Health & Medicine Policy Research Group’s Center for Long-term Care Reform and Illinois Aging Together campaign are dedicated to advancing policies and structures that improve the conditions in which Illinoisans live, work, play, and age across the life course. Through our work, it is crucial for us to stay abreast of current events, developments, and stories in the aging and health sectors–and beyond.

Below are some of the recent articles and other resources that we’ve found recently that are pertinent to our work:

Lawsuits allege substandard care at South Side facility (Mitch Dudek, Chicago Sun Times)  
“The families of two seniors with dementia have sued a South Side care facility, claiming the facility did not prevent residents from wandering away and allowed them to live in “totally undignified conditions.”” 

100-Year-Old Lester Wright Breaks 100-Meter Record At Penn Relays (Ron Dicker, HuffPost) 
“Lester Wright is outrunning Father Time and the competition. The sprinter, 100 years young, broke the world record for his age group in the men’s 100-meter at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia on Saturday.” 

Inside a Home for L.G.B.T.Q. Seniors: ‘I Made Friends Here.’ (Gregory Schmidt, The New York Times)
“Shunned when they were younger, older L.G.B.T.Q. adults have found a community at a senior home created for them by SAGE, a New York advocacy group.” 

Understanding Disparities and Discrimination Faced by Asian and NHOPI People (Drishti Pillai, KFF)
“Data are also often missing to identify and address disparities. Enhancing data to better understand the experiences of Asian and NHOPI people is of particular importance at this time, given growing levels of racism and discrimination amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including a significant uptick in hate incidents against Asian and NHOPI people.” 

2022 Changes to the Public Charge Inadmissibility Rule and the Implications for Health Care (Drishti Pillai and Samantha Artiga, KFF)   
Research suggests that the 2019 Trump Administration changes to public charge policy and other immigration policy changes increased fears among immigrant families about participating in programs and seeking services, including health coverage and care.  

How Loneliness is Damaging Our Health (John Leland, The New York Times) 
“Even before the pandemic, there was an “epidemic of loneliness,” and it was affecting physical health and life expectancy.”  

Exploring the Health Effects of Ageism (Paula Span, The New York Times)  
“Through more than three decades of research, the Yale psychologist Becca Levy has demonstrated that age discrimination can take years off one’s life.”