Senior Journal on Eldercare & Caregivers
Nursing Homes and Other Long-Term Care
Daily news for caregivers on elder
care
Elder Abuse
Concerned that someone in your family has been abused in a
nursing home, Click Here |
Seeking
assistance for an elderly relative? Follow this link to a list of helpful
Websites we have put together. Click Here
Home Health Care Agencies Compared - Go
to site…
Click
here to Nursing Home Compare by CMS
ElderLawAnswers.com
is a great site for legal information and more. .
Elder Care News
Program to Help Seniors Make Their Homes Safer
Announced by Administration on Aging
The agency’s Eldercare Locator will partner with
Rebuilding Together in three-point plan to prevent falls by senior
citizens
Dec. 8, 2008 – A program to prevent devastating
falls by senior citizens by helping them make their homes safer, getting
their families involved and helping steer them to local assistance was
announced today by the Eldercare Locator, a service of the U.S.
Administration on Aging, and Rebuilding Together, a non-profit that
helps low-income Americans maintain their homes.
Read
more...
Older People Who Care for Disabled Spouse May Add
Years to Their Own Lives
Previous studies show negative health effects of caregiving.
But current results show difference in the presumed stress of providing
help from the stress of witnessing a loved one suffer
Dec. 1, 2008 – Much has been written about the
burden of carrying for a spouse or loved one but a new study has
encouraging news - older people who spent at least 14 hours a week
taking care of a disabled spouse lived longer than others.
Read
more...Watch Video.
Elderly Cancer Survivors Improve Ability at Daily
Functions with Home-Based Intervention
Younger patients usually bounce back, but senior
citizens may need a structured program to stop functional decline and
retain independence
Nov. 18, 2008 – Home-based diet and exercise
interventions can improve the physical function of senior citizens who
are long-term cancer survivors. Seniors are known to have more
difficulty than younger people in recovering normal functions, like
climbing stairs, carrying groceries or taking a shower, that younger
people but those in this group made significant recovery.
Read
more...
Senior Citizens Usually Stick by Their End-of-Life
Preferences as Health Declines
Those choosing most aggressive treatment are most
likely to change at end
Oct. 27, 2008 – Among the toughest decision most of
us face is the advance determination of how we want the health care
system to manage our deaths. The legal document is called an “advance
directive.” A new study has found physicians who execute these advanced
directives do not usually change their minds – at least within three
years - regardless of declines in physical and mental health. Those who
do change their minds about life-sustaining treatment are usually those
who say they want aggressive care and those who have no advance
directive.
Read
more...
Helpful Hints on Caregiving, Long-Term Care Offered
Free Online by MetLife
Produced
with National Alliance for Caregiving for Long-Term Care Awareness Month
Oct, 24, 2008 – In advance of Long-Term Care
Awareness Month coming in November, six new long-term care and
caregiving publications are being made available free online by the
MetLife Mature Market Institute.
Read
more...
Chronic Constipation in Senior Citizens Topic for New Training for Health Care Practitioners
American Society of Consultant Pharmacists launches
E-IMPACCAT and ElderlyConstipation.org
|
Read key facts
about Medicines and Senior Citizens below news story. |
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Oct. 23, 2008 – The association dedicated to
serving the medication needs of senior citizens has launched a new
education initiative for health care professional and other elderly care
providers that help in better understanding the causes and treatment of
chronic constipation (CC) in older adults.
Read
more...
End-of-Life
Discussions with Physicians Produce Benefits for Patients and Caregivers
Knowing death is near allows patients, caregivers and
physicians to focus on clarifying patient priorities and managing pain
Oct.
7, 2008 - Terminally ill patients who had end-of-life discussions with
physicians had a better quality of life near death, compared to patients
who did not have these discussions, according to a study in the October
8 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association. These patients
also received less aggressive medical care in their final week of life
and were not more likely to experience emotional distress.
Read more...Video
link in story.
Caregivers Helping Elderly with Age-Related Vision
Loss Get Help from Caregiver Alliance
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Link to video
in story showing development of AMD |
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Family Caregiver Alliance provides comprehensive
information online
Oct. 3, 2008 – Most older Americans with
age-related vision loss – about 3.5 million over age 40 – will not go
completely blind, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance. To help
caregivers of the partially blind elderly, the FCA has developed a
comprehensive fact sheet that is available online.
Read
more...
HHS Sends $36 Million to States to Help Alzheimer’s
Patients, Seniors, Veterans Stay at Home
Targets people not eligible for Medicaid, but are at
high risk of nursing home placement
Sept.
29, 2008 - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today
announced $36 million in new grant programs to 28 states to help older
Americans and veterans remain independent and to support people with
Alzheimer’s disease to remain in their homes and communities. Just over
$19 million of this funding involves a new collaboration with the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Read
more...
Medicare Offering a Helping Hand Online for Family
Caregivers of Aging Americans
Ask Medicare to provide a one-stop shop for
caregivers to find information
Sept.
22, 2008 – Millions of baby boomers find it necessary to become the
caregivers – or at least the advisors – for aging parents. It is a time
consuming challenge but help has arrived in the form of a new online
initiative by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide
easy access to information about Medicare and other essential resources
to help with caregiving.
Read more...
Dairies Reveal Stress, Declining Health in Children
Caring for Their Elderly Parents
Those who believed in personal growth, mastery and
self-acceptance experienced fewer negative consequences
Sept. 22, 2008 – Even though it makes logical sense
that carrying for an elderly parent will take a terrible toll on the
caregiver, researchers continue to study it. The latest study is unique
in that it studied diaries that examined the stresses of daily life in
conjunction with helping a parent. They not only noted the consequences,
however, they also discovered ways caregivers can make life easier.
Read
more...
Senior Citizens Living in Poorest ZIP Codes Less
Likely to Survive Surgery
All surgery patients in the wealthiest ZIP codes
proved less likely to die
By Amy Sutton, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service
Sept.
16, 2008 - Elderly patients living in impoverished areas are more likely
to die after undergoing surgery compared to peers from higher-income ZIP
codes, a new study finds.
Read
more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Put Hold on Cut to
Medicare Hospice Reimbursement
National hospice group is also suing the Bush
dministration to stop cuts
Sept. 15, 2008 – A bi-partisan bill introduced in
the House and Senate has brought smiles to the faces of leaders of the
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). The bill
would prevent the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from
implementing a rule for at least a year that reduces Medicare’s hospice
pay rates. The group has also sued the Bush Administration to stop the
cuts. Read
more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Senior Citizens Move Closer to Right to Hold Nursing
Homes Accountable for Neglect, Abuse
Senate Judiciary Committee passes Fairness in Nursing
Home Arbitration Act of 2008
Sept.
12, 2008 – A bill to protect nursing home residents from losing the
right to hold long-term care facilities accountable in court for
negligent and abusive care was approved yesterday by the Senate
Judiciary Committee. The bi-partisan bill - the Fairness in Nursing Home
Arbitration Act of 2008 - is sponsored by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Sen.
Mel Martinez (R-FL).
Read more...
Harvard Profs Challenge Reports that Nursing Home
Care Declines Under Private Investors
‘Many of the transactions we looked at were just a
few years old, so it's hard to draw definitive conclusions’
Sept.
10, 2008 – Two Harvard professors released a report today that
challenges earlier studies showing that nursing home care declined after
they were purchased by private equity investors. Nursing homes have been
increasingly targeted as investment opportunities and government studies
have found declines in patient care.
Read more...
Intensive Care Patients Need Better Access to
Palliative Care Says National Organization
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
issues six step call for action
Sept.
4, 2008 – More than 20 percent of deaths in the U.S. occur during or
following admission to an Intensive Care Unit, but these patients do not
have adequate access to palliative care and the National Hospice and
Palliative Care Organization wants that to change.
Read more...
New Study Confirms the Elderly Were Most Likely to
Die in Katrina Three Years Ago Today
Drowning was the major cause of death and people 75
years old and older were the most likely victims
Aug.
29, 2008 – As a new storm, Gustav, points its nose at the Louisiana
coast, a study was released yesterday showing that it was people age 75
and older who were most likely to die when Hurricane Katrina hit on this
date - August 29 – in 2005. The researchers call for more attention in
future storms on protecting this vulnerable elderly population.
Read more...
Cost of Caring for Aging Parents
is Looming
Financial Crisis for Many Adult Children
63% of survey respondents don't have a plan to pay
for their aging parents' care
Aug. 26, 2008 – Many people find themselves
responsible for paying for the care of their parents in old age. The
parents did not plan it that way and the children did not see it coming.
According to a just-released survey, these adult children of aging
parents have found themselves vastly unprepared.
Read more...
Rapidly Growing Academy of Hospice and Palliative
Medicine Issues Education Courses
Hospice and palliative medicine specialty strives to
prepare physicians for growing population of senior citizens
Aug.
25, 2008 - The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine,
which has seen its membership almost double in the last five years, has
announced two new medical education courses in hospice and palliative
medicine and a significantly revised book series. The new projects are
in keeping with the Academy’s “ongoing commitment to prevent and relieve
pain and suffering during serious illness.”
Read
more...
New Study Finds Antipsychotic Medications Linked to
Deaths in Elderly Patients
Study in 2005 found second-generation antipsychotics
increased death risk 60% in elderly with dementia; new study, provides
additional evidence of risks with first-generation versions
Aug.
15, 2008 - Elderly patients who are prescribed a conventional, or
first-generation, antipsychotic medication are at an increased risk of
death from cardiovascular or respiratory diseases as compared to those
who take an atypical, or second-generation, antipsychotic medication,
according to a study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality. Read
more...
More Than 1 of 10 Older Americans Suffering Verbal,
Financial Mistreatment, Study Finds
Of the people reporting verbal mistreatment, 26
percent identified their spouse or romantic partner as being responsible
Aug.
19, 2008 - About 13 percent of elderly Americans are mistreated, most
commonly by someone who verbally mistreats or financially takes
advantage of them, according to a University of Chicago study that is
the first comprehensive look at elder mistreatment in the country.
Read more...
National Center on Elder Abuse Enhances Website to Better Help
Seniors, Caregivers
The
NCEA disseminates information to professionals and the public,
provides assistance and training to states and community-based
organizations
Aug. 8, 2008 - The National Center on Elder
Abuse, which serves as a national resource center dedicated to the
prevention of elder mistreatment, has recently remodeled its
Website. The changes provide senior citizens and caregivers easy
access to a wealth of helpful information.
Read more...
Medicare News
Senior Citizens that Bring Companions to Medical
Visits are More Satisfied with Care
Companions are a valuable quality of care resource
that could enhance the experience for millions of vulnerable Americans
July
14, 2008 – Almost two out of every five Medicare patients age 65 or
older appear for their medical visits accompanied by family members or
companions, which seems to contribute to a greater satisfaction with
their doctor and about everything else associated with the visit. The
report in today’s Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals, says this is especially true among those in poor health.
Read more...
Elder Care News
Center for Medicare Advocacy Report Says HHS Weak on
Enforcing Nursing Home Errors
Analysis of 2007 decisions by appeals board calls for
stricter oversight
June 3, 2008 – A recently released review of
nursing home decisions made in 2007 by the Department of Health and
Human Services' Departmental Appeals Board (DAB) highlights serious
failures in care that cause residents to suffer unnecessary pain,
injury, trauma, and death, according to the Center for Medicare
Advocacy, publisher of the report. Read
more...
Aggression Between Residents in Nursing Homes More
Common than Widely Believed
Little attention from researchers; few proven
solutions to altercations
By Sheri Hall
June
3, 2008 - When people hear about elder abuse in nursing homes, they
usually think of staff members victimizing residents. However, research
by Cornell faculty members suggests that a more prevalent and serious
problem may be aggression and violence that occurs between residents
themselves. Read
more...
Heart Failure Patients Need Palliative Care as Much
as Cancer Patients
'Palliative care has been markedly under-used in
heart failure patients'
May 2, 2008 - People suffering from heart failure
endure symptoms, depression and need for spiritual support even more
severe than many of those suffering from advanced lung and pancreatic
cancer. Researchers say, however, these heart outpatients do not receive
equal concern and palliative care, and suggest it is time for a change.
