The Dementia Caregiver's Toolbox : Comfort Zone Technology Launched By Alzheimer's Association

BuzzNet Tags: dementia,tracking,GPS

As a member of two committees at my local Alzheimer's Association chapter, I was so pleased to hear about the collaboration between the Alzheimer's Association and Omnilink to launch a special product called Comfort Zone.  This unique product is something that dementia caregivers everywhere have been waiting for.

Using GPS and cellular technology, the Comfort Zone is a web-based location management system for those with dementia. 

Most survelliance systems have been extremely expensive for general consumers.  Comfort Zone has a favorable price point, similar to cell phone service, of a $45 initial hook-up fee with the basic monthly price starting at $42.99 and going up depending on the selected features.

The Dementia Caregiver's Toolbox : Comfort Zone Technology Launched By Alzheimer's Association

MIWatch - Mental health in health reform

 

What's in this bill for people with mental illness and addictive disorders? The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law prepared a detailed summary of how this could :……

BuzzNet Tags: health reform,mental health

MIWatch - Mental health in health reform

Recommendations Issued on Caring for People with Dementia at Home | PHInational.org

BuzzNet Tags: home care,dementia

The Alzheimer’s Association released the first practice recommendations for professionals providing home care to people with Alzheimer’s.

The recommendations were distributed in early November to coincide with National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month.

Dementia Care Practice Recommendations for Professionals Working in a Home Setting (pdf) is the fourth in the association’s series of evidence-based publications aimed at helping providers and caregivers to administer person-centered, culturally sensitive care for people with dementia.

Recommendations Issued on Caring for People with Dementia at Home | PHInational.org

FDA Law Blog: Senate Committee Seeks Improved Access to Controlled Meds for Long-Term Care and Hospice Patients; Drafts Legislation to Address Issue

BuzzNet Tags: LTC,pain management,FDA,DEA

Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have sent a letter to U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder seeking improved access to needed pain and other medications for long-term care and hospice patients.  Their October 19, 2009 letter states current federal Controlled Substance Act (“CSA”) requirements lead to delays in patients receiving needed medication.

FDA Law Blog: Senate Committee Seeks Improved Access to Controlled Meds for Long-Term Care and Hospice Patients; Drafts Legislation to Address Issue

Internet use cuts depression in 55+ elderly -- what's it mean? | Aging In Place Technology Watch

 

Internet use reduces depression in the elderly by 20%.  Whew. I've got to read those news alerts more carefully -- looks like I missed quite a bit of press about the October 15 announcement of a Phoenix Center Policy Paper of data analysis and conclusion by George Ford and Sherry Ford.  The news articles about the study are quite confusing -- mixing up terminology (elderly? seniors?)  so let's look more closely at the process that produced the conclusion…….

BuzzNet Tags: seniors,internrt,depression

Internet use cuts depression in 55+ elderly -- what's it mean? | Aging In Place Technology Watch

F.R.I.D.A.

BuzzNet Tags: LGBT,LTC,survey

The National Senior Citizens Law Center, Lambda Legal, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE), are working together to raise awareness of the issues facing older adults who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ("LGBT") and live in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other long-term care facilities. We hope to identify areas where policy changes will improve care, and to find other older adults, advocates and providers interested in these issues.
The survey is only 16 questions.

F.R.I.D.A.

The New Wave in LTC Hybrids

 

Nnew rules governing hybrid long-term-care products go into effect on Jan. 1 and may spawn a new generation of hybrids. Avisors need to think about when and why to consider them for clients.

Sales of long-term-care insurance (LTCI) have struggled, often because clients perceive them as risky. You pay a lot in premiums, which reward you handsomely if you later need extensive care, but which disappear if you die before needing them or never qualify for them.

To address these concerns, product providers developed annuities and life insurance policies with long-term-care riders as less-expensive alternatives. For example, insurers tested the waters with single-premium life policies that had provisions for LTC, usually a multiple of the death benefit paid out over several years. Once the death benefit was exhausted, any remaining claims would be applied against "excess benefits" up to a maximum. If the client didn't have LTC costs, the death benefit would ultimately pay out when the client passed away.

