Click Here to View the Resource Guide
Resources for Integrated Care (RIC) has developed a resource guide to help inform providers, care managers, care coordinators, and other clinical staff at health plans and provider organizations about improving bone health for women with disabilities, especially those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. The resources included in the guide contain clinical research, bone health screening and testing information, and recommendations to improve access to services for women with disabilities across the life course. In addition, the guide includes information on osteoporosis risk factors among women with disabilities, current barriers to bone health screening and testing, and consumer education materials on maintaining good bone health.
Although women with disabilities are often at a higher risk for osteoporosis due to medication use and limited weightbearing activity, they experience lower bone health screening rates.1 A study of women with a range of disabilities found that three quarters of the women in the sample reported never having been screened or tested for bone mineral density, yet over one-half of the women were found to have osteopenia or osteoporosis.2 We invite you to explore our resource guide and learn more about the need for improved bone health screening and testing. The guide also offers resources to help educate women with disabilities and their providers about the importance of maintaining good bone health.
1Piotrowski, K., & Snell, L. (2007). Health Needs of Women with Disabilities Across the Lifespan. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 36(1), 79-87. Retrieved from https://www.jognn.org/article/S0884-2175(15)33660-1/pdf.
2Smeltzer, S. C., Zimmerman, V., & Capriotti, T. (2005). Osteoporosis risk and low bone mineral density in women with physical disabilities. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 86(3), 582-586. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003999304012377.