Read more...
Researchers Find It Tough Getting Senior Citizens
and Others to Take Their Medicine
The most effective strategies did not lead to major
improvements in adherence or health
May 1, 2008 - Much has been written about the
problem of senior citizens failing to take their prescribed medicines. A
new study, however, shows it is not just a problem among older people
and it appears almost hopeless. Patients of all ages often do not take
the medicines their doctors prescribe, and this new review of existing
research suggests that there is no proven way to get them to follow
directions for long periods.
Read more...
Long-Term Care Costs Jump 25% Over 2004; Workforce
Shortage Fuels Continued Climb
Genworth Survey finds average annual cost for a week
in adult day health care facility is $15,236
April 30, 2008 - Not only has the cost of long-term
care in U.S. nursing homes, assisted living facilities and in the home
increased for the fifth consecutive year, but the nation faces an
impending shortage of direct-care workers, further driving up long term
care costs. Those are two of the key conclusions drawn from cost of care
research by
Genworth Financial (NYSE:GNW).
Read
more...
Martha Stewart Headlines Hearing of Senate
Aging Committee on Long-Term Care Workforce
Stewart will share her experience as a caregiver for
her mother
April 15, 2008 – The hearing of the Senate Special
Committee on Aging – usually a rather colorless affair – will get a shot
of excitement on Wednesday when Martha Stewart appears to discuss the
role of family caregivers in providing essential services and support
for loved ones. The hearing will be at 3 p.m. in Room 562 of the Dirksen
Senate Office Building.
Read more...
Strokes, Deaths Reduced Among Very Elderly with
Hypertension by ‘Water Pill’
Indapamide, (Lozol) declared “very beneficial” to
those 80 and over
April 4, 2008 - Results of research presented at
the American College of Cardiology’s 57th Annual Scientific Session show
that treatment of high blood pressure based on indapamide sustained
release (SR) 1.5mg is beneficial in very elderly people with high blood
pressure to reduce fatal strokes and cardiovascular events as well as
all-cause mortality.
Read
more...
Treating Wife’s Stress May Be Indirect Care for Men
With Prostate Cancer
When couple dealing with cancer, a partner’s
psychological distress might drag down the well-being of either person
By Taunya English, Associate Editor,
Health Behavior News Service
March
24, 2008 - When a couple is dealing with cancer, a partner’s
psychological distress might drag down the well-being of either person,
according to a new study of 168 married couples.
Read
more...
Sandwiched Mother/Daughters Not Prepared to Care for
Aging Parents
Many reluctant to ask for help or don't
know where to turn.
March 20, 2008 - The first survey of social workers
who provide services to sandwich generation women -- women between the
ages of 35 and 54 who are "sandwiched" by the needs of their children
and their aging parents -- found that this group, which typically
shoulders a family's caregiving burdens, is ill-prepared for the
challenges of caring for older relatives.
Read more...
Caregivers of Family Heart Patients Appear to
Increase Their Own Risk
Because stress and depression can raise the risk of
heart disease
March 17, 2008 - Being a caregiver for a family
member recently hospitalized with heart disease can affect the
caregiver’s mental health – and possibly the caregiver’s own heart
health, according to research presented today. Researchers found these
results when studying psychological strain and depression in people who
provided most or all of a patient’s care.
Read more....
A Little More Financial Support for
Elderly Poor Seems to Improve Health
Research shows poverty is bad for your health; small
investment by government may save big on health care
By Susan Kuchinskas, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service
March 10, 2008 - A modest boost in financial
support to the elderly poor might reduce old-age disability and be a
good investment in public health, according to a large-scale, nationwide
study.
Read more....
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Antibiotic Use for Dying Nursing Home Patients with
Advanced Dementia Raises Questions
Frequent use two weeks before death may
endanger other patients
Feb. 25, 2008 - Antibiotics appear to be frequently
prescribed to individuals with advanced dementia in nursing homes,
especially in the two weeks before death, according to a report in the
February 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals. An editorial in the issue asks if this is really good for the patients and if it
does not increase risk for the other patients.
Read more...
Elder Care News
Senators Grassley, Kohl Offer Bill for Better
Information on Nursing Home Compare
Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement
Act of 2008
|
Below Story |
|
|
> Bill summary
> Statements by Kohl and Grassley |
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Feb. 15, 2008 - Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking
Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, joined yesterday with Sen.
Herb Kohl, Democrat Chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, to
introduce legislation aimed at improving the quality of care in nursing
homes with more and better information for consumers on the Nursing Home
Compare Website published by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services.
Read more...
More Nursing Homes Added to List of Underperformers
by CMS
CMS expands information available
about nursing homes
Feb. 12, 2008 - More nursing homes across the
country were added today to the list of “underperforming nursing homes”
that is being made public by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS). The number on the list is now 131 active facilities.
Read more...
Few Strategies Exist to Prevent MRSA Infection
Spread in Nursing Homes
Residents vulnerable because infection with the bug
tends to increase with advancing age
By Christe Bruderlin-Nelson, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service
Jan.
23, 2008 - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
is making news as a dangerous, sometimes fatal disease for hospital
patients, and in recent cases, students. MRSA is also a major source of
illness acquired in nursing homes, yet few studies have looked at how to
prevent its spread among elderly residents, according to a new review.
Read
more...
Nursing Home Report Card by CMS Makes the Grade and
Improving Care
‘..study provides evidence that quality report
cards are useful tools’
By Katherine Kahn, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service
Jan. 23, 2008 - A national, Web-based report card
on nursing homes is improving some aspects of nursing home care, a new
study finds. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services began
publishing the “Nursing Home Compare” report card results on the Web in
2002. The site gives detailed information about the past performance of
every Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the country.
Read more...
Risk of
Falling Is Overlooked as the Major Cause of Fractures in the Elderly
Evidence says
fall prevention can reduce falls by up to 50%
Jan. 18, 2008
– There has been a splash of recent news on the benefits of vitamin D2
with calcium in preventing bone loss and resulting fractures in senior
citizens. A new report, however, says this is the wrong focus for
preventing factures in the elderly: it should be on preventing falls.
Read more...
VA Hospice Care Grows as Veterans over 85 Expected
to Triple
Nearly half of veterans dying in VA
facilities received palliative care
Jan. 16, 2008 -- The Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) is providing hospice and palliative care to a growing number of
veterans throughout the country as the need continues to rise for care
and comfort at the end of life. Nearly 9,000 veterans were treated in
designated hospice beds at VA facilities in 2007, and thousands of other
veterans were referred to community hospices to receive care in their
homes. Read
more...
Congestive Heart Failure Leads to Disability,
Nursing Homes for Senior Citizens
Prevalence of condition imposes ‘significant
burden’ on families, health care system and long-term care facilities:
U-M researchers
Jan. 7, 2008 – Okay, modern medicine is allowing
millions of senior citizens that have survived heart attacks or other
cardiovascular disease to live much longer. But, eventually, most of
these patients ease into congestive heart failure, which presents new
challenges in the effort to extend life even more. New research shows
these CHF patients are most likely to experience disability and need
nursing home care.
Read more...
Home Intervention Program Makes Life Better for
Low-Income Elderly
|
Watch video - link
below news story. |
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GRACE program developed to improve quality of care
for low-income seniors
Dec. 12, 2007 - A home-based geriatric care program
for low-income seniors resulted in higher-quality medical care,
improvement in quality of life and fewer emergency department visits,
but did not appear to prevent decline in physical functioning, according
to a study in the December 12 issue of the Journal of the American
Medical Association (JAMA).
Read more...
Online Tools from AHRQ Help Healthcare Providers,
Patients with Safer Care
Primary goal of online access tools is to help reduce
medical errors
Dec.
7, 2007 - An array of toolkits designed to help doctors, nurses,
hospital managers, patients and others reduce medical errors was
released today by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Read more...
Unpaid Caregiving Extracts Hidden Costs from Labor
Force, Economy
Hard-pressed caregivers often first to drop out of
labor force
By Taunya English, Associate Editor
Health Behavior News Service
Dec. 7, 2007 - People who provide intensive and
time-consuming care to others at home - such as assisting with feeding,
bathing and toileting - are the caregivers who are most vulnerable to
dropping out of the labor force, according to a new systematic review of
studies on unpaid caregivers.
Read more...
Features for Senior Citizens
Senior Citizens to See High Tech Sensors in Homes,
on Bodies to Monitor Health
Over 3.4 million seniors to be
using these devices by 2012
Dec. 6, 2007 – Senior citizens who do not take
kindly to high tech devices had better get more comfortable with them
because there is an increasingly good chance they will have them
managing their home and body in the years ahead. A new projection says
that by 2012 more than 3.4 million senior citizens in the U.S. will be
using networked sensor applications to monitor and improve their health.
Read more...
Medicare News
Ouch! CMS Publishes Online List of Poorest
Performing Nursing Homes
Wants to help people choose nursing homes for long-term care
Nov. 29, 2007 – Ouch! The Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) today released the first ranking of the nation’s
poor-performing nursing homes, which it identifies as “Special Focus
Facilities.” CMS says the purpose is to help people choose nursing homes
for long-term care. Read
more...
Elder Care News
Personal, Financial Sacrifices of Family Caregivers
Detailed in New Study
Study also uncovers significantly higher costs
related to caregiving
Nov.
24, 2007 – Half of those caring for a loved one 50 years or older are
spending on average more than 10 percent of their annual income on
caregiving expenses and often sacrifice their own long-term financial
and personal well-being to do so, according to the Evercare/National
Alliance for Caregiving Study released this week.
Read more...
Eye Glasses for Nursing Home Residents May Improve
Life, Decrease Depression
Nov. 12, 2007 - Nursing home residents who received
eyeglasses for uncorrected refractive error were found to have improved
quality of life and decreased symptoms of depression when compared to
those with refractive error who had not received eyeglasses, according
to a report in the November issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of
the JAMA/Archives journals.
Read more...
‘Slow Code’ Token Resuscitation on Hopelessly Ill
Prolongs Suffering
Some say 'slow codes' are going through the motions, being
kinder to desperately ill, usually elderly patients
Nov. 2, 2007 – Most people, even senior citizens
who are more familiar than most with medical terminology, have never
heard of “slow codes.” This gruesome practice is when the medical staff
goes through the motions of attempting to resuscitate an extremely ill
patient but it is just for show. Resuscitating hopelessly ill patients
too slowly to save their lives can be an invasive and undignified
procedure that prolongs death and suffering, says nursing ethics
lecturer Jacinta Kelly.
Read more...
Elderly
and Disabled Not at Higher Risk of
Physician-Assisted Death
Terminal sedation, legal in the U.S. since 1997,
may account for up to 44% of deaths
Sept. 28, 2007 - Claims that vulnerable groups,
such as the elderly and people with physical or mental disabilities, are
at an increased risk of physician assisted death are not supported by
evidence, says an expert in this week’s BMJ.
Read
more...
Cancer Patients and Spouses Report Similar Emotional
Distress
Michigan U. study says phase of illness plays big
role in distress, intervention should target spouses, too
Sept. 20, 2007 – Cancer is a major killer of senior
citizens – number two behind heart disease – and it does not come as
news to many of those over age 65 that a diagnosis of cancer brings a
shared suffering between patient and spouse. A new study from the
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center confirms that spouses
report similar physical and emotional quality of life as the patient.
Read more...
More Children, Teenagers Becoming Caregivers to Ill,
Elderly Relatives
Aug. 27, 2007 - A growing number of children and
teenagers are taking on the responsibility of caring for family members
with debilitating illness, the
Washington Post reports. As many as 1.4 million young
people ages eight to 18 in the U.S. care for a chronically ill or
disabled relative, according to a 2005 survey by the
United Hospital
Fund and the
National Alliance
for Caregiving.
Read more...
Study Offers New Look at “Self-Neglect” Among the
Elderly
Senior citizens who self-neglect are those with
impairment in activities of daily living
By Becky Ham, Science
Writer,
Health Behavior News Service
Aug. 1, 2007 - Many older adults who cannot take
care of the tasks of daily life such as eating and bathing are battling
a multitude of health problems with little help from family or others in
their community, according to a new study.
Read more...
