Barriers to accessing needed healthcare services can occur at any stage in life; however, aging populations face unique challenges that require targeted solutions to support healthy habits and condition management. September is recognized as Healthy Aging Month and with the number of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older anticipated to grow, solving for common limitations that may impact this population is essential. Centene is dedicated to investing in solutions to help aging populations more easily overcome obstacles to accessing care and living life to its fullest.

As individuals age, it often becomes more difficult to remain physically active, engage in the community, and maintain healthy habits leading to potential decline in both physical and mental health. As a way of better integrating mental and physical health care, Centene’s chronic conditions management programs include behavioral health screenings as part of comprehensive assessments and education for enhancing self-care skills. This integrated approach aims to increase medication adherence, remove barriers to care, and increase member knowledge for improved self-management of their conditions. While all individuals benefit from a whole health approach, as people age they are more likely to experience multiple conditions making integration crucial to managing wellness.

Centene provides Medicare Advantage plans to more than one million individuals across the country. Wellcare offers its Community Connections Help Line as a way for enrollees to access services to address the non-medical barriers that impact health. Members are connected to a peer coach who can link them to services to assist with items such as access to food, medication support, and transportation to solve for life barriers that impede a healthy lifestyle.

Further investing in innovative solutions to address the unique issues that impact the wellbeing of older adults and their caregivers, Centene has embarked on a partnership with San Diego State University’s Center for Excellence in Aging & Longevity. As part of this, The Wellness Club was established to provide a whole health approach to navigating current and emerging challenges including social determinants of health barriers, isolation, and the need to return to a focus on mental and physical health and wellness in the wake of COVID-19. The Wellness Club uses a peer navigator approach to connect older adults with trained peers who provide guidance, resources, and support to assist them in managing their health. Findings from this partnership will be leveraged to help establish similar partnerships and programs with the goal of enhancing elderly care and wellness.

As the number of Medicare recipients continues to grow, Centene remains committed to investing in programs and partnerships that accelerate generationally appropriate solutions focused on delivering access to high-quality, integrated care to improve health outcomes.