February 2010 - Posts

Small Touch, Big Difference
February 28, 2010 7:08 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

How much can a small touch really mean to a person? A recent article in The New York Times suggests that little touches mean a lot , and that high fives and reassuring pats on the back can even lower stress and increase happiness. The article focuses Read More...

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Join Carrie's Long-Term Wellness Challenge
February 27, 2010 6:47 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

Wellness isn't always easy, but it's always worth the effort. Whether you want to lose weight, quit smoking, get more fit, or enhance your intelllect, now is exactly the right time to get started. They say it's easy to meet your goals with help from friends, Read More...

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"Exergames" Improve Symptoms of Depression
February 26, 2010 8:43 AM by Heather Simons

A recent pilot study has found that regular use of "exergames"--video games, like Nintendo Wii, that combine entertainment with exercise--can improve symptoms of subsyndromal depression (SSD) in seniors. SSD is much more common than major depression in Read More...

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Snow Day? No Way
February 25, 2010 8:50 AM by Heather Simons

Here in Pennsylvania, the ADVANCE staff is experiencing--for the third time this winter--a snow day. Huge flakes are falling, the roads are slick, and most of us are working from home. We have the option of settling in with a laptop, a notebook and a Read More...

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Ohio Gov. Spends on At-Home Care
February 24, 2010 9:07 AM by Heather Simons

On Monday, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland proposed shifting $5.3 million earmarked for nursing homes to programs that will allow every eligible senior citizen to receive long-term medical care at home, according to Cleveland.com . Nursing homes and other Medicaid Read More...

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APIC Announces "Heroes of Infection Prevention"
February 23, 2010 8:31 AM by Heather Simons

Building on nearly 40 years of leadership and a commitment to reducing the risk of health care associated infections, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) yesterday announced 12 recipients of the 2010 Heroes of Read More...

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Are Residents Refusing Stinky Meds?
February 22, 2010 10:27 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

If your residents are not complying with their metformin medication schedule, it could be the smell, which has been described as similar to dead fish. Many diabetics report nausea when taking the commonly prescribed drug, but doctors have not associated Read More...

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Comforting Grieving Seniors
February 22, 2010 8:36 AM by Heather Simons

When seniors face loss--three funerals in as many months, for instance--younger people, including caregivers, might assume that death is a reality that people of a certain age must come to accept. But the elderly feel grief as much as anyone else. In Read More...

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Medicare Advantage Costs Increasing
February 19, 2010 1:39 PM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

A study to be released Friday by a major consulting firm found that premiums for Medicare Advantage plans offering medical and prescription drug coverage jumped 14.2 percent on average in 2010, after an increase of only 5.2 percent the previous year. Read More...

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Test Yourself for Cancer?
February 19, 2010 1:26 PM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

A University of Missouri researcher is developing a tiny sensor, known as an acoustic resonant sensor, that is smaller than a human hair and could test bodily fluids for a variety of diseases, including breast and prostate cancers. Read more here: http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Features/2010/20100217-HomeDetectionKit.htm Read More...

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Mammograms and Dementia
February 19, 2010 1:19 PM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

From the New York Times : "Epidemiologists at the University of California, San Francisco, have been analyzing the Medicare records of women over 70, focusing on a sample of 355 with severe cognitive impairment but no history of breast cancer. They’ve Read More...

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Mind Body Connection
February 19, 2010 1:15 PM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

Researchers have found that when people recall past events or imagine future ones, their bodies subliminally act out the metaphors embedded in how we commonly conceptualized the flow of time. Read the article at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/science/02angier.html?ref=health Read More...

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Untreated Poor Vision Linked to Dementia
February 18, 2010 8:10 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

Elderly people with visual disorders that are left untreated are significantly more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease -- the most common form of dementia, according to a University of Michigan Health System study. The study used Medicare data and Read More...

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Hi-Tech Memory
February 16, 2010 1:06 PM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

As a person who loses keys, purses, my wallet and possibly even a child or two, I will definitely need this high-tech medication reminder: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/02/pills.medication.compliance/index.html?hpt=C2. Read More...

