WASHINGTON, D.C.: The rapidly growing elderly prisoner population is bringing exploding costs of caring for them behind bars. With advanced age inevitably comes chronic health conditions, prescription drug needs, and both physical and mental disabilities. None of which come cheap.
The World Health Organization recommends that prisons immediately increase their health care budgets in anticipation of the continuing rise of this population, create separate housing areas for them, and develop teams of caretakers who are trained to address the particular needs of the aged. Health issues like sensory impairment, cognitive decline, and incontinence are not only common with the elderly, but they “may pose unique risks in prison,” the WHO argues in its report. The report also stresses the need for palliative or hospice care for prisoners nearing the end of life…