Hip Protectors Do Not Stop Hip Fractures Among
Elderly in Nursing Homes
340,000 hip fractures a year may double or triple
by mid-century
July 24, 2007 - Use of an energy-absorbing hip
protectors did not protect against hip fracture by elderly nursing home
residents, according to a new study that ended due to lack of
effectiveness of the protectors. This adds to increasing evidence that
hip protectors, as currently designed, are not effective for preventing
hip fractures.
Read more...
'GatorElderaide' May be Next Magical Product from University Known for
Gatorade
UF and IBM create blueprint for ‘smart’ system monitoring
vital signs, activities of elderly and transmitting to caregivers
July 24, 2007 – The university that gave us Gatorade
for athletes may now have a winning product for senior citizens – it could
be called "GatorElderAide". The University of Florida has linked up with IBM
to create the first-ever roadmap for widespread commercial development of
“smart” devices that, for example, take a person’s blood pressure,
temperature or respiration rate the minute a person steps into his or her
house – then transmit it immediately and automatically to doctors, family or
other caregivers.
Read more...
Spouses' Guesses About End-of-Life Wishes are Often
Not Accurate
Women no more accurate at predicting spouse's wishes
than men
By ElderLawAnswers.com
June 29, 2007 - Most older adults who are married
name their spouses to make health care decisions for them should they
become incapacitated and unable to convey their wishes to care
providers. The common way to do this is through a durable power of
attorney for health care, also called a health care proxy. But how
accurate are spouses at knowing what their spouse would want to do in a
particular situation?
Read more...
USA Today
Series Examines Issues Important to Caregivers for the Elderly
ABC News presents video on three of the reports, links below
June 25, 2007- USA
Today on Monday published several articles on issues
related to elder care as part of a five-day series. Headlines and
summaries appear below. Below are also links to ABC News reports on some
of the USA Today reports.
Read more...
Sleep Problems Among the Elderly Linked to Suicide
Risk
Many older adults get less sleep than needed due to
trouble falling asleep
June 14, 2007 - Self-reported sleep complaints
among the elderly serve as a risk factor for completed suicide,
according to a research abstract that focused on data that were
collected among 14,456 community elders over a 10-year period. It will
be presented Thursday at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the
Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).
Read more...
Supreme Court Says Home Health Care Workers Not
Entitled to Minimum Wage, Overtime Pay
1974 law exempts "companions" for the elderly and
sick
June 12, 2007 - The Supreme Court on Monday in a
9-0 decision ruled that federal minimum wage and overtime laws do not
apply to home care workers, the
AP/Lincoln Journal Star reports.
Read more...
End-of-Life Planning Influenced by Education,
Religion, Death of Loved One
Researchers probe senior citizen planning for final
care
June 7, 2007 - As a brain-damaged woman named Terri
Schiavo lived her final days in 2005, her family's bitter feuding
imparted a tragic lesson about the importance of specifying one's wishes
for end-of-life medical treatment. Yet, beyond headline-grabbing cases
such as Schiavo's, what truly motivates people to plan for medical care
at life's end? Read
more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Elderly Patients Not Responding to Depression
Therapy Improve with Second Drug
84% of depressed elderly have problems in initial
treatment
June 1, 2007 – Up to 84% of the elderly with
depression either fail to respond to the initial treatment or relapse in
the first six to 12 weeks. Chances for these people to recover have been
found to improve with the addition of a second drug to the treatment,
finds a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study.
Read more...
Elder Care News
Only Nursing Homes Close to Adequate Staffing are in
States with High Standards
Raising state minimum staffing ratio has a direct
impact on quality of care for senior citizens
May 30, 2007 - The majority of the nation's elderly
and disabled in nursing homes remain in situations where staffing is
well below national recommendations for safe care, a new study found.
But, states that set high staffing standards for elder care in nursing
homes are the only ones that come close to having enough staff nurses to
prevent serious safety violations.
Read more...
Nursing Home Quality Campaign Celebrates 5,000
Participating Facilities
Focus on campaign during National
Nursing Home Week, Older Americans Month
May 20, 2007 - Steering Committee members of the
Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes campaign this week
announced that over 5,000 facilities have joined the unprecedented
two-year voluntary campaign to improve the quality of care in the
nation’s nursing homes.
Read more...
Elderly Less Likely to Enter Nursing Home in States
with More Services
States vary greatly in services such as personal
care, adult day care, nutrition, transportation
May 15, 2007 - Senior citizens who do not have
children to help care for them are less likely to have to go into a
nursing home if they live in a state that spends more on home- and
community- based services, researchers have found.
Read more...
Some Nursing Homes that Repeatedly Provide
Low-Quality Care Subject to Minimal Penalties
GAO report: nursing homes often avoid penalties
by temporarily improving care quality and then resume noncompliant
practices
April 23, 2007 - Nursing homes with repeated safety
compliance problems usually face only minimal penalties from the federal
government, according to a
Government
Accountability Office report, the
New York Times
reports. Read
more...
Chair of Senate Aging Committee Backs New Bill to
Stop Elder Abuse
Kohl joins Sen. Lincoln, Sen. Hatch to introduce
Elder Justice Act
March 30, 2007 - U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI),
Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, today hailed the
introduction the Elder Justice Act of 2007, introduced by Senator Orrin
Hatch (R-UT) and Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR). Chairman Kohl, an
original co-sponsor of the legislation, said, "We are finally saying
enough is enough - elder abuse is unacceptable and we are going to act
to stop it."
Read more...
New UK Study Finds Lack of Care for Older Breast
Cancer Patients
U.S. study in 2000 found less aggressive cancer and
treatment in elderly women; another last year found elderly not getting
exams
March
29, 2007 - Compared to younger women, older women with breast cancer are
less likely to be diagnosed via needle biopsy and triple assessment,
less likely to undergo surgery and less likely to receive radiotherapy,
say researchers in this week's British Journal of Cancer. Such
management of older women is likely to lead to higher rates of local
recurrence of the disease and higher than necessary mortality. A U.S.
study in 2000 also found less aggressive treatment of elderly patients
and another last year says elderly not being given breast exams.
Read more...
New Research Finds Patients Do Live Longer Under
Hospice Care
Hospice patients lived an average 29 days longer
reports NHPCO
March 25, 2007 – A new study published in the March
2007 issue of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management reports that
hospice care may prolong the lives of some terminally ill patients.
Among the patient populations studied, the average survival was 29 days
longer for hospice patients than for non-hospice patients.
Read more...
Sustained Levels of Stress Hormone Put Caregivers at
Risk of Health Problems
Case Western Reserve finds culture, religion ward off depression
Feb. 21, 2007 - Having positive cultural beliefs
about caring for elders and strong religious beliefs can ward off
depression and other mental health difficulties for female caregivers of
spouses and parents with dementia, but sustained elevated levels of the
stress hormone, cortisol, puts these women at risk for physical health
problems, according to a study published in the American Journal of
Geriatric Psychology.
Read more...
Better
Communications in ICU about End-of-Life Care Benefits Family
Reduces symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression in family
members
February
1, 2007 - An intervention to improve communication between clinicians in the
Intensive Care Unit and family members of a dying patient significantly
reduces feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression in the family members,
according to a study that appears today in the New England Journal of
Medicine.
Read more...
Caregiver Training in Community Colleges Funded by
MetLife Foundation
International Longevity Center seeking schools for
$25,000 grants
January 31, 2007 – Those interested in a career as
a caregiver for senior citizens in their homes may find an opportunity
for professional training coming to a community college near their home.
The Caregiving Project for Older Americans, a collaboration between the
International Longevity Center-USA and the Schmieding Center for Senior
Health & Education, will launch a new initiative to support the
development of home-based caregiver training programs in community
colleges. MetLife Foundation awarded a $475,000 grant to ILC-USA to
implement the demonstration project.
Read more...
New Company Has New Ideas on Helping Elderly Stay at
Home Longer
Private company, Dovetail, joins national efforts
to extend living at home
January 25, 2007 – A major goal of many new
government programs, senior citizen advocates and seniors themselves is
to find better ways that will allow the elderly to stay in their own
homes longer, rather than moving to a care facility. Late last year a
private company, using new technology, introduced a program in the
Boston area for older people to stay in their homes through better ways
to monitor and manage their health and medication requirements.
Read more...
New Technology Safe Home for People with Dementia Opens in England
Designed to provide patients greater independence
January
24, 2007 – A constant worry of caregivers
for people with dementia is wandering. But, imagine a home where the
lights automatically come on if entered by the wandering patient and a
voice would encourage them to go back to bed. These are just some of the
features in a groundbreaking home that uses the latest smart technology
to give people with dementia and other serious long-term health
conditions greater independence that will be showcased for the first
time in Bristol, England tomorrow.
Read more...
Older Adults Double Their Risk of Some Fractures
with Daily Antidepressant
High rate of SSRI use among elderly persons in
particular
January 23, 2007 – Older adults, defined for this
study as 50 years and older, double their risk of "some fractures" with
the daily use of antidepressant medications known as selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), according to a report in the January 22,
2007 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals. Read
more...
Caregiving for Elderly at End of Life Rewarding
Despite Challenges
Family or friends care for almost 75% of older adults
living in community in last year of life
January 8, 2007 - Family or friends served as
informal caregivers to almost three-quarters of disabled older adults
living in the community during their final year of life, according to an
article in the January 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of
the JAMA/Archives journals. More than two-thirds of these caregivers
found their role rewarding despite providing more than 40 hours of care
per week and making little use of caregiver-focused supportive services.
Read
more...
Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Elderly Men Survive Prostate Cancer 'Significantly'
Longer if Treated
Editorial says best care achieved not by treating
more patients but by treating them more discerningly
December 22, 2006 – One of the most explored
questions pertaining to the health of male senior citizens – should
prostate cancer be treated - was probed again this month by an article
in JAMA. The report on an observational study suggests that elderly men
who received treatment for localized prostate cancer survived
significantly longer than men who did not receive treatment. The
investigators, however, emphasize the importance of validating these
results in randomized trials.
Read more...
Elderly Can Be Trained to Improve Cognitive Ability, Manage Daily
Activities
Limited evidence that
cognitive interventions reduce age-related decline
December
20, 2006 – You are never too old to learn, has been proven again. Older
people – the average age in this program was almost 74 - who received
specific cognitive training saw their cognitive function improve and stay at
this level for up to 5 years afterwards. More importantly, they also had
less of a decline in the ability to perform daily activities, as compared to
those who did not receive the training.
Read more...
Major Structural Reform of Health Care Needed to
Meet Growing Needs of Older Americans
December 6, 2006 – The U.S. health care system is
not meeting the needs of senior citizens and a new policy report by the
International Longevity Center-USA calls for major reforms to make it
"proactive, rather than reactive" to meet the special - and mostly unmet
needs - of older adults in an aging population. The report focuses on
eight areas of concern.
Read more...
Big Bias in Breast Cancer Screening Puts Older Women
at Bottom of List
Those under 75 about
1.5 times more likely to receive a breast exam
November 28,2006 - Researchers have found a
disturbing bias in the medical judgments made about who gets screened
for breast cancer. Guess who is at the bottom? – senior citizens,
particularly those on Medicare or Medicaid. And, it is even worse if the
women are age 75 or older. Another group not likely to get a clinical
breast exam and a recommendation for a mammogram is women who do not get
routine exams from an obstetrician and gynecologist.
Read more...
Depressed Senior Citizens in Primary Care Benefit
Most From Team Approach
By Laura Kennedy, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Services
November 21, 2006 - Depressed older adults being
treated in primary care settings do better with psychosocial therapies
than with antidepressant medicines, suggests a new review of evidence.
Read
more...
Hospital Dumping of the Old and Demented Hits Los
Angeles Court
LAPD accuses several
hospitals of
dumping patients on skid row
November 17, 2006 - The hospital staff called a cab and paid the driver
to take older woman with dementia to skid row and drop her off,
according to a Los Angeles Times story reporting on “the first criminal
prosecution of a medical center accused of ‘dumping’ patients on skid
row.” Earlier this year the 63-year-old patient, Carol Ann Reyes, was
videotaped leaving in the taxi from Kaiser Permanente’s Bellflower
hospital in LA. Taken away in her gown and socks, she was found
wandering skid row streets.
