Costs for long term care continue to rise

NEW YORK (AP) - The costs for long-term care have gone up for a fifth straight year.

Genworth Financial has found that charges for nursing homes, assisted living facilities and some in-home care services are up anywhere from 7 to 25% in the last five years.

The national average annual cost of a nursing home is more than $76,000, a 17% jump since 2004. The cost of assisted living facilities went up by 25%, from just under $29,000 to more than $36,000.

The study predicts that those fees will continue to rise because of a shortage of long-term care workers at a time when more baby boomers are reaching retirement.

ADAPT is in the House! 25th Anniversary of Activism Starts with

For Immediate Release
April 27, 2008

For information contact:
Bob Kafka 512-431-4085
Marsha Katz 406-544-9504
http://www.adapt25.org


ADAPT is in the House! 25th Anniversary of Activism Starts with
Fundraising Run; Press Conference on Tuesday


Washington, D.C.--- 500 bright orange vests lit the drizzly, grey
Washington, DC, day as ADAPT members from nearly every state in the Union
did fundraising laps around Upper Senate Park warming up for a week of
activism and the celebration of ADAPT's 25th anniversary. The funds raised
will support activists living on fixed disability and retirement incomes
to participate at ADAPT actions confronting the people in power who make
policy and law about their lives.


The national honorary runner for the fundraiser was Marca Bristo, award
winning President and CEO of Access Living in Chicago, IL; a founder and
former President of the National Council on Independent Living; and a
former Chairperson of the National Council on Disability, appointed by
President Bill Clinton. Donors interested in sponsoring Bristo's laps can
still do so at http://www.adaptfunrun.org .


ADAPT is in D.C. to advance the Community Choice Act (CCA), legislation
that would allow older and disabled people to stay in their own homes with
the supports and services they need instead of being forced into nursing
homes and other institutions. The CCA (S. 799, H.R. 1621) is bipartisan
legislation introduced simultaneously in the United States Senate and
House of Representatives. ADAPT activities this week will target people
and organizations that continue to create barriers preventing people with
disabilities from living full, rich lives in their own homes and
communities, near their families and friends.


On Tuesday, April 29, ADAPT will also hold a press conference announcing
the country's "Ten Worst" and "Ten Best" states for community-based
services. There will be an additional five "honorable" mentions for the
best states and five "dishonorable" mentions for the worst states. ADAPT's
"Ten Worst" and "Ten Best" are announced every few years and represent a
"snapshot" of how the states compare with one another in that year. All
selections are made using easily available data from trusted public
sources of information and one national survey.


ADAPT will conclude a week of activism with a 25th anniversary celebration on
Thursday, May 1. Several rooms of historical displays will be open to the
public at the Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C Street, starting at 10 a.m.

# # #
FOR MORE INFORMATION on ADAPT visit our website at http://www.adapt.org/

ADAPTStorms HHS

*Our man Teddy is holding the big yellow/white umbrella. -s



500 ADAPT disability activists from the county surround the US Department of Health & Human Services in the pouring rain. They demonstrate in support of the thousands of people with disabilities and older Americans who continue to be unnecessarily forced into and kept in nursing homes and other institutions because of the inaction and development of barrier-ridden regulations by HHS and the Bush Administration.

Keep up to date on what is happening: http://www.disabled-soapbox.org

Photo: Under yellow & white umbrella is Teddy Fitzmaurice. 7873 Woodingham, West Bloomfield, MI
--
Susan Fitzmaurice

Disabled Soapbox - everything I do under 1 roof!
http://www.disabled-soapbox.org

Teddy's Ts - Messages of Empowerment
http://www.teddyfitzm.info

In-Home Health Care Via Wireless Networks, NSF Awards $1.5M For Study

Rice University, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and Technology For All (TFA) have received a $1.5 million federal grant for research in east Houston that will examine ways to provide novel, low-cost, personalized health monitoring to people with chronic diseases living in working-class communities.

