Civic Engagement Keeps Aging Americans Mentally Healthy After Physical Decline

People who continuously participate in community groups are often spared losses in psychological well-being after developing functional limitations, according to an article published in the latest issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences (Vol. 62B, No. 1).

Individuals who were ongoing members of religious organizations in particular showed higher levels of personal growth than those who were not. The research also found lesser hikes in depressive symptoms among men steadily involved in recreational associations, such as hobby or discussion groups.

Connecting Tags; community-based, peer, social production, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

AARP Announces 2007 Legislative Agenda

AARP at a news conference on Wednesday said that examining how Medicare reimburses physicians and managed care plans and giving the government the authority to negotiate prescription drug prices under the Medicare drug benefit are at the top of the group's legislative agenda this year, CQ HealthBeat reports. Officials also said AARP would support bills to permit the reimportation of lower-cost prescription drugs from other nations and to expand market access to generic drugs, including biotechnology drugs. In addition, the group plans to lobby for expanding health coverage through Medicaid and SCHIP. The group will continue to promote preventive care, widespread use of health care information technology and chronic care coordination. AARP officials also indicated that the group might support reducing government payments to Medicare Advantage plans. The group said it will continue to oppose the creation of private accounts within Social Security. AARP CEO Bill Novelli said, "We have a narrow window of opportunity before the 2008 presidential election heats up. It's really time for the tired old era of gridlock to stop" (Carey, CQ HealthBeat, 2/21).

Connecting Tags; Medicaid, Medicare, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

AHCA/NCAL Backs Smith-Lincoln Bill To Help Americans Plan Their Retirement Needs

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) today praised legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) that, through changes in the federal tax code, would encourage more Americans to plan and finance their future long term care costs and needs.

Connecting Tags; LTC, economics, tool, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Nursing homes: Business as usual

In 1987, Congress passed a landmark law meant to improve nursing home care for the elderly. But our investigation reveals that poor care is still all too common, especially at nursing homes run by for-profit chains, now the dominant force in the industry.

Consumer Reports' analysis found that not-for-profit homes generally provide better care than for-profit homes, and that independently run nursing homes appear to provide better care than those that are owned by chains. In a separate study, we found that many states are lax in penalizing bad homes.

For this report, we analyzed the three most recent state inspection reports for some 16,000 nursing homes across the U.S. We also examined staffing levels and so-called quality indicators, such as how many residents develop pressure sores when they have no risk factors for them.

Connecting Tags; long term care, economics, rights, choice, abuse, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Issue Brief Describes Innovative Health Insurance Benefit Design; Perspective Discusses In-Store Clinics

"Benefit Design Innovations: Implications for Consumer-Directed Health Care," Center for Studying Health System Change: The issue brief examines how innovative health insurance benefit designs that include incentives to promote healthy behavior; use of efficient providers; and that vary by service, condition or income of a person, can improve the effectiveness of higher cost sharing in reducing health care cost growth. The issue brief also discusses challenges for implementation of innovative benefit design

Connecting Tags; Medicaid, Medicare, economics, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Simple, Inexpensive Solution To Common Cause Of Injury For Seniors

New research suggests that reducing the number of falls suffered by seniors in nursing homes may be helped by taking a vitamin, along with other measures known to decrease falls. According to a study in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, seniors taking a high daily dose of vitamin D experienced 72 percent fewer falls compared to those taking a placebo.

Approximately 50 percent of nursing home residents fall every year, and those who are injured become even more prone to future falls.

Connecting Tags; Medicare, long term care, tool, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

New Device Safeguards Against Medication Errors At Home

Patients suffering from chronic illness such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and depression, can take six-to-nine different medications a day - oftentimes more. Skipped doses, misinterpretation or labels, or confusion over what pills to take at what time can be fatal.

Larry Shusterman, DO, an internal medicine and geriatrics physician and a former pharmacist, has created a way to stop medication mismanagement through the Medi-Sure Medication Dispensing System, an automated device programmed by a pharmacist and used in the patient's home.

Connecting Tags; AT, Medicare, tool, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Uric Acid Levels Tied To Impaired Thinking In The Elderly

Even mildly elevated levels of uric acid in the elderly are associated with slower thinking and memory problems, according to a report by researchers at Yale and Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine in Neuropsychology.