Read more...
Aging News & Information
Falls Have Become the Leading Cause of Injury Deaths
for Senior Citizens
CDC says that men more likely to
experience fatality than women
November 16, 2006 - Fall-related death rates for
men and women 65 years and older increased significantly from 1993 to
2003, according to a report released today in the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Read more...
Elder Care News
Pharmacy Care Program Helps Elderly Patients Take
Their Medications Better
Program also results in better health for those who
take their meds
November 13, 2006 – Diagnosing an ailment and
finding the right medicine to treat it is seldom the end of the problem
when treating the chronically ill elderly. Often, just as challenging,
is assuring they take the medicine as prescribed. A new pharmacy care
program for elderly patients was able to improve the rate of adherence
to their medication to 96.9 percent. And, there was a significant
improvement in their health.
Read more...
Veterans are 28 Percent of U.S. Deaths and Need to
be Aware of End-of-Life Care
National hospice, palliative care group reaches
out on Veterans Day
November 9, 2006 – More than 50,000 U.S. military
veterans die each month, about 28 percent of all deaths in the nation,
according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization,
which is using the celebration of Veterans Day on Saturday to urge
Americans who may know of a veteran needing the special care hospice
provides, to contact the organization.
Read more...
Caregivers for Elderly Cope with Humor and
Thinking that Others Have it Worse
Caregivers need emotional support as well as
practical help
November 6, 2006 - Seeing the funny side of
things and realizing that other people are worse off than themselves
are the two top coping strategies used by people caring for someone
over age 75, according to research in the November issue of Journal
of Clinical Nursing. This is National Family Caregivers Month in the
U.S. Read
more...
Top Ten Ways to Celebrate National Caregivers Month
Over 50 million provide $306 billion a year in free
service
November 3, 2006 - Over 50 million Americans are
recognized this month during National Family Caregivers Month, according
to the National Family Caregivers Association, which is offering ten
ideas on how to honor these caregivers during November.
Read more...
Falls by Elderly Men May Be Caused by Low
Testosterone Levels
October 23, 2006 - Low testosterone levels may be
associated with a higher risk of falling in older men, according to a
report in the October 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of
the JAMA/Archives journals. And, it leads the authors to suspect that
low testosterone in these senior citizens may also indicate higher risk
for other problems.
Read more...
NIHSeniorHealth Website Adds Information on
Preventing Falls
Each year 1.6 million seniors go to the emergency
room due to falls
October 17, 2006 - Each year, more than 1.6 million
older Americans go to the emergency room for fall-related injuries.
Among older adults, falls are the number one cause of fractures,
hospital admissions for trauma, loss of independence and injury-related
deaths, but falls are not an inevitable part of life, even as a person
gets older. Information about the risks of falling and what you can do
to prevent falls has just been added to NIHSeniorHealth.gov.
Read more...
Caregivers – Stressed and Depressed – Sink into
Downward Health Spiral
Lack of personal healthcare diminishes ability to care for others
September 25, 2006 – Most caregivers find
themselves in a downward health spiral that threatens their ability to
provide care, as a result of the stress and worry of taking care of
others. Millions of these caregivers neglect their own physical and
mental health and spiral into depression, extreme fatigue, poor eating,
insufficient exercise and taking too many medications to try and offset
the decline. These are some of the findings of a study by Evercare
released today with the National Alliance for Caregiving.
Read more...
Many Elderly Caregivers Do Not Know How to Make
Homes Fall-Safe
Home Safety Council finds many homes lack
critical safety elements
September 20, 2006 - Studies show that one-third of
senior citizens aged 65 or older - or nearly 12 million people -
experience falls each year and almost 5,000 die from falls in the home.
The Home Safety Council went to caregivers to find out why more is not
being done to make homes safer for the elderly and found that many just
do not know what to do to make them safer.
Read more...
Bathing Problems Common in Older Adults Can Be
Prevented
Study finds safety problems among many who bathe
without help
B
Katie Gazella, U-M Health System
September
14, 2006 - Getting in and out of the bathtub or shower can be a perilous
journey for older adults, including those as young as 60, even when they
have bathrooms already equipped with safety features, according to
research by the University of Michigan Health System.
Read more...
Feds Release $80 Million for Low Income Energy Help
in 14 States
Elderly among target groups for help in home
heating this winter
September 13, 2006 - Cold winter nights can be life-threatening for many
elderly Americans who cannot afford to properly heat their homes. There
is, however, federal government assistance available for these seniors
and other low-income Americans through the Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program. Health and Human Services yesterday released $79.9
million from this program for 14 states to use for heating assistance
this fall and winter.
Read more...
Preventing Falls May Be Key to Avoiding Disability
in Elderly
By Patricia McAdams, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service
September 8, 2006 - Physical inactivity, depression
and falls all increase risk of developing a disability in later life.
But targeting falls may be a particularly effective way to reduce the
nation’s disability levels, according to a new study.
Read more...
Elderly Continue to Struggle in Katrina Aftermath
'One way or the other I am going back to New
Orleans,' a woman said
August 22, 2006 - Aging families affected by
Hurricane Katrina have experienced both physical and emotional problems
in the aftermath of the disaster, and many yearn to “go back home,”
according to preliminary findings from a team of researchers.
Read more...
Nursing Home Hospice Care Reduces End-of-Life
Hospitalizations
By Katherine Kahn, Contributing Writer
Health Behvior News Service
August 18, 2006 - Nursing home residents in hospice
care have about half the chance of being admitted to a hospital in their
last 30 days of life compared to peers who don’t receive hospice care, a
large new study confirms.
Read more...
Elder Care Website and Book Target Baby Boomer
Caregivers
Doctor Marion launched by company claiming to be
first with such media for boomers
August 14, 2006 – Older adults carrying for even
older parents is a growing trend as American life spans continue to
lengthen. The latest effort at serving the need for caregiving
information is a new Website that also promotes an upcoming book. Marion
Somers, Ph.D., who calls herself "Doctor Marion," has announced her site
is online now and her book will be published next month.
Read more..
Elder Care News and Information
Consumer Reports finds Not-for-Profit Nursing Homes
Best
Launches its own
guide to nursing homes online
August 7, 2006 – Consumer Union, publisher of
Consumer Reports, thinks they have found a better way for senior
citizens and caregivers to choose a nursing home. The magazine has
launched its own online nursing home guide and issued a statement that
not-for-profit nursing homes are providing better care than are
for-profit homes.
Read more...
Caregivers Learning to Manage Illness also Helped in
Coping with Death
Original goal was
easing burden of caring for relative with dementia
August 3, 2006 - An intervention aimed at
preventing depression and easing the burden of caring for a relative
with dementia also helps to prevent complicated grief and depression
following the death of the loved one, according to a University of
Pittsburgh-led study. The findings could help the
millions of American families caring for relatives with dementia.
Approximately 4.5 million Americans with Alzheimer's disease live at
home with 75 percent cared for by family members.
Read more...
New Coalition Targets Improved Quality of Life in
Nursing Homes
Residents, staff to benefit as quality summit
kicks off September 29
August 1, 2006 - A new, broad-based coalition of
long-term care providers, caregivers, medical and quality improvement
experts, government agencies, and consumers is launching an initiative
to improve quality of care and quality of life for the country’s 1.5
million nursing home residents. The two-year, voluntary campaign,
Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes, will kick off at a
national Quality Summit in Washington, D.C., on September 29, 2006.
Read more...
Vision Screening for Elderly Not Working: Lacks
Follow-up
Older people often fail to report vision problems,
just accept it
By Glenda Fauntleroy, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service
July 28, 2006 - Vision screening tests are
recommended for older people who frequently suffer from problems with
their sight. However, a new review found there is no evidence that
community-based screening of the elderly results in any improvements in
their vision. Read
more...
Eight Hospice Units Honored by National Organization
July 21, 2006 – Three hospice groups received
special awards and five more got special recognition at the annual
Leadership Summit of the National Hospice and Palliative Care
Organization earlier this month.
Read more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health News
Efforts to Keep Dementia Patients from Wandering
Just Not Working
Wandering not always a problem and safe walking
should be promoted
By Becky Ham, Science Writer
Health Behavior News Service
July 21, 2006 - Everything from multicolored lights
to garden walks has been suggested as ways to keep people with dementia
from wandering, but there is little evidence to show that any of these
interventions work, according to a new analysis.
Read more...
Hyperthermia: When It's Too Hot for
Elderly People's Health
By National
Institute on Aging - click
July 13, 2006 - Irene is retired, she loves to work in her garden.
Because she has always spent hours outside, she thinks the heat and
humidity of Midwestern summers don’t bother her. Then last year an
unusual heat wave hit her area. Every day the temperature was over 100°
F, and the humidity was at least 90%. Five days into the heat wave, her
daughter Kim came over because Irene sounded confused on the phone.
Read more...
Study Shows 20 Percent of Senior Citizens at Risk
for Heat-Related Illness
Company
offers tips for
keeping elderly safe from heat
July 13, 2006 - The results of a new study indicate
that 20 percent of seniors may be at risk of a heat-related illness
during the summer, due to the temperature in their residence exceeding
90 degrees. The data was obtained using QuietCare, an early detection
and warning system that the company says provides caregivers with around
the clock information and alerts about the safety and well-being of
elderly, while maintaining their privacy and independence.
Read more...
Training More Physicians to Treat the Elderly is
Goal of New Grant
'Almost all physicians will be caring for older
adults in the years to come'
July 10, 2006 – As a step toward providing the U.S.
with more doctors skilled in treating the elderly, a $2-million dollar
grant has been awarded to Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva
University and Montefiore Medical Center. The initiative, funded by the
Donal W. Reynolds Foundation of Las Vegas, is known as the GeriEd
Program, which will contain both educational and clinical components.
Read more...
Elderly Achieve Increase in Independent Living and
Life with New Program
'We can teach older people strategies that appear
to have a survivorship benefit'
July 9, 2006 – Elderly senior citizens can extend
the time they live independently and also their lives with a
personalized program of occupational and physical therapy, complimented
by a few home modifications, according to a research team at Thomas
Jefferson University.
Read more...
Hospice Organization to Launch National Quality
Initiative to Improve Care
Goal to improve
hospice and palliative care delivery and outcomes
July 3, 2006 - This September, the National Hospice
and Palliative Care Organization will launch a national, quality
initiative designed to help hospice providers build organizational
excellence and improve hospice and palliative care delivery and
outcomes. The Quality Partners program will be unveiled at NHPCO’s
annual Management and Leadership Conference in New York City, September
11 – 13, 2006.
Read more...
More Efforts this Year to Protect Elderly in Nursing
Homes from Disasters
Educational program for long-term care providers
developed by non-profit
June 22, 2006 – Few, especially senior citizens,
will forget last year's nightmare of
St. Rita’s Nursing Home, where the owners were charged with 34 counts of
negligent homicide, following the destruction by the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. That horror is spurring
action this year to better protect older Americans living in long-term
care communities. Earlier this month, for example, long-term care
providers in St. Petersburg, Florida, took part in PREPARE - a new
educational training program designed to protect seniors in long-term
care facilities from disasters such as hurricanes, pandemics,
bioterrorism and other disasters.
Read more...
Eldercare News & Information
Hospice Community Applauds AMA Support of Advance
Directives
AMA builds on lessons from Terri Schiavo for
end-of-life planning
June 15, 2006 - The American Medical Association
voted during its Annual Meeting this week to increase efforts to educate
patients about the importance of end-of-life planning. The action
received applause from the National Hospice and Palliative Care
Organization, which has more than 15,000 hospice and professional
members. Read
more...
Geriatric Care Mangers Emerging as Important
Contributors to Eldercare
National association now has over two thousand
members
June 6, 2006 – Geriatric care managers, unknown 20
years ago, are emerging into an important piece of the network for the
care of the elderly. The New York Times explored the industry in an
article on Saturday and found they "are growing increasingly popular as
people live longer and want to grow old in their homes." The number of
certified geriatric managers totals about 2,041 today, compared with
about 50 in 1986, when the National Association of Professional
Geriatric Care Managers was formed, according to the newspaper.
