidemic in the U.S. According
to the National Eating Disorders Association,
nearly 30 million Americans will
have some type of eating disorder, all of
which are considered forms of mental illness,
at some point during their lives. And
while most people may think of eating
disorders as mainly impacting adolescents
and teens, they are increasingly prevalent
among older adults…especially women.
In 2023, researchers from the Yale
School of Medicine reported that almost
3% of women between the ages of 50 and
64, and about 2% of women over 65, suffer
from an eating disorder. These illnesses,
which include anorexia nervosa, binge
eating and bulimia, can quickly become
very serious and even fatal in older people.
In fact, research has shown that just over
20% of older adults with an eating disorder
eventually die from the condition.
Why are older women in particular at
risk? Studies have shown they commonly
begin when an emotional “trigger” of some
kind causes these behaviors.
A study previously published in the Journal
of Eating Disorders found that the transition
to menopause can leave many women
more vulnerable, as shifting hormones cause
them to put on weight that’s harder to lose.
Others may have recovered from eating disorders
when they were younger, and relapse
after menopause as their bodies go through
normal age-related changes. Stress and
anxiety caused by life events such as adjusting
to an empty nest, divorce, retirement
or widowhood can also leave women more
susceptible to eating disorders.
Whatever their cause, health experts
agree it’s critical that eating disorders later
in life be addressed as quickly as possible.
If a friend or loved one displays any of the
following symptoms, she may need help:
• Rapid weight loss
See MATURE FOCUS, page 24
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Healthcare ‘Groundhog Day’
New data on Medicare beneficiaries
shows that on average, Americans over
age 65 now spend just under three weeks
getting healthcare services outside their
homes each year.
Specifically, these older adults leave
home for doctor’s appointments, tests,
procedures and other medical services
on an average of 20.7 days annually.
For a significant 11% of seniors, the
number of these “health care contact
days” is 50 per year, more than double
the national average.
These numbers represent substantial
amounts of time, effort and cost for
older adults covered by Medicare and
their families, say the Harvard-affiliated
researchers who published the data in
Annals of Internal Medicine. They show
that efforts need to be made to optimize
contact days – for example, by combining
doctors’ office visits with lab and
other testing appointments, which is
usually not the case today. According
to the authors, health care contact days
should become a new patient-centered
metric that can be used to evaluate care
for older adults.
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