ALBANY — The New York State Office for the Aging, Sepsis Alliance, the Association on Aging in New York, the Home Care Association of New York State and END SEPSIS is urging organizations to join The Partnership for Sepsis and Aging (TPSA), a newly formed national coalition that aims to prevent and stop life-threatening sepsis by raising awareness of signs, symptoms and interventions.
TPSA is free to join by completing the online form. TPSA members are asked to broadly share free sepsis prevention and awareness resources. Members also meet quarterly for the latest research, news, information sharing, tools, and action items to grow awareness of sepsis and help protect older adults and people of all ages.
Register for the next TPSA meeting via Zoom on May 21 at 1 p.m. EST.
“The Partnership for Sepsis and Aging welcomes any organization nationwide that reaches older adults and families,” Greg Olsen, TPSA chair and NYSOFA director, said.
“The message is simple: sepsis is a little-understood medical emergency that takes the life of a person in the U.S. every 90 seconds, but it’s also usually preventable, and that’s where progress can be made in saving lives. TPSA is ready to arm organizations with easy-to-use resources to help people take action and protect themselves or a loved one.”
More About Sepsis
According to Sepsis Alliance, sepsis is the body’s overwhelming and life-threatening response to infection which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. It takes a life every 90 seconds (350,000 adults each year in the U.S.), and over 80% of these deaths may be preventable. Sepsis is a medical emergency that requires rapid diagnosis and treatment.
While sepsis can and does affect people of all ages, the very young (infants) and those who already have a chronic health problem or a compromised immune system are at higher risk of developing sepsis, according to Sepsis Alliance.
But people who are over 60 years old, particularly those who have health issues, are even more susceptible to sepsis than any other group.
According to Sepsis Alliance and END SEPSIS:
– Sepsis is the number 1 cause of deaths in U.S. hospitals.
– Sepsis is the most costly condition for hospital and skilled nursing care – $62 billion per year.
– Sepsis is the number one cause of hospital readmissions.
– Almost 60% of sepsis survivors experience worsened cognitive, mental, and/or physical function.
– Maternal sepsis is the second-leading cause of maternal death in the U.S.
– Each day more than 200 children are diagnosed with severe sepsis – 75,000 cases per year. Eighteen die each day.
– Black and “other nonwhite” individuals have nearly twice the incidence of sepsis as white individuals.
Sepsis Risk Factors
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while anyone can develop sepsis, those at higher risk include:
– Adults 65 years of age or older.
– Children younger than one year of age.
– People with weakened immune systems.
– People with chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, lung disease, cancer, or kidney disease.
– People with recent severe illness or hospitalization.
– People who have had sepsis before.
How Someone Can identify Sepsis
It is crucial you get medical care right away if you have an infection that is not getting better or is getting worse. According to Sepsis Alliance, a person with sepsis might have one or more signs or symptoms:
– Temperature – higher or lower than normal
– Infection – may have signs and symptoms of infection
– Mental decline – confused, sleepy, difficult to rouse
– Extremely ill – severe pain, discomfort, shortness of breath
Sepsis Alliance President and CEO Thomas Heymann said, “Our vision is a nation in which older adults are sepsis-aware, and their caregivers and government agencies are trained and responsive to their community’s risk of sepsis. Sepsis Alliance was eager to convene a group of strong, excited organizations ready to tackle the lack of resources, and we are thrilled with the group that formed. We are committed to saving lives and improving the health of our nation’s older adults.”
Becky Preve, Executive Director of AgingNY, said, “Sepsis is treatable if you know the signs and symptoms, and it is preventable with good infection prevention. As Executive Director of the Association on Aging in New York, our 59 members and their more than 1,200 community partners have an obligation to provide community-based facts and education to save the lives not only of older adults, but their families. We are so pleased to be a founding member of TPSA and urge others to join this national effort.”