Regional Director Lily Griego from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services discusses recent initiatives impacting adults in Colorado, including the HHS's mission to address maternal care, mental health destigmatization, and rural health care accessibility, along with the Inflation Reduction Act's role in reducing health care costs for older adults.

Further reading:

• Strengthening Maternal Health
• SAMSHA Announces $39.4 Million in Funding Opportunities for Grants to Help Advance the President’s Unity Agenda
• Biden-Harris Administration taking actions to improve the health of rural communities
• Fact Sheet: One Year In, President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act
• Fact Sheet: Advancing Health Equity Across HHS
• SAMSHA Announces $36.9 Million in Behavioral Health Funding Opportunities
• ASPE Office of Health Policy: Insulin Affordability and the Inflation Reduction Act

Associate Professor of Communication Studies Meara Faw explores the complexities of caregiving, including statistics on its prevalence, the challenges faced by care partners, and the unique needs they encounter. Faw shares insights from her research on improving caregiver and care-recipient well-being, including interventions like B-Sharp and the performing arts. Also discussed is the 2023 Surgeon General's report on loneliness and its impacts on health.

Dr. Greg Gahm – a geriatrician, Corporate Medical Director for Vivage Senior Living, and an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at CU Anschutz – discusses the long-term care industry over the decades, including the different types of long-term care available, standards of care provided, and the impact of the pandemic on cost dynamics and staffing structures. If you're just getting introduced to long-term care, this is the episode for you.