BuzzNet Tags: ltc insurance,hybrids

However hybrid LTC policies turned out to have serious tax problems.

The government addressed the tax issues in the pension protection act of 2006 to encourage the development of more hybrid products. Congress provided that the new rules take effect in January 2010 to allow companies to comply.

The New Wave in LTC Hybrids

Info Long-Term Care: A multidisciplinary systematic literature review on frailty: Overview of the methodology used by the Canadian Initiative on Frailty and Aging

BuzzNet Tags: aging,frailty,definition

Abstract: Over the past two decades, there has been a substantial growth in the body of literature on frailty in older persons. However, there is no consensus on its definition or the criteria used to identify frailty. In response to this lack of consensus, the Canadian Initiative on Frailty and Aging carried out a set of systematic reviews of the literature in ten areas of frailty research: biological basis; social basis; prevalence; risk factors; impact; identification; prevention and management; environment and technology; health services; health and social policy. This paper describes the methodology that was developed for the systematic reviews.

Info Long-Term Care: A multidisciplinary systematic literature review on frailty: Overview of the methodology used by the Canadian Initiative on Frailty and Aging

Long-term care costs rise 3.3 percent in 2009 | Healthcare Finance News

BuzzNet Tags: LTC,costs,2009

Despite the economy and subsequent fall in market prices, the cost of long-term care has gone up, according to the 2009 MetLife Market Survey of Nursing Home, Assisted Living, Adult Day Services and Home Care Costs.

Findings of the study include:

• For nursing homes, the highest cost for a private room was reported in Alaska ($584/day) while the lowest was in Louisiana ($132/day).
• Assisted living costs were highest in Wilmington, Del. ($5,219/month) and lowest in North Dakota ($2,041/month).
• The highest home healthcare aide rate was $30 per hour in the Rochester, Minn. area, while the lowest was reported in the Shreveport, La. area at $13 per hour.
• Adult day services were highest in Vermont at $150 per day and lowest in Montgomery, Ala. at $27 per day.

Long-term care costs rise 3.3 percent in 2009 | Healthcare Finance News

Newspaper Investigates Dangerous Mix Of Nursing Homes And Psychotropic Drugs

Technorati Tags: psychotropic drugs,Illinois,LTC

…."Frail and vulnerable residents of nursing homes throughout Illinois are being dosed with powerful psychotropic drugs, leading to tremors, dangerous lethargy and a higher risk of harmful falls or even death, a Tribune investigation has found. Thousands of elderly and disabled people have been affected, many of them drugged without their consent or without a legitimate psychiatric diagnosis that would justify treatment, state and federal inspection reports show."…..

Newspaper Investigates Dangerous Mix Of Nursing Homes And Psychotropic Drugs

Genesee County nursing homes rack up hundreds of care violations | Flint News - - MLive.com

 

GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan -- They are our most fragile and most vulnerable -- and they are not being treated right.

They are being tied down with sheets, being left unsupervised as their caretaker takes a nap, and occasionally being verbally and physically abused, state records show.

In the last two years, Genesee County’s 285 adult foster care facilities have racked up 323 reported violations of state rules, according to a Flint Journal investigation of Michigan Department of Human Services records…..

BuzzNet Tags: LTC,AFC violations

Genesee County nursing homes rack up hundreds of care violations | Flint News - - MLive.com

The Dementia Caregiver's Toolbox : Dementia Book Review - Memory Triggers

 

Memory Triggers is a new series of picture/stimulation books by Nadine Rudner Brechner that were specifically designed for use with persons with dementia by their caregivers. 

Each of three books in the series focuses on one decade:  the 1940's, the 1950's and the 1960's and shows 3 wallet-sized, colored pictures per page, of items that relate to the specific timeperiod.  Using her background as a former activities director and health care manager, Nadine created these books to use with her own mother Charlotte, who has dementia.  Nadine wasn't satisfied with the quality of products available so she decided to create her own…..

BuzzNet Tags: LTC,dementia,memory

The Dementia Caregiver's Toolbox : Dementia Book Review - Memory Triggers

CareRunner Provides The Best Online Tools For Caregivers

BuzzNet Tags: LTC,Caregiver,portal

Post messages and comments to your community about your loved one.

