Health & Fitness

Florida needs to get its seniors more involved in volunteer work


The steady hands of Liz Gassew, RN, prepare one of nearly 800 free flu shots given free to Plantation seniors and the chronically ill at the Central Park Gym.
The steady hands of Liz Gassew, RN, prepare one of nearly 800 free flu shots given free to Plantation seniors and the chronically ill at the Central Park Gym.

A new study ranks Florida in the middle of the pack when it comes to the health of its seniors.

The study released last week by the United Health Foundation ranks Florida No. 27 out of the 50 states for senior health characteristics.

Vermont was ranked No. 1, and Louisiana was ranked last.

Florida did well on community spending for seniors, as well as a low rate of seniors who have fallen in the past year.

But the study says Florida needs improvement in the areas of getting seniors to volunteer and also getting seniors to be vaccinated for the flu. The study says seniors in Florida also have a high use of intensive care units.

This story was originally published June 2, 2015 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Florida needs to get its seniors more involved in volunteer work."

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