March 2010 - Posts

Muscle Strength Reduces AD Risk
March 31, 2010 11:36 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

Dr. Patricia A. Boyle of Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago and her colleagues found that the greater a person's muscle strength, the lower their likelihood of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's over a four-year period. The same was true for the Read More...

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Middle Boomers Optimistic About Retirement
March 30, 2010 7:17 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

Only 12 percent of middle boomers (age 52 to 58) are worried about outliving their retirement money, according to a MetLife Mature Market Institute survey published on the ALFA Web site. But 25 percent are concerned with paying for health care and 18% Read More...

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Take Control of Obesity
March 29, 2010 9:36 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

As a proponent of health care reform and (dare I write it?) universal coverage, I'm at least a little pleased with the progress we're making toward providing health care access to all Americans. But I also embrace the idea of taking personal responsibility Read More...

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Early Census Reports Show Fewer Retirees Heading South
March 26, 2010 10:33 AM by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko

Already in the midst of a housing slump, Florida and other retirement areas could see even worse times ahead, if early census reports are a predictable indication. The reports reveal that more older Americans are staying put to hold onto jobs, creating Read More...

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Health Care Reform and MDS 3.0
March 25, 2010 10:32 AM by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko

The health care reform bill signed into law Tuesday contains a provision that delays the implementation of part of Resource Utilization Group, Version Four (RUG-IV). RUG-IV was originally scheduled to be implemented along with the MDS 3.0 in October, Read More...

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Helping Consumers Choose a LTC Facility
March 24, 2010 12:21 PM by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko

While those of us in the long-term care industry have pretty much stopped using the term "nursing home," the main stream media continues to use it to describe facilities that provide care to elders outside the home. Most Americans still don't understand Read More...

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AARP, Physician Group Take Positions on Reform Bill
March 23, 2010 9:20 AM by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko

AARP has applauded Congress for passing health care reform legislation. Their official statement: "Both chambers have now passed a bill that will make health care more affordable for American families, strictly limit insurance companies from denying affordable Read More...

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House Passes Health Care Reform Bill
March 22, 2010 9:21 AM by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko

Late last night, members of the House of Representatives passed the Health Care Reform bill by a slim margin of 219 to 212. Now that we finally have a resolution, people are asking what the bill will do for them. For Consumers, Clarity on Health Care Read More...

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Women Hold Nearly One-Third of Direct-Care Jobs
March 19, 2010 9:26 AM by Heather Simons

Older women aged 55+ are projected to become 30 percent of the nation's direct-care workforce by 2018--up from 22 percent in just 10 years, according to PHI's recent analysis of employment demographics for direct-care workers. By 2018, 1.2 million direct-care Read More...

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Rethinking LTC Design
March 18, 2010 10:31 AM by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko

Architecture and design students may not think of long-term care facilities as a glamorous career option, but the senior design field is getting some attention through a program sponsored by the Society for the Advancement of Gerontological Environments Read More...

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LGBT Elderly Less Likely to Receive Care
March 18, 2010 8:46 AM by Heather Simons

Gay elders face more problems than their straight peers, including stigma, isolation and unequal treatment, according to a report presented Wednesday at the annual conference of the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging in Chicago, Read More...

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Baby Boomers Delay Retirement
March 17, 2010 9:27 AM by Heather Simons

Most baby boomers are delaying retirement, according to a recent study conducted by Harris Interactive/CareerBuilder. Of the seven hundred people age 60+ who were surveyed, 76 percent of women and 68 percent of men (72 percent total) said they planned Read More...

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Maternal Heredity Link for Alzheimer's Disease
March 16, 2010 10:35 AM by Heather Simons

According to researchers, family history, especially on the maternal side, is one of the biggest risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, which affects more than 5 million Americans and is the most common form of senile dementia. Aided by a new version of Read More...