Read More

Have all your medical history stored safely and securely online. It’s easy to print for the next doctor’s visit.

Read More

Answer questions about diseases, drugs, therapies and alternative remedies in our education center.

Read More

CareRunner Provides The Best Online Tools For Caregivers

PatientsLikeMe : Patients Helping Patients Live Better Every Day

Interesting idea. Site is not especially accessible. 

Want to know more about PatientsLikeMe?

Learn all about us. Ask us anything.

Why do we embrace openness,

and what about your privacy?

How do we make money and who are our partners?

Take a moment to read this and find out.

Work in the healthcare industry for a pharmaceutical, insurance or other company?

Looking for more innovative ways to learn from real-world patient experiences? You can find out more about our products and services on our partners site »

PatientsLikeMe : Patients Helping Patients Live Better Every Day

OPM extends window for long-term insurance changes (10/22/09) -- GovExec.com

BuzzNet Tags: LTC,insurance,premiums

Image via Wikipedia

 

In response to a premium hike, the Office of Personnel Management is giving federal employees enrolled in the Long-Term Care Insurance Program two extra months to make changes to their coverage.Daniel Green, OPM's deputy associate director for employee and family support policy, apologized at the October hearing for confusion caused by promotional materials distributed to federal employees enrolled in the program, and said the agency was considering extending the period to enable enrollees to make changes…….

Margaret Baptiste, president of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, said OPM's decision was an important first step, but the agency should consider how to keep the long-term care insurance program strong in the future.

"The downturn in the long-term care insurance industry and further consolidation could make matters worse in 2016 when the contract is rebid," she said, "Consolidation means there is less competitive pressure on carriers to offer the best possible product.”…..

OPM extends window for long-term insurance changes (10/22/09) -- GovExec.com

A Forgotten Health Debate: Funding Long-term Care : NPR

BuzzNet Tags: NPR,LTC

Image via Wikipedia

 

Donna Taylor's father was the rock of the family. He was the primary caregiver for his disabled wife and her elderly mother. But he got sick and went into the hospital for 10 days. When he got out, he couldn't walk.

Taylor, 41, and her siblings — all of whom had families and children of their own — helped out. But with three elderly, disabled adults in one house, caregiving got expensive. Taylor says her father was surprised at how quickly the family went through its savings.

"He said, 'I worked and I did the right things. I had a pension and I put money away in savings and I had what I thought were the right insurances and the money didn't go far enough.' It just, it just wasn't enough."……

A Forgotten Health Debate: Funding Long-term Care : NPR

AMERICAblog Gay | A great people deserve their rights: HHS to Create a National Resource Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders

BuzzNet Tags: LGBT,LTC

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced plans to establish the nation’s first national resource center to assist communities across the country in their efforts to provide services and supports for older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals.
Experts estimate that as many as 1.5 to 4 million LGBT individuals are age 60 and older. Agencies that provide services to older individuals may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with the needs of this group of individuals. The new Resource Center for LGBT Elders will provide information, assistance and resources for both LGBT organizations and mainstream aging services providers at the state and community level to assist them in the development and provision of culturally sensitive supports and services. The LGBT Center will also be available to educate the LGBT community about the importance of planning ahead for future long term care needs.

AMERICAblog Gay | A great people deserve their rights: HHS to Create a National Resource Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders

Senate addresses long-term care plan - Cleveland.com

 

If you live long enough after becoming seriously sick or disabled, chances are high that you will spend all your money, be declared poor and get the government to pay for your care.

It happens to millions every year. But Congress could soon give working Americans another choice. Buried in congressional health care reform proposals is a seldom-mentioned plan for a government-run long-term care insurance program…….

BuzzNet Tags: LTC,insurance

Senate addresses long-term care plan - Cleveland.com

The Faces of Medicaid III: Refining the Portrait of People with Multiple Chronic Conditions

 

While creating better systems of care for aged, blind, and disabled beneficiaries is a priority within Medicaid, it is a challenge given the vast heterogeneity of this complex population. The Faces of Medicaid III: Refining the Portrait of People with Multiple Chronic Conditions provides insights for targeting efforts to improve care and control spending for the program's highest-need, highest-cost beneficiaries.

