Treatments, research, medical insurance, and government health programs fail to address the needs of older women because older men are treated as the norm for the elderly. In addition, although women of different ethnic and racial backgrounds have different health needs, the situation of white elderly is treated as the norm. Older women are more likely to suffer from long-term, chronic illness and disabilities and are less likely to have acute illnesses than older men. The institutional bias of Medicare and Medicaid, therefore, has a negative impact on women. Frequently, home healthcare and home-making assistance are more appropriate and effective services for persons with chronic health problems than are hospital or nursing home stays.
Women are much more likely to live alone, and therefore, to lack in-home, unpaid assistance.
Since the income of a woman alone is far less than that of either a couple or a man living alone, every dollar spent on healthcare is a greater percentage of a woman's income than it is of a man's. In addition, since most women outlive their husbands, they are more likely to pay for the cost of a spouse's medical care, particularly for nursing home care, and are less likely to have someone to help pay for their own care. While recent legislation has increased the amount the spouse in the community may retain to live on, the assault on the dignity and the resources of the couples affected remains. Caregiving represents an additional financial, emotional, and physical burden to women in mid- and late life. The average age of caregivers is 57.