Epidemiologic Follow Up Study of Newly Diagnosed Epilepsy Among Seniors

Seniors who have had new onset seizures or newly diagnosed epilepsy will be recruited from emergency departments (EDs), neurology clinics, primary care clinics (including geriatric clinics), and other service providers from networks maintained by the Area Agencies on Aging that serve seniors in southeastern Arizona. Data will be collected in the form of bi-annual surveys,administrative data (from Medicare), in-depth interviews, and focus groups. Medicare data will be used to describe and evaluate the likelihood of being hospitalized or admitted to a long-term facility within two years of being diagnosed, medication adherence and persistence, and comparing the cost of care between the newly-diagnosed seniors with epilepsy and comparable seniors who do not have epilepsy. The feasibility and validity of using the Medicare claims data to estimate newly diagnosed epilepsy will also be assessed. Finally, the impact of epilepsy on health related quality of life, mental health, perceived stigma, and family and caregivers will also be evaluated through surveys and qualitative data collection methods, and ethnic differences will also be described.