Building on the 2007 Faces of Medicaid II report, this subsequent analysis examines two data sets -- pharmacy claims and five years of diagnostic data -- to further refine what is known about Medicaid beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions. Researchers Rick Kronick, PhD, and Todd Gilmer, PhD, both from the University of California, San Diego, found that by looking at pharmacy data in addition to claims:

• The proportion of Medicaid beneficiaries with disabilities who are diagnosed with three or more chronic conditions increases from 35 percent to 45 percent;
• The frequency of psychiatric illness among Medicaid beneficiaries with disabilities increases from 29 percent to 49 percent, and the prevalence of cardiovascular disease increases from 32 percent to 44 percent; and
• Costs for beneficiaries with three or more chronic conditions increases from 66 percent to 75 percent of total spending for beneficiaries with disabilities…….
BuzzNet Tags: LTC,Medicaid,chronic conditions

The Faces of Medicaid III: Refining the Portrait of People with Multiple Chronic Conditions

David Oaks, Director: MindFreedom International

BuzzNet Tags: Recovery process,MFI,Utne,David Oaks

ABC News had just done a feature on mental health and had prominently featured MindFreedom International, a group that advocates for “psychiatric survivors” who have battled mental and emotional problems. But the second half of the show hinged on the lurid tale of a guy who had gone off his meds and committed an ax murder. Typical media sensationalism, says MindFreedom director David Oaks.

“How do you debate an ax murderer?” he vents. “There are no issues there. We’re pro-choice on taking psych drugs. So that was very frustrating.”……

David Oaks, Director: MindFreedom International

Atlanta Action Redux

 

So, my netbook decided to start hating the hotel wireless and Atlanta and I never had the time or inclination to buy the wireless service when I moved on to DC, so here I am back in MI wanting to say something at least about the final 2 days of the Atlanta ADAPT action!

Tuesday was, by far, the most intense of the 3 days of direct action.  We assembled in the ballroom, as it was still raining, before venturing forth to the Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights regional headquarters.

Our aim was to start an authentic conversation about enforcing the Olmstead supreme court decision in Georgia and the surrounding south eastern region.  Complying with this ADA case law would mean providing long term care services to people with disabilities in the least restrictive setting, namely, not an institution.  The case was decided a decade ago, in 1999, but there are not mechanisms in place for the government to hold itself accountable to the ruling.  ADAPT showed up in force to raise this issue in a way that a few local “advocates” cannot do on their own with polite phone calls and letters.  This is not to diminish the efforts of those in Atlanta working every day to free our people.  However, there comes a time when power is so unbalanced that direct action is the only way to create the tension necessary to force dialogue…..

BuzzNet Tags: ADAPT,Atlanta

Atlanta Action Redux

Results For "mental illness hope recovery" - SearchMedica - Professional Medical Search

 Many More articles-most crap, some good…..

CME (22)

BuzzNet Tags: recovery,search,articles

Complementary Medicine (8)

1 Illness Management and Recovery for Veterans With Severe Mental Illness - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov

Psychiatric symptoms substance abuse hope employment independent living [ Time Frame: 18 ... step to systematically evaluating the effectiveness of a comprehensive manual-based approach to improving recovery outcomes for veterans with severe mental illness. As an implementation package IMR offers mental health providers useful tools that could be widely disseminated across the VA system. ... http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00515671

www.clinicaltrials.gov Aug 17, 2009
Cached Was this helpful?