The researchers found that elderly individuals with uric acid levels at the high end of the normal range had the lowest scores on tests measuring mental processing speed, verbal memory and working memory. The study included among 96 persons between the ages of 60 and 92.

Connecting Tags; long term care, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

s Medicaid Sustainable? Spending Projections For The Program's Second Forty Years

We constructed long-term projections of Medicaid spending and compared projected growth in spending with that of state and federal revenues. Notwithstanding the anticipated decline in employer-sponsored insurance and the long-term care needs of the baby boomers, we project that Medicaid spending as a share of national health spending will average 16.6 percent from 2006 to 2025--roughly unchanged from 16.5 percent in 2005--and then increase slowly to 19.0 percent by 2045. Growth in government revenues is projected to be large enough to sustain both Medicaid spending increases and substantial real growth in spending for other services.

Connecting Tags; Medicaid, economics, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Toward Real Medicaid Reform

In this paper we argue that there is a real need for Medicaid reform primarily because of the large differences among states in coverage and benefits and because of the program's high and rising costs. We describe and develop several options for Medicaid reform that would expand coverage, provide fiscal relief to states, shift responsibility for some or all of the care of dual eligibles to the federal government, and eliminate or restructure disproportionate-share hospital (DSH) payments. We conclude with a discussion on a number of other issues, particularly Medicaid cost containment and the federal matching payment structure

Connecting Tags; Medicaid, economics, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Long-term care debated

Two bills allowing Utahns to receive long-term care at home received very different legislative treatment Monday.
A Senate committee killed HB249, which would have required lawmakers, when making their annual budget priorities, to consider funding for programs that provide in-home or community-based care for the elderly or disabled.
Sponsoring Rep. Eric Hutchings, R-Kearns, said it was clear the bill was "going down in flames" after members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee expressed concerns that HB249 subverted the existing budget process by putting preference for in-home care into statute.
The irony with the argument, Hutchings said, is lawmakers being concerned the bill would limit their choices when Utahns' choices are limited every day by existing policies.
"We're telling people in the state of Utah: 'You will go into a nursing home,"' he said. "It's not about a budget meeting, it's not about an issue of finances. It's about telling grandma, 'Grandpa's already dead, you're the only one left, and in order to get help you're going into a nursing home. And if you don't like it, tough.'"

Connecting Tags; long term care, community-based, choice, rights, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Sleep Disturbance Puts Seniors At Risk For Falls

Sleep disturbances common in older people can lead to an increased risk of falling during waking hours, according to research published in the latest issue of The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences (Vol. 62A, No. 1). In a special section devoted to sleep disorders, this edition of the journal features four separate reports on the topic.

Connecting Tags; Medicare, long term care, economics, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Fraunhofer IESE Presents The Intelligent Apartment

ntelligent assisted living systems are the focus of the presentation of Fraunhofer IESE at this year's CeBIT in Hanover. A miniature version of the institute's own Assisted Living Laboratory will give visitors interesting insights into state-of-the-art research in this highly practice-relevant area. The goal is to enable elderly persons or those requiring care to remain longer in their own homes, living a self-determined life with the support of ultra-modern information technology.

Connecting Tags; tech, tool, long term care, community-based, choice, accessibility, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Sen. Rodham Clinton To Reintroduce Health IT, Caregiver Bills

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday announced that she will reintroduce legislation that would broaden the use of electronic health records and give principal caregivers temporary respite, CQ HealthBeat reports. Clinton's first legislative proposal -- outlined during a speech Tuesday to AARP -- would allow hospitals and doctors electronic access to patients' health records.

Connecting Tags; Medicare, LTC, community-based, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Medicare Patients: Keep An Eye On Your Insurance Coverage

Medicare recipients who become candidates for total hip or total knee replacement in the next decade will likely see their out-of-pocket expenses increase according to a study presented today at the 74th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Medicare represents the single largest payor for hip and knee arthroplasty in the United States and this provider's coverage decisions affect not only patients, but also surgeons, hospitals and taxpayers.