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Elderly Spend Most on Cholesterol and Diabetes Meds
March 15, 2010 11:24 AM by Heather Simons

Purchases of cholesterol and diabetes prescription drugs accounted for nearly one-fourth of the total amount of money spent on medications by elderly Medicare beneficiaries in 2007. According to the latest AHRQ News and Numbers report, out of $82 billion Read More...

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African Americans and Hispanics More Likely to Have AD
March 14, 2010 7:42 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

According to the Alzheimer's Association's 2010 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures , African-Americans are about two times more likely and Hispanics are about one and one-half times more likely than their white counterparts to have Alzheimer's and Read More...

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Is CCRC a Dirty Word?
March 12, 2010 10:48 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

Are you a CCRC? You may not want to say so, according to a consulting firm that writes: "We believe that marketing your retirement community as continuing care retirement community may be one of the worst decisions you could ever make. In fact, I would Read More...

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The Alzheimer's Gene
March 11, 2010 7:12 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

A gene variant that ups your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in old age may not be all bad. It seems that young people with the variant tend to be smarter, more educated and have better memories than their peers. Having one copy of epsilon 4, a Read More...

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A Fiscal Catch-22 for Seniors and States
March 10, 2010 2:15 PM by Todd Goldfeld

Cost-saving changes to a Connecticut program that helps seniors live independently could prematurely force many of those who are cash-strapped from their residences and into nursing homes – at a much higher cost to state and federal government. Other Read More...

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Overzealous Opioid Restrictions Causing Pain
March 9, 2010 2:55 PM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

Overzealous regulation of opioids is having a painful knock-on effect on eastern Europeans with cancer. Nathan Cherny of Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel, asked cancer pain specialists, including doctors, nurses and social workers from Read More...

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The Case of the $1,000 Toothbrush
March 8, 2010 10:27 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

When you hear about wasteful spending, fraud and abuse in health care, what does that bring to mind? How about charging a patient $140 for one Tylenol pill; $1,000 for a toothbrush or $4,000 for saline solution? Those are real charges uncovered by Cindy Read More...

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Pet Therapy and Seniors
March 8, 2010 9:33 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

The American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) Foundation, the non-profit research and education arm of AMDA, invites you to meet two dogs that have a key role in caring for long term care facility residents. Come meet Sophie and Tessa and hear from Read More...

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Steve Jobs for Healthcare Czar
March 7, 2010 7:03 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

The following is a guest blog from Anthony Cirillo: Accountable care organizations and medical homes are terms being bantered about with reform. An accountable care organization (ACO) would consist of a group of healthcare entities that share responsibility Read More...

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Middle Boomers
March 5, 2010 10:30 AM by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko

Most people think of the baby boomer generation as the block of people born between the years 1946 and 1964. A new line of thinking suggests that young, middle and older boomers should be treated as separate demographic groups. In the MetLife Study of Read More...

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Unnecessary Suffering
March 4, 2010 10:44 AM by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko

Hospice care is supposed to allow the terminally ill to die in comfort and peace, but a recent study reveals that many hospice patients are actually suffering needlessly. Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine found that patients admitted to Read More...

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Celebrate National Nutrition Month
March 3, 2010 12:32 PM by Heather Simons

Poor nutrition in older adults can cause a host of problems such as confusion, undesirable weight gain or loss, and the worsening of heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis, to name a few. For these reasons, a healthy diet is essential. This March you Read More...

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A Bad Example
March 2, 2010 1:43 PM by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko

Recently, the results of President Obama's health check-up were released to the public. While the President was deemed to be in pretty good shape, his cholesterol count went up and his doctor recommends small changes in his diet. I was surprised to also Read More...

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Health Care Reform and Long-Term Care
March 1, 2010 11:55 AM by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko

Months after health care reform legislation was originally introduced, The White House and Congress have not yet been able to adopt a plan that everyone can agree on. We hear a lot about universal access, coverage denials and insurance company regulations, Read More...

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