Aging and Health Research Briefs
2011
Europe's demography: Are babies back? The recent recovery in EU period fertility due to older childbearing — 2011
An update to the RAND Europe 2004 study into the causes and consequences of low fertility in Europe analysing the latest data, reviewing recent literature, and examining the situation in Germany, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK in depth.
2010
Improving the Quality of Care for Dementia — 2010
Results of a pilot program in RAND Health's Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders-2 project indicate that quality indicators for dementia care are improved when primary care practices are coupled with links to local Alzheimer's Association chapters.
2009
Prescription Drug Cost Sharing: A Powerful Policy Lever to Use with Care — 2009
Describes the effects that prescription drug cost sharing has on drug spending, compliance with drug therapy, patient health, and overall health care costs.
2008
Constrained Choice: Why Are Some Women and Men Able To Create and Maintain Healthy Lifestyles, While Others Are Not? — 2008
This fact sheet describes a model of constrained choice that explains how policy decisions at the family, work, community, and government levels can have unintended consequences that ultimately produce differences in men's and women's health.
Improving the Quality of Health Care for Older Adults — 2008
This research brief summarizes the results of Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elderly (ACOVE)-2, which measured the quality of care delivered to a group of older adults, and describes a recent revision of the quality measures, known as ACOVE-3.
Life Expectancy Is Better Than Age as a General Predictor of Health Care Expenditures — 2008
This fact sheet summarizes a study using the 1992-1999 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to investigate whether age directly affects health care costs, or whether life expectancy would produce more accurate estimates of future expenditures.
Modeling the Health and Medical Care Spending of the Future Elderly — 2008
This research brief summarizes studies showing that medical innovations will improve health and extend life but will likely increase Medicare spending; eliminating obesity and better prevention could save Medicare money and improve health.
2007
Health Coverage Options for Military Retirees — 2007
This research brief summarizes the results of a 2006 pilot survey of military retirees, providing information on retirees' enrollment in civilian health care plans and reliance on TRICARE, the Department of Defense-sponsored health insurance.
2006
Redefining and Reforming Health Care for the Last Years of Life — 2006
This research brief summarizes findings on actions that can be taken to shape the U.S. health care system into one that helps Americans live out their final years comfortably, with a care system that is reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable.
Vaccinating Residents and Staff Can Reduce Influenza Outbreaks in Nursing Homes — 2006
This fact sheet describes the benefits of influenza vaccination for nursing home residents and staff.
2005
Future Health and Medical Care Spending of the Elderly: Implications for Medicare — 2005
A team of economists and physicians explored how changes in medical technology, disease, and disability would affect health care spending for the population age 65 and older.
2004
Developing Quality of Care Indicators for the Vulnerable Elderly: The ACOVE Project — 2004
RAND Health has collaborated with Pfizer, Inc. to create the first quality-of-care assessment system for older persons.
Quality of Health Care Received by Older Adults — 2004
A team of experts from RAND Health has developed a system for measuring the quality of care delivered to the elderly and used the system to assess the quality of care given to a group of community-dwelling older adults who were members of a managed care plan.
2002
Improving Access to Drugs for Medicare Beneficiaries: Can State Law Help? — 2002
This research brief summarizes RAND Health research on pharmacy compliance with California's prescription drug discount program for Medicare beneficiaries.
2000
Extending Health Care Insurance to Specific Populations: Profile of RAND Work — 2000
In a series of studies, we have assessed the cost and consequences of various approaches to providing coverage for these groups (children, employees in small businesses, substance abusers, the uninsured, and the near-elderly).
Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren: What Do We Know? — 2000
Anne Pebley and Laura Rudkin explore research results on the characteristics of grandchildren and grandparents in common households and identify a research agenda for this phenomenon.
1999
Prescription Drugs and the Elderly: Policy Implications of Medicare Coverage — 1999
Surprisingly little is known about how much the financial burden is, how much coverage might increase demand for prescription drugs, and how much such coverage might cost.
1998
Three Aspects of Health, Well-Being, and the Effective Functioning of the Elderly — 1998
Examined: (1) the effects of childbearing on women's health later in life, (2) the relationship between poor vision and well-being of older individuals, and (3) the effect of socioeconomic and health issues on the driving patterns of the elderly.
Trends in Functional Limitations: Are Older Americans Living Longer and Better? — 1998
Everyone knows that we are living longer, but the great unknown -- and the subject of some controversy -- has been whether older Americans are living in better health.
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