Read more...
Family Caregivers of Stroke Patients Get Little Information, Support
By Valerie DeBenedette, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service
June 6, 2006 - Stroke and brain injury patients living at home receive the bulk of
their care from family members, but these volunteer caregivers get
little preparation, information or support from health care
professionals and home health agencies, according to a new study.
Read more...
Senior Health & Medicine
Better Palliative Care Access, National Health Care
Plan Recommended by HHS Working Group
Citizens' Health Care Working Group wants core health care for all by
2012
June 3, 2006 – A basic national health program was
the key recommendation in a report released yesterday by the Citizens'
Health Care Working Group, which was created by the 2003 Medicare
Modernization Act. That is earthshaking news but, as most
recommendations by government working groups, it will probably not
create many waves. Senior citizens, already covered by a national health
plan, will be more interested in a recommendation to restructure the way
palliative care, hospice care and other end-of-life services are
financed and provided, so people in need have increased access to these
services. Read
more...
News on Elder Care
Sex Offenders, Dangerous Residents in Nursing Homes
to Get Closer Study
Grant awarded to
study dangerous residents in long term care
May 31 – Following a report by the Government
Accountability Office in March that found "about 700 registered sex
offenders" living in nursing homes or intermediate care facilities for
people with mental retardation (ICF-MR) during 2005, a researcher has
received a grant to study the presence of potentially violent and
dangerous residents, including sexual predators, living in the nation’s
nursing homes. Read
more...
Treating Hypertension in Elderly May Delay Cognitive
Decline
May 17, 2006 - Physicians are sometimes reluctant
to aggressively treat the elderly for hypertension because of some risks
and an assumed lack of benefits. A new study presented today, however,
may change some minds. The findings indicate that cognitive function is
adversely affected by exaggerated blood pressure variability, or the
difference between systolic and diastolic readings, in elderly patients
80 years of age and older.
Read more...
Eldercare & Nutrition
Elderly May Need Extra Pounds to Live Longer Lives
Body Mass Index may need to be adjusted for those
over 80
May 16, 2006 - If you’re more than 80 years old,
carrying a few extra pounds might not be such a bad idea. In fact, it
may be beneficial. That’s one of the findings from a joint UC Irvine and
University of Southern California analysis of body mass index (BMI) and
mortality rates from participants of a large-scale study based in a
Southern California retirement community.
Read
more...
Nude Nursing Home Photos Fuel New Zealand
Controversy
'People who are happy to look at attractive young
bodies have second thoughts when you add a few wrinkles'
May 15, 2006 – New Zealand is awash in controversy
today over a photo essay that shows elderly residents of two nursing
homes naked as they shower, dress and use the toilet. The photos appear
in the May issue of Kaitiaki, The Journal of the New Zealand Nurses'
Organization. Read
more...
Senior Citizens Choose More Drastic Treatment as
Health Declines
Poses challenge to
advance care planning for end-of-life care
April 25, 2006 – Although it is difficult to find
this surprising, a study of older people with advanced chronic illnesses
has found them more likely to accept treatments that result in
mild-to-severe functional disability as their health declines.
Read more...
Middle-Aged Women Likely to Quit Jobs for Caregiving
With workforce aging and becoming more female it challenges business
April 24, 2006 - Middle-aged women who become
caregivers for ill or disabled family member are more likely to leave
their jobs altogether than reduce their hours, according to a new
Indiana University study. The study also found that unpaid family leave
proved most useful in helping caregivers keep their jobs.
Read more...
Millions of Elderly Could Be Quietly Sliding into
Major Depression
Lesser depressions
often lead to major depression but goes undiagnosed in elderly
April 4, 2006 – Elderly patients with any form of
depression less than major depression are more than five times as likely
as healthy seniors to descend into major depression within a year,
according to a study published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The study's authors believe that perhaps millions of elderly patients
who do not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of major depression are
indeed depressed, suffering and not being treated for it.
Read more...
Depression Not Likely to Return in Elderly Who
Continue Antidepressant
March 18, 2006 - Senior citizens age 70 and older
who continued taking the antidepressant that helped them recover from
their first episode of depression were 60 percent less likely to
experience a new episode of depression over a two-year study period than
those who stopped taking the medication, according to a study funded by
the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National
Institutes of Health. The study helps answer a major question in the
treatment of depression — when to discontinue medication.
Read more...
Frailty in Elderly May Be Prevented or Reversed if
Addressed Early
March 3, 2006 - In a study to determine how older
people progress through different states of frailty, researchers at Yale
School of Medicine have found that the physical symptoms that mark
frailty are often reversible and therefore can be altered by
intervention. Read
more...
Great for Senior Caregivers: Website Sends Email Reminders of
Medical Tests
Cholesterol testing on top of list of six email
alerts that are available
March 2, 2006 – It could be just what the doctor
ordered for a senior citizen or their caregiver – a Website that will
automatically send a reminder to have a cholesterol test. Actually, this
service by the College of American Pathologists will email reminders on
four other types of health testing and to donate blood.
Read more...includes
more free email reminder services.
Senior Alert
Watch Drug List if Senior Citizen Being Moved in the
Hospital – Mistakes Kill
Too many medication errors occur as patients change care settings
Jan. 26, 2006 – Senior citizens and their
caregivers should be alert to this warning of a threat to life that is
occurring in hospitals. Medication errors cause more than 7,000 deaths a
year in U.S. hospitals. Many of these can be prevented if more attention
is paid to the accuracy of medications given to patients as they are
moved from one area of a hospital to another, from supervision of one
healthcare worker to another or to any other new care setting. This
caution flag was waved yesterday by the Joint Commission on
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
Read more...
Views on End-of-Life Care Vary Widely, Differ by
Ethnic Groups, Sex, Race
Jan. 23, 2006 – Researchers at the University of
Michigan set out to explore how older Americans feel about their
personal care as they near the end of their lives. They were surprised
by the diversity of views and found some significant differences
determined by race, ethnic group and sex.
Read more...
Caregiver Alert
Senior Citizens Among Least Likely to take Coronary
Artery Medication
Jan. 18, 2006 – Senior citizens were among the
least likely coronary artery disease (CAD) patients to consistently take
beta blockers, cholesterol-lowering drugs and other medications that
could extend their lives, according to recent research. Nearly half of
all CAD patients in this seven-year study admitted they do not take
their drugs regularly. Joining seniors as the worst offenders are those
with heart failure, smokers and diabetics.
Read more...
Nursing Home Residents Prefer Visits with Dogs,
without People
Jan. 9, 2006 – A professional study in 2002 found
that "animal-assisted therapy can effectively reduce the loneliness of
residents in long-term care facilities. There have been several studies
since supporting positive results with animals visiting elderly patients. A
new study by the same researcher, however, has a new twist. Nursing home
residents feel much less lonely after spending time alone with a
dog than they did when they visited with a dog and other people.
Read more...
Hospitals Lack Policies on End-of-Life Care, Say
Nurses
Jan. 9, 2006 - Despite increased national attention
on end-of-life issues, only one in four U.S. hospitals has patient care
policies addressing end-of-life or palliative care, according to a new
study of hospitals and critical care units conducted by the American
Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
Read more...
Elderly Alcoholics Receive Equal Heart Attack Care
in Hospitals
Jan. 4, 2006 – Despite what many may assume, senior
citizens with alcohol problems do not get worse treatment than their
sober peers when they are hospitalized for a heart attack, according to
new research on Medicare patients across the U.S.
Read
more...
Seeking Help Crucial for Independent Living Elderly
Dec. 31, 2005 - Most elders value independence and
quality of life more than longevity, says Paul Takahashi, M.D., a Mayo
Clinic geriatrician. In the December issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s
HealthSource, he offers perspective on how elders can maintain a sense
of independence.
Read more...
'Hospital at Home' for Seniors Offers Quality Care
at Less Cost Says Study
Dec. 15, 2005 - Being hospitalized can be a
traumatic experience, especially for older persons. Hospitals are noisy,
disorienting, full of strangers and infections often spread among
patients. Read
more...
States Finding Ways to Keep Elderly Out of Nursing
Homes
Dec. 13, 2005 – Poll after poll has shown senior
citizens would prefer to stay in their homes after becoming disabled
rather than move to nursing homes. Studies have also shown it is less
costly for Medicaid, which pays for the care of most nursing home
patients, if the needs of these citizens can be provided by home health
care. So, finding ways to care for the elderly in their homes is a
win-win situation but cutting through the red tape is a challenge.
Christine Vestal reports in a recent story for Stateline.org, however,
that state governments are finding ways to achieve this goal.
Read more...
Palliative Care in Hospitals Surges 63 Percent in
Three Years
For-profit hospitals lag behind academic and
non-profit medical centers
Dec.
12, 2005 - Palliative care programs continue to increase rapidly in U.S.
hospitals – a trend widely regarded to be an improvement in the quality
of care of advanced chronic illness. The study released today in the
Journal of Palliative Medicine shows 25 percent of U.S. hospitals
offered palliative care in 2003.
Read more...
Boomer
Children in the Dark about Aging Parents
Stranger might have the same chance at guessing
parental wishes
By
Jennie Iverson
Dec. 9, 2005 — A psychologist at Washington
University in St. Louis is conducting research that shows two adult
siblings may have radically different views on what their parents would
want. In fact, he says that a random stranger might have the same chance
at guessing parental wishes as some children would.
Read more...
Bias Against Morphine for End of Life Patients with
Breathing Difficulty Challenged
Physician says it can add life by reducing the
struggle to breath
Dec. 1, 2005 – A physician with more than a half
century of medical experience is challenging what he says is "public and
professional bias" against the use of morphine in the final stage of
life for patients with breathing difficulties. Yes, morphine slows
breathing but his study suggests it can add life for those who have
breathing problems.
Read more...
New Website Provides Information on End-of-Life Care
Nov. 24, 2005 - In response to a report from the
Institute of Medicine highlighting the need for more and better data
about care at the end of life, The Carolinas Center for Hospice and End
of Life Care and The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
have launched
www.edeledata.org, a Web site offering easy access to data about
decedents, care of the dying, and community factors affecting
end-of-life care. Read
more...
A Thanksgiving Idea
Family Caregivers and
the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
Holiday a good time to discuss signing up for drug
plan
By Josefina G. Carbonell
Assistant Secretary, U.S. Administration on Aging
Nov. 23, 2005 - During this Thanksgiving season, as we
reflect on our many blessings, we especially give thanks to family
caregivers for their selfless service on behalf of loved ones in need.
As you gather together this holiday season, please sit down with your
loved ones and discuss the new Medicare prescription drug benefit in
terms of the coverage, convenience and cost of the various plans. Help
older Americans in your life understand and enroll in the plan that best
meets their needs.
Read more...
New Guide to Actions After Doctor's Diagnosis of New
Illness
Oct. 24, 2005 – A new publication, which can be
particularly helpful to senior citizens and caregivers, is free online
with advice and information about what to do after a doctor says you
have a new illness. "Next Steps After Your Diagnosis: Finding
Information and Support" was published this month by the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Read more...
Thirteen Million Baby Boomers Care for Ailing
Parents, 25% Live with Parents
Discrepancies about how parents and boomers remember
caregiver role points to complex relationship
Oct. 19, 2005 - Thirteen million of the nation's
baby boomers are caregivers of sick parents and deeply involved in every
facet of their parents' care, from diagnosis to treatment, according to
a 2005 survey from Campbell-Ewald Health. Interestingly, the senior
citizen parents do not remember much of that help.
Read more...
Organizations Share $13.2 Million for Mental
Services to Older Adults
Oct. 12, 2005 – Organizations in nine states will
share $13.2 million in grants to provide mental health services to older
adults, according to an announcement today by Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Read more...
Voice of America
Senate Seeks Plan to Evacuate Elderly in Disaster
Hearing by Senate Special Committee on Aging
By Susan Logue, Voice of America, Washington
Oct. 12, 2005 - More than a dozen nursing homes in
Louisiana are being investigated for their treatment of patients during
Hurricane Katrina. Dozens died, abandoned in the storm. Calling the abandonment of the elderly "the most
disgraceful" tragedy to occur as a result of Katrina, Republican Senator
Gordon Smith called a hearing of the Special Committee on Aging to
prevent it from happening again.