2 How to Support Recovery for People With Mental Illness -- Diamond 60 (9): 1155 -- Psychiatr Serv

Chronically Mentally Ill Patients Recovery Related Article Taking Issue How to Support Recovery for People With Mental Illness Ronald J. Diamond M.D. Department of Psychiatry University of Wisconsin Madison ... First support the attitude of recovery whenever and wherever it occurs. Support hope. ... http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/short/60/9/1155

ps.psychiatryonline.org Sep 1, 2009

Results For "mental illness hope recovery" - SearchMedica - Professional Medical Search

IRS Announces Higher Tax Deductions For Long Term Care Insurance, Long Term Care Insurance

 

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has approved increased deductibility levels for long term care insurance policies purchased in 2010 according to a just-issued report by the American Association for Long Term Care Insurance, the industry trade group……

BuzzNet Tags: LTC,insurance,IRS,deduction

IRS Announces Higher Tax Deductions For Long Term Care Insurance, Long Term Care Insurance

Medicaid spending for home- and community-based care soars, report finds - McKnight's Long Term Care News

 

Medicaid spending for home- and community-based services (HCBS) skyrocketed by 81.5% between fiscal years 2001 and 2007, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Center for Assisted Living. Meanwhile, spending on nursing homes grew by a modest 9.8% during that time……

BuzzNet Tags: HCBS,spending

Medicaid spending for home- and community-based care soars, report finds - McKnight's Long Term Care News

California Home Care Cuts Put on Hold | PHInational.org

Technorati Tags: California,HCBS,home care

A federal judge stopped the state from sending notices to 130,000 elderly and disabled Californians to inform them that their home care supportive services would be reduced — or eliminated entirely — on November 1.

A temporary restraining order — granted the day before the letters were to be dropped in the mail — prohibits the state from sending the notices until a court decides on October 19 whether it should issue a longer preliminary injunction.

The ruling is a win for advocates and unions that filed a federal class-action lawsuit on behalf of California’s home care supportive clients.

California Home Care Cuts Put on Hold | PHInational.org

Disability Protest at CNN World HQ - iReport.com

 

Disability Protest at CNN World HQ - iReport.com

Technorati Tags: ADAPT,CNN,CCA

Disabled advocates score meeting with GA gov staf

ATLANTA (AP) - A group of disabled advocates who forced their way into the State Capitol have left after scoring a meeting with Gov. Sonny Perdue's chief of staff.

Roughly 200 protesters representing a national organization of disabled activists surrounded the Capitol Monday morning.....

Supporting culture change in nursing home

 

1328_Stone_supporting_culture_change_smarter_state_nursing_home_reg.pdf (application/pdf Object)

ABSTRACT: The traditional nursing home regulatory approach, which uses survey and enforcement to achieve performance improvement, has created tensions between providers and surveyors. It has had limited success in improving quality overall and not necessarily allowed innovation to flourish. This has been the perception of many homes wanting to undergo transformative “culture change” reforms. To move toward a new model of nursing home regulation, the states and federal government must strike a balance between the traditional regulatory approach to weed out substandard facilities and a partnership model aimed at promoting high performance. This issue brief highlights the importance of how such a model is structured, as well as the need to adequately train and educate regulatory staff and providers about culture change. Regulators, providers, consumer groups, residents, and their families also will need to commit to the principles of person-centered care to ensure the success of the new collaborative approach….

Download Original Article through this link

BuzzNet Tags: LTC,nursing homes,culture change

ADAPT Press Release: Atlanta Action

….."We're here in Atlanta to demand freedom from nursing homes and
institutions for people with disabilities and who are older," said Randy
Alexander, Organizer for Tennessee ADAPT. "Currently, Medicaid law is
biased in favor of forcing people into expensive nursing facilities and
other institutions, rather than mandating that people can choose to stay
at home with the assistance they need. As a result, hundreds of thousands
of older and disabled Americans have lost their homes and their freedom,
and have been virtually locked up for the crime of disability or age. It's
a violation of our civil rights!"……

BuzzNet Tags: ADAPT,Atlanta

See original

Your gateway to info about STOPPING FDA rubber stamp of ECT — MFI Portal

BuzzNet Tags: Recovery,ECT,fight

he US Food and Drug Administration wants to give the device used for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT or electroshock) a rubber stamp of approval without ever having investigated the device for safety or efficacy. Here's your gateway to the latest info about the campaign to say "no" to reclassification, how to take action, and background information.

Your gateway to info about STOPPING FDA rubber stamp of ECT — MFI Portal