Connecting Tags; Medicare, economics, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

'Walkable' Communities May Make Elders Healthier

Some of a neighborhood's features -- the length of its blocks, how many grocery stores or restaurants are nearby -- may be more than selling points for real estate agents. A new study suggests such factors may work to beat back obesity in older people by increasing a neighborhood's "walkability."

Connecting Tags; community-based, tool, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Long Term Care Providers Criticize Administration Budget, USA

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care (the Alliance) expressed great concern with the Administration's budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2008. If implemented, it would have serious and lasting repercussions on the nursing home care relied upon daily by 1.5 million frail, elderly and disabled citizens. The Administration's budget calls for more than $10 billion in cuts to Medicare funding for skilled nursing facility (SNF) care over five years.

Connecting Tags; Medicaid, Medicare, economics, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Cuts To Medicare, Medicaid To Have Lasting Repercussions On U.S. Seniors' Care Quality

In response to the testimony of Acting Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Leslie Norwalk before the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) said the Administration's proposed FY 2008 Budget is "far off course" in terms of strengthening the nation's long term care system, and warned pending cuts to Medicare and Medicaid would have lasting repercussions on the quality of care provided to the nation's seniors.

Connecting Tags; long term care, Medicaid, Medicare, economics, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Competition and choice in the care home sector for older people: A case study of the market in Surrey

Competition in the care home sector for older people is encouraged as a means of increasing efficiency, driving down prices and raising quality. Choice is promoted to meet user expectations of healthcare and to improve service provision. The purpose of this study is to consider the evidence of care home provider competition and enhanced user choice through analysis of a discrete market area in the south of England. Data were collected from care home directories compiled by the National Care Standards Commission and the inspection reports on care homes. Longitudinal changes to the structure of the care home market are analysed from 1999-2003. Choice is investigated with reference to fees paid and vacancy rates in homes. Results indicate that the Surrey market reflects national evidence. This exemplifies how immediate choice is only realistically available for those with a willingness and ability to pay higher fees

Connecting Tags; economics, community-based, long term care, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Expanding Choice for Consumers

A summary of grant results on Choice for consumers of long term care. A PDF file.

Connecting Tags; choice, community-based, Medicaid, long term care, tool, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Elderly Married Couples Don't Let Nursing Homes Keep Them Apart

Seniors work hard to keep their marriages alive and well, even after one spouse falls ill and goes into a long-term care facility, according to a new study from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.

Researcher Robin Stadnyk was surprised to discover that community-dwelling spouses were heavily involved in the lives of their institutionalized partners, and that many of the couples stayed active together both inside and outside the nursing home.

Connecting Tags; Medicaid, long term care, choice, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Twelve Reform Steps for Texas

LTC reform is number 2.

Connecting Tags; Medicaid, long term care, economics, community-based, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Update on AARP LTC web page

Check out the new stuff at this informative site.

Connecting Tags; Medicaid, Medicare, long term care, rights, housing, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Ten Cosponsors Line Up Behind Home Oxygen Protection Act, H.R. 621, USA

The first cosponsors of the Home Oxygen Patient Protection Act (H.R. 621) have appeared in the Congressional Record.

There are ten cosponsors - two Republicans and eight Democrats - listed below. The bill was introduced last month by Congressman Tom Price, MD (R-Ga.). AAHomecare thanks state homecare associations in New York (NYMEP), New England (NEMED), North Carolina (NCAMES), Maryland (MNCHA), Missouri (MAMES) and other homecare stakeholders who helped secure these commitments.

Connecting Tags; community-based, Medicaid, Medicare, long term care, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Common Anesthetic May Induce Cell Death, Generation Of Alzheimer's-Associated Protein

A new study has found how one of the most commonly used anesthetics may produce Alzheimer's-like changes in the brain. Previous studies have shown that applying the anesthetic isoflurane to cultured neural cells can lead to generation of amyloid-beta protein -- the key component of senile plaques seen in the brains of Alzheimer's patients -- and to the cell-death process known as apoptosis. In the Feb. 7 Journal of Neuroscience, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and colleagues describe how isoflurane may set off a process in which A-beta generation and apoptosis interact with and magnify each other

Connecting Tags; long term care, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Fact Sheets Examine Medicare, Long-Term Care Spending; Medicaid; Long-Term Spending Data

Fact sheets, Georgetown University Long-Term Care Financing Project: The Georgetown University Long-Term Care Financing Project has released two new fact sheets on Medicare and long-term care and Medicaid policy that aims to protect the incomes and resources of spouses of nursing home residents who are trying to enroll in Medicaid. The project also has updated its 2005 national long-term care spending estimates (Georgetown University Long-Term Care Financing Project, February 2007).