Read more...
HHS Gives $28.5 Million
in 17 States to Help Disabled Stay at Home
Sept. 27, 2005 – Health
and Human Services today announced $28.5 million in grants to
organizations in 17 states that are to help people of all ages with
disabilities or long-term illness live in their homes and “participate
fully in community life.” There are about 54 million Americans with such
disability. Read
more...
More Nursing Home Bodies Being Found After Hurricane
Sept. 16, 2005 – The headlines about nursing home
deaths after hurricane Katrina have focused on the deaths at St. Rita’s
Nursing Home, where the owners have been charged with 34 counts of
negligent homicide. More bodies, however, are turning up in other homes
for the elderly including Lafon Nursing Home and Bethany Assisted
Living. Read more...
Nursing Home Deaths
St. Rita’s Owners Say No Help Offered Before Katrina
Hit
"They're heroes, not criminals," says attorney
By Paul Rioux, St. Bernard bureau,
New Orleans Times-Picayune
Sept. 15,2005 -
A day after the owners of a St. Bernard Parish nursing home were booked
in the deaths of 34 residents who died when the facility flooded during
Hurricane Katrina, the couple's attorney painted a scene of desperation
where staffers tried valiantly to stave off the storm and frantically
began rescuing residents when water raged into the building.
Read more...
Deaths at St. Rita's Dramatically Show Risk for
Nursing Homes
Sept. 14, 2005 – We have known for days that 34
people died in St. Rita’s Nursing Home in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana,
and now the owners have been charged with negligent homicide. There are,
however, conflicting stories of why this happened at a nursing home that
most agree had a good reputation of carrying for the elderly patients.
Read more...
Elderly Hurricane Victims Receiving Assistance
Administration on Aging gives $750,000 to three
states
Sept. 13, 2005- The departments for aging in
Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi have each received $250,000 to be
used for immediate assistance to frail elders affected by Hurricane
Katrina, according to a news release from the U.S. Administration on
Aging. Read
more...
Few Adults Financially Support Their Parents
Sept. 6, 2005 - A small percentage of adult
Americans (four percent) contribute to their parents' financial support
and another four percent say they contribute financial support and
assist their parents with financial planning. Those who do contribute
say it does impact their personal finances. About half (53 percent) do
not assist their parents with financial planning or contribute to their
financial support.
Read more...
Louisiana Nursing Homes Now Vacated, Many Elderly
Feared Dead
FEMA setting up cruise ships to house senior citizens
Part of this story from
ElderLawAnswers.com
Sept. 6, 2005 – FEMA has announced that 30 nursing
homes in the New Orleans area have been vacated and 9,400 people
rescued from hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. Among the last facilities to be evacuated, the nursing homes
began tallying their dead. At St. Rita's Nursing Home in St. Bernard
Parish, 31 of 80 frail residents perished before rescuers could get to
them, said Joseph Donchess, executive director of the Louisiana Nursing
Home Association.
Read more...Find residents online...
How Tough Are Nursing Home Inspectors?
By Kathleen Murphy,
Stateline.org Staff Writer
Aug. 24, 2005 - A third of U.S. nursing homes have
food sanitation problems, and nursing homes in California, Nevada,
Delaware, West Virginia and Hawaii scored more bad marks on state
inspections than in other states in 2004.
Read more...
Feds Spending $15 Million to Help Elderly Find
Long-Term Care
Aug. 18, 2005 – Two divisions of Health and Humans
Services have joined forces to award $15 million in grants to 19 states
to create a single source of information and assistance for families
navigating the often confusing array of long-term care services
available in their communities.
Read more...
Foreign Caregivers Recruited by National Nursing
Home Firm
Aug. 18, 2005 – Foreign workers may provide the
answer to the shortage of workers available to meet the mushrooming
demand by skilled nursing and long-term care facilities. Beverly
Healthcare, with 345 nursing homes, has hired 75 healthcare
professionals from the Philippines and announced an agreement with a
global healthcare staffing firm to increase this effort.
Read more...
Widowed Elders Have Less Stress Living Close to
Children - Not Too Close
Aug. 16, 2005 - Living near your children enhances
psychological well-being, but widowed elderly living with children may
find that their social life suffers, a new University of Michigan study
showed. Read more...
Nursing Homes Must Give Flu Shots: Medicare,
Medicaid Say
Aug. 12, 2005 - Nursing homes serving Medicare and
Medicaid patients would have to provide immunizations against influenza
and pneumococcal disease to all residents if they want to continue in
the programs, according to a proposed rule to be released by CMS in the
August 15 Federal Register.
Read more...
Opinion
Long-Term Care Spurs Strong Recommendations from
White House Conference Group
White House Conference on Aging's Long-Term Care
Mini-Conference issues final report
By Tucker Sutherland, editor
Aug. 11, 2005 – Frankly, I was skeptical of any
meaningful recommendations coming from the White House Conference on
Aging's Long-Term Care Mini-Conference held last April, because many of
those who organized and financed it were companies and organizations
with a vested interest – particularly in selling insurance for long-term
care. The final report was released today and I have to admit I was
wrong. It
is
a frank and strong call for action by government and the
private sector in meeting the long-term care crisis in America.
Read more...
Nursing Home Residents Decline as Assisted Living,
In-Home Care Boom
Aug. 6, 2005 – A smaller proportion of elderly and
disabled Americans live in nursing homes today than in 1990. Instead,
far more depend on assisted living residences or receive care in their
homes, according to a study published in the August 2005 issue of the
Journal of Applied Gerontology.
Read more...
An Overview
Preventing Drug Misuse in Seniors
by Audrey Ignatoff, M.S.
July 13, 2005 - Preventing drug misuse in seniors
is of critical concern to health care professionals, caregivers, and
seniors themselves. In order for any prevention program to be effective,
it must be a team effort involving both an art and a system.
Read more...
Hospice Care Gets More Use When Physician
Communications is Better
Only one out of four dying in nursing homes are
getting hospice care
July 13, 2005 – The pain and suffering of senior
citizens dying in nursing homes and their families could be eased
considerably through hospice care, which is more likely with better
communications with the attending physician, says a new study.
Read more...
Michigan Nursing Homes Employ Hundreds of Criminals
AARP joins Michigan AG in unveiling new initiative
June 2, 2005 – Two Michigan studies have found
almost 10 percent of the employees in nursing homes there have criminal
backgrounds that include homicide, criminal sexual conduct, weapon
charges, and drug offenses. The findings come three years after
Michigan's first law requiring criminal background checks of prospective
residential care facility employees went into effect.
Read more...
Caretaker Strain
Homicide-Suicide in Elderly a Growing Concern
June 1, 2005 – Homicide-suicides are rare, but the
rate among older persons is increasing as older men in declining health
and suffering from depression kill their wives, for whom they are
caretakers, and then kill themselves, says a new study.
Read more...
Underweight Elderly in Danger of Death in Hospitals
Second study in a month indicating being underweight
increases death risk for elderly
May 25, 2005 – A new study has found underweight
elderly patients who have difficulty performing routine daily activities
such as eating and bathing are at greatest risk to die in the hospital.
Just last month the Centers for Disease Control tool a new look at their
obesity study and were most surprised to find 34,000 more deaths than
expected among underweight older people – mostly 70 or older.
Read more...
Caregiving Valued at $257 Billion A Year by New
Study
The survey counts 44.4 million Americans as
caregivers
May 11, 2005 - The value of caregiving to society
is estimated at $257 billion annually, with many Americans holding a
"second job" as caregiver, according to the groundbreaking study,
Caregiving in the U.S. The study's notable 44-page executive summary,
highlighting valuable information for policy makers, government
officials, employers, academics and community leaders, is now available.
It was produced by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, and
funded by MetLife Foundation.
Read more...
$16 Million Available to States to Offer Assistance
on Long-Term Care Decisions
May 4, 2005 – The Administration on Aging has about
$16 million they want to give to states to increase efforts in helping
senior citizens and others in making “informed choices” about long-term
care. They are seeking proposals from states that want to join the 24
states that received these grants in the last two years.
Read more...
Aging American Indians Get $30 Million from
Administration on Aging
April 29, 2005 - The Administration on Aging (AoA)
announced yesterday nearly $30 million in grants to support "vital"
community programs and services for tribal elders and their caregivers
to help foster greater independence and healthier lives. The grants
represent about $1 million per tribe.
Read more...
Florida, Alabama Elderly Get More Hurricane Relief
Funds from Administration on Aging
April 25, 2005 - Assistant Secretary Josefina Carbonell,
Administration on Aging, announced today that two states will receive an
additional $3 million in supplemental hurricane relief funds. The state of
Alabama will receive $500,000 and the state of Florida will receive $2.5
million which will be used for ongoing assistance to frail elders affected
by hurricanes last year. The AoA also contributed $17.2 million to Florida
last year as part of a $42.6 million gathered by HHS.
Read more...
National Action Plan Underway to Prevent Falls by
Elderly
April
12, 2005 - In response to escalating concerns related to falls and
fall-related injuries among the aging population, health and safety
organizations led by the Home Safety Council, The National Council on
the Aging (NCOA) and the Archstone Foundation, have collaborated in an
initiative entitled Falls Free: Promoting a National Falls Prevention
Action Plan. Read
more...
Insomnia May Be Culprit In Nursing Home Falls by
Elderly
Contrary to common wisdom, sleeping pills may not
increase fall risk
April 6, 2005 – Falls by the elderly, sometimes
leading to fatal consequences, have increased at an alarming rate,
particularly in nursing homes. A new study says elderly people with
insomnia often go untreated, because of the perception that sleeping
pills increase the risk of falls and injuries that are a bane of old
age. Read more...
Nursing Homes Must Have Smoke Detectors in Rooms:
New CMS Rule
Applies to those without sprinklers or electronic
detectors
March 29, 2005 - Nursing homes that do not have
sprinkler systems or hard-wired smoke detectors will have to install
battery-operated ones in patient rooms and public areas according to an
announcement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Read more...
National Patient Safety Week
Safety Tips for Senior Citizens, Caregivers in
Managing Drugs
March 9, 2005 - More than 2.3 million drug-related
errors adversely affect older Americans each year, often resulting in
rush trips to the emergency room, expensive hospitalization and
subsequently, the potential decline of a senior citizen’s independence.
There are specific precautions that seniors, their adult children and
caregivers can take to prevent mishaps related to prescription use, says
a company that manages prescription drug benefits.
Read more...
More Medical Training Needed To Care For Growing
Geriatric Population
Feb. 27, 2005 - The changing medical needs of the
growing 65-and-over population in the United States are not being met by
current medical education, University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers
warn. Read more...
Injuries from Adverse Drug Events in Long-Term Care
Worse Than Assumed
Feb. 25, 2005 - Injuries from adverse drug events
in the long-term care facilities are more common than previously
documented, and largely preventable, according to the findings of a
study published yesterday in The American Journal of Medicine.
Read more...
States Try Offering More Choice in Long-term Care
By Kathleen Murphy,
Staff Writer, Stateline.org
Under an innovative program called
“cash and counseling,” 15 states will give money to poor
elderly and disabled people so they can hire caregivers directly rather
than have the state choose who bathes, feeds and dresses them.
Read more...
Report on Nations Healthcare Has Good News for
Elderly
But it is not all good with drop in antibiotics for
pneumonia
Feb. 22, 2005 - There was
significant good news for the elderly in the 2004 National Healthcare
Quality Report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality:
the percentage who suffered pain in nursing homes dropped by 37 percent
(2002 to 2003) and the percentage of elderly patients given potentially
inappropriate medications was down 34 percent (1996 to 2000).
Read more...
Two New Electronic Safety Devices Aimed at Senior
Safety
Tiny digital camera monitors room sends signal alert
to caregiver
Feb. 14, 2005 – Two products aimed at increased
security for senior citizens were introduced at a national show on
emerging technology today. One is a pendant that detects a fall and
triggers and alert. The second is a tiny digital camera embedded in a
light switch to view activity in a room.
Read more...
