healthcare

Life expectancy has grown and so has the percent of older adults living alone.  Despite the oft-repeated life expectancy at birth of 79, the older population is living longer.  At age 65, both women and men will likely live on average another 20 years.  Thirty-six percent of those aged 75+ live alone. Nearly in 10 have notable health issues, including vision or hearing loss, or other difficulties with living independently.

Longevity expectations can mislead or inform.  Today’s life expectancy chart for 2026 notes an increase of life expectancy at birth to 79.  Of course, that is a silly number to mention among the 65+ population which can expect to live into their mid-80s. And the physical condition they are in varies all over the map. You notice the very frail in their 80s walking carefully with a cane or walker.  You also see people in their late 80s jumping up and down in a water aerobics class. Or people in their 70s and beyond lifting heavy weights. But individuals with Parkinson's or arthritis can still live into their 80s, although their mobility and health may be compromised. 

The recent report from Pew deserves some thought – and much concern.  First look at this chart – then consider (see Figure 1).  Getting information from providers – that sounds positive and most think that information is accurate.Never mind that one-third of people in the US lack a primary care provider. But the survey results go downhill from there -- getting data from people who have a similar health issue to you (a neighbor?), then past WebMD, straight to government agencies tied with news organizations, and then, where else, over to social media. Half of Pew responders say it is difficult to judge whether information is accurate.  No kidding.

For some, the jury should still be out.  Clearly the tech vendors, surrounded by media and investor enthusiasm, are proud of what they are (or almost, so, so close!) doing. The theory, of course, is that consumers are already using their tools to answer health questions, so why not formalize the offering, describing how initial usage (Boston Children’s Hospital, etc.) results are positive. Ah, but even OpenAI the company, is not so certain: When asked about ChatGPT’s reliability with health facts, a spokeswoman said its models had become more reliable and accurate in health scenarios compared with previous versions, but she also didn’t provide hard numbers showing hallucination rates when giving medical advice.

You know the experience.  You walk into the lobby of a medical practice, and the sign tells you to sign in at the kiosk. You drop your license in the slot – but the software is having a down day, and so a person emerges from behind the glass to debug it.  Meanwhile another person checks you in.  So their time savings from the device evaporate. The irritation of the patients trying to sign in grows – one announces how much he hates technology.