November 2007 - Posts

NIA Offers Training Guide to Help Navigate Online Health Information
November 29, 2007 2:37 PM by Maureen McAndrews

To help older adults search for and find credible health information online, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) has developed a free training curriculum for people who teach and work with older adults. The Toolkit for Trainers, which is now available Read More...

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Former Congressmen Leading Charge Against Alzheimer's
November 29, 2007 1:59 PM by Liz Rosto

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey, co-chairs of the Alzheimer's Study Group (ASG), announced the full membership of the taskforce they have assembled to develop and advance strategies to overcome Alzheimer's. Read More...

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More on "Water for Elephants" & Nursing Homes
November 19, 2007 5:25 PM by Maureen McAndrews

In my last post on Sara Gruen's book " Water for Elephants ," I discussed the book's main character, 93-year-old Jacob, who lives in a long-term care facility. In the chapter where Jacob recounts his family's decision to send him to the facility, he says Read More...

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Seniors in Prison
November 16, 2007 2:53 PM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

"In a wheelchair, arm in a brace, and heart medicine stuffed in a fabric pouch dangling from her shirt, Betty Tewell doesn't look the part. She never did. ‘February of two-thousand and eleven,' she said. The 79-year-old knows the date by heart. It's the Read More...

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The Good News and the Not-So-Good...
November 15, 2007 9:34 AM by Liz Rosto

The State of Seniors Housing 2007, an annual publication produced by The American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA), the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) and the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing and Care Read More...

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Seeing a Brighter Future
November 14, 2007 8:53 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

A study of 200 residents in 17 nursing homes found that residents who were given vision care and glasses "reported higher scores for general vision, reading, activities and hobbies and social interaction as well as fewer depressive symptoms." "There are Read More...

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Medicare Part D Costs Rising for Many
November 14, 2007 8:38 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

As the open enrollment period for the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit begins tomorrow, 11/15, beneficiaries may want to start their selection process all over again, according to SeniorJournal.com. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that three-quarters Read More...

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Tax-Evading Medicaid Providers
November 14, 2007 8:18 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

The Associated Press reported this morning that a Senate panel is looking to collect unpaid taxes from more than 30,000 Medicaid providers who receive federal payments for their services despite owing at least $1 billion in back taxes. AP specifically Read More...

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Thoughts on "Water for Elephants"
November 13, 2007 2:48 PM by Maureen McAndrews

I just finished reading the book " Water for Elephants " by Sara Gruen. Told by a 93-year-old man named Jacob who is living in a long-term care facility, it's a story about life in the circus. In a series of flashbacks between the present day and the Read More...

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Laughter-Induced Asthma
November 12, 2007 4:19 PM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

Just when you think you have something that no one else does, you visit "ScienceDaily." This news item is a couple years old, but I just had to share that I am not alone in having asthma attacks every time I laugh. Laughter-induced Asthma: It's No Joke Read More...

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Don't forget to wear your broccoli?
November 6, 2007 11:35 AM by Maureen McAndrews

New research suggests that broccoli, when smeared on the skin, can protect against skin cancer. In fact, the Washington Post reported that a green smear of broccoli-sprout extract blocked the potentially cancer-causing damage usually inflicted by sunlight Read More...

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Nursing Home Costs Rising at a Slower Rate Than Expected
November 6, 2007 11:18 AM by Liz Rosto

CMS recently reported that while per person spending is higher for older people than younger Americans, overall costs have not been growing as fast as costs for working-age people. In fact, nursing home costs have been rising relatively slowly, the agency Read More...

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Information Online
November 1, 2007 3:46 PM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

The University of Nebraska Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatrics offers a collection of GERI Pearls, downloadable pocket cards that concisely review geriatric topics including aging pharmacology, constipation, delirium, Read More...

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Health Observances
November 1, 2007 3:45 PM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

Every month has a variety of designated health observances that you can use to boost awareness of some common medical conditions that your residents may encounter. Here’s a look at what’s coming up in November. Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month COPD Read More...

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