Connecting Tags; long term care, economics, Medicare, Medicaid, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

34% Of Elderly U.S. Residents Using Long-Term Care Insurance Claim Coverage For In-Home Care, According To Study

About 34% of elderly U.S. residents who have long-term care insurance and claimed benefits used it last year to pay for in-home care, according to a study released last week by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports. Nearly 30% of long-term care payments in 2006 were for assisted living costs, and about 36% of payments were for nursing home care, the study found. Total payout for long-term care in 2006 amounted to $3.3 billion.

Connecting Tags; long term care, community-based, economics, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Ohio lags in providing seniors in-home care

COLUMBUS - Ohio's Medicaid costs for senior citizens' long-term care are among the most expensive in the country, and the state's reliance on costly nursing homes can't be sustained as the number of older people swells, according to a study released Monday by a group that advocates in-home care.

Ohio ranks 49th in providing seniors with less-expensive, in-home care services, said the study commissioned by the Ohio Council for Home Care, a trade group that represents personal care aides and hospice workers. Only Mississippi's Medicaid program spends less on home care.

The $25,000 study was conducted independently by a Columbus-based research firm that examined state budget data, along with information provided by the AARP, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kaiser Family Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit health group.

Connecting Tags; long term care, waiver, community-based, choice, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Study: In-home care for elderly saves state cash

COLUMBUS - A study released yesterday suggests Ohio taxpayers could save hundreds of millions of dollars by caring for more of its elderly and disabled at home rather than in nursing homes.

The study, commissioned by the home-health-care industry, renews the tug-of-war over $5 billion in annual Medicaid spending on long-term care that occurs before passage of each two-year state budget.

Connecting Tags; Medicaid, community-based, choice, waiver, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

States feel the pinch of tight federal budget

States would be spared draconian cuts next year under President Bush’s plan to balance the federal budget by 2012, but health, social and other programs important to states still would be squeezed.

Only defense and homeland security saw substantial boosts in Bush’s war-time budget proposal, the first he has presented to a Democratic-controlled Congress. His $2.9 trillion blueprint for fiscal 2008 resurrects some failed budget cuts and seeks to wring new savings that will be felt by states, primarily in health-care funding.

Connecting Tags; Medicaid, Medicare, economics, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

Dissent vast on futile-care reform

The effort to reform a state law that allows hospitals to halt a patient's life-sustaining treatment is at an impasse.

A coalition of doctors, hospitals, right-to-life groups and disability activists had been asked to determine whether the statute gives families "sufficient opportunity" to find a transfer for a loved one if they disagree with the hospital's decision.

Connecting Tags; Medicaid, Medicare, long term care, rights, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

LONG-TERM CARE REFORM: LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS TO SHIFT CARE TO THE COMMUNITY

egislators are key players in each state’s political system. They join with a state’s chief executive to develop the framework for public policy and for its implementation. In the course of a legislator’s career, he or she is faced with a myriad of critical issues from highway construction to educational issues to health and drug safety.

In recent years, one of the most significant of these issues – and one of the toughest challenges – for state legislators has been escalating Medicaid spending, which now outranks education as the largest slice of a state’s budget. Total Medicaid expenditures in FY 2005 were $304.5 billion, of which about 31 percent or $94.8 billion was allocated to long-term care.

Connecting Tags; long term care, Medicaid, economics, community-based, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy

No-Cost, In-Home Care For Elderly Provided By Family Members Amounts To An Estimated $306B Annually

Nearly 80% of all long-term care is provided in-home, most of it by family members at no cost, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The care that "29 million Americans provide for free amounts to an estimated $306 billion" annually, according to the Inquirer.

Connecting Tags; long term care, community-based, economics, social production, fan-the-flame, copower, prosynergy