Alarming Increase in Falls by Elderly Prompts
National Educational Campaign
Emergency room visits by those 75 and older increased
by 73 percent
Feb.
14, 2005 – The number of emergency room visits by elderly Americans
resulting from product-related injuries – primarily falls – has
increased by 73 percent, according to a study released today by the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission. A national education campaign is
being launched by CPSC and the National Safety Council aimed at reducing
the “staggering number of preventable injuries occurring among older
Americans.”
Read more...
States Get $100 Million More for Winter Energy
Assistance to Low-Income
Feb. 1, 2005 - An additional $100 million in
emergency funds will be provided to states, territories and tribes from
the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which will help
provide heating for low-income families, including many of the nation’s
elderly. Read more...
New Tool for Measuring Home Health Care Quality
Introduced
Jan. 14, 2005 – Researchers say they have developed
a new tool to measure the quality of home health care, which is getting
increased emphasis, based on a goals of improving care and providing
meaningful feedback about the care.
More... 1/14/05*
Doctors Must Be More Aware of Medications Dangerous
to Elderly, Say Researchers
1997 Beers Criteria was revised in 2003 to list
potentially dangerous drugs for elderly
Jan. 6, 2005 –
Researchers who found as many as 70 percent of the doctors in their
study had prescribed a potentially inappropriate medication for elderly
patients are urging physicians to be more aware of medications that are
inappropriate for the elderly.
More... 1/6/05*
Nursing Home Care Improving in Many Areas, Says CMS
Latest data from Nursing Home Quality Initiative
released
Dec. 23, 2004 – All states report a decrease in the
prevalence of chronic pain in nursing home patients in the latest report
from the Nursing Home Quality Initiative, which was launched two years
ago by Health and Human Services. The most negative statistic in the
report is that the percentage of patients with pressure ulcers has risen
slightly since measurements began in June 2002, from 8.5 percent to 8.7
percent. More...
12/23/04*
Top Ten Drug Interactions Most Dangerous to Seniors
in Long-Term Care
Committee offers help on avoiding problems
Dec. 14, 2004 - Numerous studies
have shown senior citizens are the most prone to danger from drug
interactions, which has prompted the establishment of a project by the
American Medical Directors Association and the American Society of
Consultant Pharmacists to identify the ten drug interactions most commonly
associated with such reactions by residents in long-term care.
More... 12/14/04*
Delaying Hospice Care Can Create Depression Among
Caregiver Survivors
Dec. 9, 2004 - Delaying the decision to place a
loved one in hospice care can result in depression for family members
after the death of the loved one, says a study by Yale researchers
published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
More...
12/09/04*
National Conference Opens to
Write Plan for Reducing Falls by Elderly
Dec. 8, 2004 – The first
national conference dedicated to preventing falls by older Americans
convenes today in Washington, D.C. to examine the causes and prevention
of falls among senior citizens and to produce a joint action plan by
March 2005 to be named the National Action Plan to Reduce Falls in
the Elderly.
More... 12/08/04*
Doctors Prefer Terminal Sedation to Assisted Suicide
Dec. 6, 2004 - Doctors appear willing to use
intensive treatment to lessen otherwise untreatable pain or other severe
symptoms in dying patients even if the treatment, at least in theory,
risks hastening the dying process Known as "terminal sedation," the
practice involves the use of sedating medications to control a patient's
symptoms even if it results in decreased or complete loss of
consciousness. In contrast to physician-assisted suicide, this may risk,
but does not intend, hastening or causing death.
More...
12/06/04*
Hispanic Council on Aging Adds CEO to Face Boom in
Elderly
Nov. 29, 2004--The National Hispanic Council on
Aging (NHCOA), a national organization that seeks to improve the quality
of life for the Hispanic elderly, announced today that it has named
Yanira L. Cruz, M.P.H., as its new president and CEO. The number of
elderly among the Hispanic population is expected to triple by 2050. The
Hispanic elderly population is expected to jump fourfold, from 4 percent
of the total elderly population in 1990 to 16 percent by 2050, according
to the U.S. Census. More...
11/29/04*
Depressed Elderly Fail to
Improve with Antidepressant
Nov. 26, 2004 - Depressed people 75 or
older are just as likely to improve after an 8-week course with an
inactive, placebo drug as with an antidepressant, new research
indicates. More...
11/26/04*
Senior Citizens Less Likely Than Younger Adults to
Get Needed Mental Care
Nov. 23, 2004 – U.S. Senior citizens – those 65 and
older – are unlikely to receive the mental health treatment they need.
Younger adults are three times more likely to get the needed care,
according to a recent national study by researchers at Texas A&M
University.
More...
11/23/04
Seniors Agree Spouse Will Care for Them, But Women
Not Sure Men Can
Nov. 17, 2004 – Who is going to take care of us in
old age? A new study says men are just as likely as women to expect to
be the caregiver for their spouse or partner if their spouse becomes
disabled. Women are more likely than men to view their spouse or partner
as unprepared to take care of finances and to manage health issues
should their spouse/partner predecease them. Women respond that while
they are better prepared to do the cooking, one-third fear they will not
be able to care for the house and yard. Women are more likely than men to see
their children as the future caregivers.
More... 11/17/04*
Signs of abuse
Elderly Often Unrecognized Victims of Sexual Abuse
By Kathleen Dugan
Nov. 9, 2004 - The term elder abuse typically
brings to mind physical or emotional abuse, but older people are also
the victims of sexual abuse. Non-consensual sexual contact with an older
person is elder sexual abuse. It can mean using coercion such as
threats, force, deceptions or contact with elders who are unable to
grant consent.
More...
11/09/04*
Almost One Million Dying Received Hospice Care Last
Year: New Record
Announcement made marking November as National
Hospice Month
Nov.
3, 2004 – It was announced today that America set a new record in the
number of dying who received hospice care. The announcement, marking the
26th anniversary of National Hospice Month this November by the National
Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, said 950,000 received care
from the nation’s 3,300 hospice providers in 2003.
More... 11/03/04*
Elderly Develop Disabilities After Restricted
Activity, Hospitalization
Nov. 3, 2004 - Illnesses and injuries leading to
either hospitalization or restricted activity are strongly associated
with the development of disability for older persons living in the
community, regardless of their physical condition, according to a study
in today’s issue of JAMA.
More... 11/03/04*
Lower Education Levels of Elderly Increase Rates for
Death, Disability
New study shows slower recovery after
hospitalization, too
Nov.2, 2004 - Elderly Americans with low education
levels are more likely to die from serious illness, suffer disabilities
and experience a lesser quality of life than their better educated
senior citizens, according to a report in the current American Journal
of Medicine. They also recover more slowly from hospitalization.
More... 11/02/04*
Caregivers are Target of National Education Program,
New Website
Advocates team to tell caregivers, “It’s Not All Up to
You”
Oct.
28, 2004 – Spearheaded by a new Website –
familycaregiving101.org – two organizations active in advocacy for
family caregivers and a private company are joining together in a public
education campaign about the role of the caregiver.
More... 10/28/04*
Battle Heats Up Over Scooters, Power Wheelchairs for
Elderly
Medicare says there are too many, advocates say
Medicare too restrictive
Oct. 25, 2004 – News stories about the elderly
people in Paintsville, Ky., over-running the streets in
Medicare-supplied motorized scooters, peaked last week in a feature on
the NBC Today Show. The manufactures and distributors of these devices
say they are puzzled by the Paintsville story, because the real story is
the restrictions by Medicare on this popular mobility equipment.
More... 10/25/04*
Art of Caring
Hospice Foundation Honors State Organizations with
Gift of Art
Benefit Also Raises Funds for Hospices in Sub-Saharan
Africa
Oct. 6, 2004 - The National Hospice Foundation
honored hospices across the country with a gift of art at a special
event, the National Hospice Benefit, held in
Washington,
DC, on October 1. The expressive work of
painter Larry Dinkin was the focus of the evening which was a part of
the Art of Caring - a national initiative sponsored by NHF that is using
art to reach out and expand the public’s understandings of hospice care.
More... 10/06/04*
Abused Senior Citizens More Likely to Die in Three
Years
Oct. 1, 2004 – Senior citizens who suffer from
physical or mental abuse are three times more likely to die within three
years than those free of abuse, according to a new review of data on
elder abuse. (see Q&A about elder abuse below news report)
More... 10/01/04*
Elderly Most in Danger as Hurricane Strikes
Sept. 16, 2004 - As Hurricane Ivan pummels the U.S.
Gulf Coast, Saint Louis University researchers warn that those most in
danger are the elderly, who are often frail and lack an able protector.
More... 9/16/04*
Nursing Home Program Reduces Pain by 45 Percent
Medicines and tender loving care spur
progress
Sept. 16, 2004 – Nursing
homes participating in a two-year quality improvement program say data
collected so far show they have improved their management of residents'
pain by about 45 percent.
More... 9/16/04*
Elderly Gain More in Social Welfare Spending Than
Children
Sept. 14, 2004 - Public spending for the social
welfare of the elderly was four times greater than for children in 2000
– up from a three-fold difference in 1980. The authors of the study say
the growth in per capita spending on the elderly is primarily due to
higher medical expenses, a phenomenon called the “graying ” of the
federal budget. More...
9/14/04*
22 Cities and Counties get money
AoA Awards $5.1 Million to Support Seniors
Aging in Place
Sept. 13, 2004 - The
U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA), Department of Health and Human
Services announced today $5,144,959 in 22 grants (16 new) to help
seniors remain independent in the communities in which they live.
More... 9/13/04*
Sneakers Best, Barefoot Worst in Preventing Falls by
Elderly
Sept. 2, 2004 – Senior citizens wearing canvas
athletic shoes (sneakers) were the least likely to suffer falls, while
those going shoeless fell the most, in a study aimed at lowering the
risk of damaging and fatal falls by the elderly.
More... 9/02/04*
Hospice to cost Medicare $6 Billion in 2005
Rural Hospices Get $23 Million Boost from Medicare
Payment Change
Aug.
27, 2004 – A change in the way payments are determined for hospice care
will results in Medicare payments to rural hospices increasing $23
million in 2005, a 2.9 percent increase over 2004. The overall projected
increase for all hospice providers is $60 million dollars, an increase
of 1 percent. More...
Dangerous Drugs Provided to 21 Percent of Elderly
Aug. 10, 2004 – A large study has found that 21
percent of the elderly were given drug prescriptions for medications
identified as “inappropriate” by the Beers list, which identifies drugs
to be avoided for the elderly.
More... 8/10/04*
New Ideas on Elder Care Sought by
Administration on Aging
Aug.
6, 2004 – Up to $1-million is expected to be awarded to community-based
aging organizations that present innovative approaches to care
management for the elderly, according to an announcement today by the
Administration on Aging.
More... 8/06/04*
Controversy Swirls Around Use of Cameras to Monitor
Nursing Home Care
July 28, 2004 - New and
proposed state laws authorizing the use of Web or video cameras to
monitor the care of residents in nursing homes has kicked up a storm.
More... 7/28/04*
Reducing Abuse in Long-Term Care Facilities is Goal
of Test Program to Improve Hiring
July 24, 2004 – A pilot program aimed at combating
abuse and neglect in long-term care facilities by improving background
checks of potential employees was announced yesterday by the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
More... 7/24/04*
Adult Children and Their Aging Parents Not on Same
Page Concerning Long-Term Care, Says New Survey
July 19, 2004--Adult children may think they know
their parents wishes for long-term medical care, but they overestimate
their parents' planning. At the same time, the senior citizens seem to
think they have the proper health coverage plans in place, but are
confused as to what their insurance policies actually cover. These
disconnects regarding insurance can put unexpected and undue financial
burdens on both generations, a new survey reveals.
More... 7/19/04*
A Website We Recommend
MyZiva.net Provides Free, Easy Nursing Home Comparison
Tools
By Tucker Sutherland, editor
July 14, 2004 - Choosing a nursing home and monitoring
their performance in patient care is critical and MyZiva.Net, a free
service, is establishing itself as the leader in easy-to-use nursing home
evaluation and comparison. The company is the online provider of a free
comprehensive guide to all licensed U.S. nursing homes and has distinct
advantages over all other such sites we have found.