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Group Aims for Legal Euthanasia in Netherlands
February 15, 2010 10:17 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

"Out of Free Will," a group in the Netherlands, is collecting signatures to lobby for legalized euthanasia for people over 70. Under their plan, an expert would determine whether an applicant is of sound mind and not depressed. A doctor would then confirm Read More...

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Immortal Cells, Tumors and Questions of Ownership
February 15, 2010 9:23 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

What happens to the little bits of us that are taken away to mysterious medical locations? How can a person's tumor outlive her long after it's killed her? What rights do you have to your own cells? Here's a fascinating article from the New York Times Read More...

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ICAA Names Winners of Innovators Awards
February 12, 2010 12:50 PM by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko

The International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), has announced the recipients of the Seventh Annual ICAA Innovators Awards, which recognize creativity and excellence in active-aging programs and products. The award-winning offerings target any or all Read More...

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National Assisted Living Study Seeks Participants
February 11, 2010 11:23 AM by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko

The National Center for Health Statistics is conducting a study of assisted living communities. The final report will provide national data about these communities and the residents they serve. The National Survey of Residential Care Facilities (NSRFC) Read More...

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Guest Blog: Tell and Spread Your Story
February 10, 2010 8:36 AM by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko

The following is a guest blog from Anthony Cirillo: USA Today recently reported that one in five U.S. nursing homes consistently receive poor ratings for overall quality under the Five-Star Quality Rating System. That started a sea of gripes about the Read More...

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NewCourtland Appoints Marie Savard Medical Director
February 9, 2010 4:42 PM by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko

A press release containing a familiar face came through by in-box last week. Marie Savard, MD, who I've seen many times on ABC's Good Morning America, was recently appointed corporate medical director of NewCourtland , based in Philadelphia. Dr. Savard Read More...

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Top Alzheimer's Research Trends of 2009
February 9, 2010 12:52 PM by Heather Simons

Just before the New Year began, the Alzheimer's Research Forum compiled a list of the top Alzheimer's disease research trends of 2009. Trends include a growing emphasis on presymptomatic detection; recognizing sports concussion as a risk factor for dementia; Read More...

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H1N1 Fears Subside
February 8, 2010 3:35 PM by Heather Simons

A national poll conducted January 20-24, 2010, by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that almost half of Americans (44%) believe the H1N1 flu outbreak is over, and levels of concern about getting sick with the virus continue to decline. Read More...

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Music Program Helps Residents with Dementia
February 4, 2010 9:08 AM by Heather Simons

Late last month, Island Nursing and Rehab Center , Holtsville, N.Y., implemented a Musically Designed Program for residents with dementia. The program was funded by a grant from a generous family member. Conducted by a therapeutic recreation specialist Read More...

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It's Up to the Elderly
February 3, 2010 12:23 PM by Heather Simons

Researchers have found that the brain is capable of creating new connections and neurons all throughout life, debunking the common claim that older people withdraw from the world because they cannot learn anything new, according to a column by David Brooks Read More...

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Cat Predicts Nursing Home Deaths
February 2, 2010 10:51 AM by Heather Simons

At Steere House , an elderly care facility in Providence, R.I., a cat named Oscar can instinctively sense when the end of a resident's life is near, according to WBZTV in Boston . Oscar, who resides on the facility's third floor, generally avoids affection Read More...

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Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes Gains Enrollees
February 1, 2010 3:10 PM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

The recruitment period of the Phase 2 Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes Campaign ended at midnight January 31, 2010. The Campaign signed up. 5,860 nursing homes, including 1,132 new participants and 4,728 re-enrollees (now charter members Read More...

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Medicare Co-Payment Raises Lead to Costlier Care
February 1, 2010 12:58 PM by Heather Simons

When Medicare plans raise co-payments for outpatient care, older people tend to cut back on doctor's visits and ultimately end up needing costlier hospital care, according to a study reported in The New York Times . The study examined changes in the use Read More...

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