More... 7/14/04*
National Elderly Caregivers Support Group Expands
July 1, 2004 - A program aimed at linking caregivers
for the elderly with an aging network of assistance providers has added
several new physician specialty groups. The effort is supported by the U.S.
Administration on Aging and managed by the National Association of Area
Agencies on Aging (n4a).
More... 7/01/04*
Heat is a Killer for Older People:
Tips for Prevention
Ability to sense heat is impaired in elderly
July 1, 2004 - In the Chicago heat wave of 1995, more
than 700 died. Last year, the world was shocked when thousands of elderly
men and women in France died as a result of a heat.
More... 7/01/04*
Repeat Angioplasty, Stenting in
Elderly Adding $700 Million to Medicare Costs
June 30, 2004 - Repeating balloon
angioplasty and/or stenting procedures to open narrowed arteries in
elderly patients may add more than $700 million a year to Medicare
expenses, according to a report published yesterday in the rapid access
issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
More... 6/30/04*
Seniors Prone to Drug Errors Finding Help From
Safety System
June 23, 2004 - One
in four seniors age 65 or older sees four or more physicians each year,
and one in three visit four or more pharmacies each year, making patient
data exchange difficult and creating a dangerous medication matrix that
could put people at risk, according to the company who introduced a
safety system last year that they say is helping reduce the risk.
More... 6/23/04*
Intelligent Pill Dispenser Designed to Assure Senior
Citizens Take the Right Pills
June 21, 2004 - A pill dispenser
with embedded intelligence that allows remote communications with
pharmacists and physicians was displayed this weekend at the American
Society of Health System Pharmacists in Las Vegas. The designer says it
can help aging patients deal with complex medications.
More... 6/21/04*
Some Common Illnesses May Increase Suicide Risk for
Elderly People
June 15, 2004 - Elderly people kill
themselves at a higher rate than others and a recent study has
identified illnesses which may increase the suicide risk. Suicide ranks
number 11 in the leading causes of death in the United States.
More... 6/15/04*
Eldercare
Responsibilities Strain Careers, Marriages
More than One-Third of
Care Recipients Under-Medicate Themselves, Skip Meals
June 9, 2004 - More than one-third (35%) of
caregivers who work outside the home and 30% of those who are married
believe that eldercare responsibilities have strained their job
performance and marriage, according to a national survey of caregivers
released today by SeniorBridge Family, a provider of home-based
eldercare services. More...
6/9/04*
Students Design Auto Harness to Protect Elderly,
Others With Brittle Bone Disorders
May 24, 2004 - When a car crash occurs,
people with osteoporosis and other brittle bone disorders often suffer more
serious injuries. To better protect these “fragile” motorists, three Johns
Hopkins undergraduate engineering students have devised a harness and vest
system that significantly reduced impact forces when tested on a high-tech
crash dummy. More...
5/24/04*
Women of Primary Concern
Blood Pressure Control for Elderly Should Have Higher
Priority
May 19, 2004 - Blood pressure control of
people 80 years and older, especially women, must be made a national
priority, says a Northwestern University researcher at the American Society
of Hypertension’s Nineteenth Annual Scientific Meeting.
More... 4/19/04*
Older
Adults, Caregivers Find Answers
``The
Merck Manual of Health & Aging''
Published Today
May 18, 2004-- While most books about
aging focus on how to postpone it, "The
Merck Manual of Health & Aging,"
published today, tells the reader what
changes to expect and how to deal with
them, according to the publisher. For caregivers, often overwhelmed
by the demands of their role and the
lack of readily available information,
"The Merck Manual of Health & Aging"
offers essential information, useful
tools and reassurance to help them along
the way.
More... 5/18/04*
Living Wills Not the Best Choice, Study Says
May 11, 2004 - Living wills don’t work
-- and can’t work -- for their intended purpose of allowing people to say in
advance how they’d want to be treated if they became too sick to choose for
themselves, a new University of Michigan study says.
More... 5/11/04*
Hi-Tech Devices to Help Senior Citizens Introduced
at Senate Hearing
April 28, 2004 - At a Special Committee
on Aging hearing yesterday which demonstrated new, cutting-edge high-tech
devices to help senior citizens, the chairman of the committee said that
seniors of the future will increasingly need these types of electronic aides
to help them remain independent. During the hearing several new high-tech
devices were demonstrated, including a robot named Pearl, and a device
called an Autominder. More...
4/28/04*
Caregiving for Another
Adult is Second Job for Many
April 7, 2004 - There are far
more Americans holding "second jobs" as family caregivers than either
employers, or the federal government are aware of – and this "second job"
could pose long-term problems for both, according to a new study released
yesterday by AARP. More...
4/07/04*
Autominder Serves as Computerized Caregiver for Elderly
April
7, 2004 – For the forgetful elderly – which is about all-inclusive – there is
a help being developed that will serve as an electronic reminder. Autominder
will “supplement rather than replace human caregivers,” says chief developer
Martha Pollack. More...
4/07/04*
New Organization Goes to Washington to
Promote Eldercare Technologies
March 16, 2004 - A new group
pushing to attract more government interest and money for new techniques to
help older adults and their caregivers is in Washington today for product
demonstrations and information sessions aimed at Congress and federal agency
officials. CAST (Center for Aging Services Technologies) is organized by.
technology companies and university research centers.
More... 3/16/04*
"Care Managers" Help Depressed
Elderly Reduce Suicidal Thoughts
March 3, 2004 - An intervention that
includes staffing doctors’ offices with depression care managers helps
depressed elderly patients reduce suicidal thoughts, a study funded by NIH’s
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has found.
More... 3/3/04*
Tax Relief for
Eldercare Givers Proposed by Sen. Craig
Feb. 10, 2004 - At a hearing
today in Washington, DC, on providing tax relief for eldercare, U.S. Senator
Larry Craig, Chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, said that more must
be done to support families who provide help for others.
More... 2/10/04
The Senior Eldercare Relief and Empowerment Act (SECURE Act, S. 2072) is
designed to provide a 50 percent tax credit rate for qualified expenses for
elder care provided to a senior citizen with long-term care needs.
To read the text of the
legislation, click "HERE"
Five Ways to Help Families
Physicians can help family members caring for dying loved
ones
Jan. 28, 2004 - Physicians have five areas
of opportunity to be of service to family members caring for patients at the
end of life, according to a UCSF Medical Center palliative care expert.
More... 1/28/04*
Workers Want
Employers Help
Elder Care by Employees is
“Silent Productivity Killer”
Dec. 9, 2003 – As people live longer lives it
is inevitable that more younger Americans will face the burden of caring for
aging relatives, and new research says it is beginning to be felt in the work
place. Elder care has been called the "silent productivity killer."
More... 12/09/03*
Beers Criteria for
Medications to Avoid in the
Elderly Updated
Dec. 8, 2003 - Forty-eight medications or classes
of medications to avoid in adults age 65 or older have been identified
by a national expert panel charged with updating widely used criteria
for potentially harmful medications in older adults.
More... 12/08/03*
Author of New Eldercare
Book Hits Mark
Dec. 5, 2003 - Valerie VanBooven RN ,BSN, CM, only 32, has hit the mark with
her new book "Aging Answers: Secrets to Successful Long-Term Care
Planning, Caregiving, and Crisis Management."
If you want to know more
about her book or buy it, click the link below to Amazon
Aging Answers: Secrets to Successful Long-Term Care Planning, Caregiving, and Crisis Management
Elderly
Drivers: A Growing Concern
July
2003 - The accident July 16 involving an 86-year-old driver who
left 10 dead after plowing his car through a street market, again
raises questions about the safety of elderly drivers. Follow this line
to some links and charts pertaining to driving safety and the
elderly. Click
7/17/03*
Life Expectancy
of Injured, Ill Elderly Most Often Badly Under-Estimated
Can
Create Serious Financial Problems
July 2, 2003 - A new study
says life expectancy is almost always under-estimated in elderly persons who
have been injured or suffer from life-threatening disease, which can result in
inadequate financial planning for their remaining years.
Click 7/02/03*
Study of
Elderly
Long-Term Stress Appears To Damage Caregivers’
Immune Systems
June 30, 2003 - Older people
who take care of chronically ill loved ones over long periods experience
continuing stress that boosts the risk of age-related diseases by prematurely
aging caregivers' immune systems, according to a new study.
Click 7/01/03*
HHS
Takes First Step to Establish One-Stop Centers for Senior Citizens
June 4, 2003 - A significant problem for
senior citizens in our nation, states and communities is finding
information needed on senior programs. This is particularly acute for
the elderly and their caregivers, but now the government is taking a
step to improve the situation.
Click 6/4/03*
Top Performing
Nursing Homes in U.S. Picked by CareScout
Nursing homes recognized for exceptional
quality of life and care of residents
May 15, 2003 - A list
of nursing homes selected as "Top Perfomers" in the U.S. was
released this month by CareScout.
Click to story 5/15/03*
Assisted Living
Report is Just A Beginning, Says Sen. Craig
April 29, 2003 - At a hearing today regarding
assisted living facilities, the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee
on Aging called a 381 page "Final Report" on the industry a valuable first
step, but only a beginning. Click
4/28/03
Nutrition Recommendations For Older Americans Released During National
Nutrition Month
March 29, 2003 - HHS
Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell this week
announced practical nutrition recommendations to help promote health
and prevent disease among older Americans in the United States at the
Camp Springs Senior Center in Camp Springs, Maryland.
Click 3/29/03*
Most U.S.
Counties Don't Have Enough Adult Day Centers
March 17, 2003 - A national
study of adult day centers found that 56 percent of U.S. counties did not have
enough adult day centers to meet the need, according to Nancy J. Cox, M.S.W.,
national director of Partners in Caregiving.
Click 3/17/03*
New Nursing Home Guidelines
OSHA Moves to Reduce Manual Lifting of
Residents in Nursing Homes
March 14, 2003 -
OSHA Administrator John Henshaw yesterday announced the first in a series
of industry-specific guidelines for the prevention of musculoskeletal
disorders in the workplace. OSHA's Guidelines for Nursing Homes
focuses on practical recommendations for employers to reduce the
number and severity of workplace injuries by using methods found to be
successful in the nursing home environment.
Click 3/14/03*
Program to Provide Quality of Care Information on Home Health Agencies
Announced by HHS
Feb. 22, 2003 -
This spring the Department of Health and Human Services will begin the
development of a program to provide Medicare and Medicaid consumers with
information they can use in selecting a home health agency.
Click 3/22/03*
Rural Seniors with Long Term Care Needs Offered
Help in New Report
Feb. 22, 2003 -
The National PACE Association
(NPA)
and the National Rural Health Association (NRHA)
published a new report today, Setting the
PACE for Rural Elder Care: A Framework for Action, providing a
blueprint to improve the care for many seniors with long term care needs who
live in rural areas while saving state and federal health care dollars by
expanding access to Programs of All-inclusive care for the Elderly (PACE).
Click 2/22/03*
Citizens For Long Term
Care Set Six Priorities
Feb. 14, 2003 – Citizens for
Long Term Care, whose goal is long-term care financing reform, has established
six priorities for the next two years, according to a statement from Hon.
David Durenberger, chairman. Following is his statement.
Click 2/13/03*
Caregiving Raises
Risk of Heart Disease in Women
Feb. 12, 2003 - Women who
spend nine or more hours a week caring for an ill or disabled spouse have an
increased risk of coronary heart disease, according to a new study.
Click 2/12/03*
Elder Abuse Legislation
Introduced by Senators Breaux, Hatch
Feb.
11, 2003 -- Sen. John Breaux (D-La.), ranking member of the Senate
Special Committee on Aging, and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the
Senate Judiciary Committee, yesterday introduced comprehensive federal
legislation to address elder abuse and crimes against seniors, and to
guarantee protections for older Americans.
Click 2/11/03*
Special Care
Changes Name to Griswold
Griswold
Special Care is a non-medical home-care company that has announced this new
name - it was named Special Care. They refer caregivers who provide
companionship, homemaking, and personal care in the home. "We are
non-medical because we specialize in cases that do not require skilled
nursing." says Griswold. Their Website is
www.home-care.net. To read our previous story on this company -
Click 1/2/3**
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