The researchers plan to examine how patients with chronic diseases use inexpensive handheld wireless monitoring devices called Blue Boxes, to participate actively in their own medical treatment. The National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will pay for the development and testing of the Blue Boxes and the wireless broadband network that will connect the devices to a central source for analysis.

Bush signs falls prevention bill

President Bush late last week signed the Safety of Seniors Act, a bill that aims to raise awareness about falls among the elderly and expands research into identifying at-risk populations.

Nationally, 42% of all nursing home admissions take place as a direct result of one or more geriatric falls, according to Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who sponsored the House version of the legislation.

The Department of Health and Human Services will award grant money to state and local education campaigns that aim to raise awareness and ultimately prevent falls, under the bill. Also, the law requires HHS to disclose the effects of falls on healthcare costs.

More than $19 billion annually is spent on treating the elderly for the adverse effects of falls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: $12 billion for hospitalization, $4 billion for emergency department visits, and $3 billion for outpatient care.

Senate speeds to vote on Medicaid moratorium bill

Senators could vote as early as this week on a bill to delay seven Medicaid regulations. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) late last week granted fast-track status to the legislation (H.R. 5613).

As a result of Reid's move, the legislation bypassed the Senate Finance Committee and heads straight to the Senate. The House last week passed the bill by a strong majority – enough to override a potential presidential veto. The Bush administration would be willing work with lawmakers on some of the rules, according to Kerry Weems, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Congressmen and governors have sharply criticized the rules because of their expected negative impact on Medicaid funding to states. The rules would place limits on Medicaid funding to government-owned nursing homes and hospitals, among other restrictions. The bill would delay the regulations, many of which are scheduled to take effect in coming weeks, until April 1, 2009.

IOM Report “Major Step Forward” for DCWs

“It is clear that a change in culture is needed - that both health care workers and health care organizations need to change the way they think about direct-care workers and, in particular, that the direct-care workers need to be seen as a vital part of the health care team,” says Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The institute is part of the National Academy of Sciences.

The report, from the IOM’s Committee on the Future Health Care Workforce for Older Americans, also calls for concrete improvements in the quality of direct-care jobs. It advocates a three-pronged approach:

• More, and more effective, education and training;
• Increased wages and benefits; and
• Improvements to the work environment, such as empowerment strategies and culture change.

When the IOM talks, Congress generally listens. Past IOM reports have led to major improvements in our health care system - like the Nursing Home Reform Act of OBRA 1987, which grew out of an IOM report on long-term care. The current report is focused on how we can prepare for the coming baby boomer “age wave” by ensuring that the nation has an adequate and capable geriatric care workforce.

CMS Adds Searchable Database Of Lowest-Quality Nursing Homes Nationwide To Web Site

CMS on Thursday added to the Nursing Home Compare Web site a searchable database with the names of nursing homes that rank in the lowest 5% to 10% in quality based on state inspection results, the Wall Street Journal reports. CMS first released the information in the database as a list of Special Focus Facilities that includes about 130 of the 16,000 nursing homes in the U.S. In addition to the database, the Web site, which CMS updates monthly, includes summarized information from state inspections and data that nursing homes must submit to regulators about their residents.

House overwhelmingly approves Medicaid moratorium bill

The House Wednesday approved by a veto-proof margin a bill that would delay the implementation of seven onerous Medicaid regulations until April 1, 2009.

Lawmakers approved by a vote of 349-62 Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008 (H.R. 5613). The legislation would place a moratorium on pending regulations that, among other consequences, restrict the use of the allowable provider tax and curtail Medicaid funding to government-funded skilled nursing facilities and other healthcare facilities. One rule that limits provider taxes was scheduled to go into effect on Tuesday. The Bush administration on Tuesday has threatened to veto the legislation, which now moves to the Senate.

More states offer choice in long-term care

After Anna G., a 74-year-old New Jersey woman, suffered a stroke, she needed help with bathing, dressing, food shopping, laundry, meal preparation and housekeeping. Her state Medicaid plan covered the cost of a home-health care worker to provide those services, but the local agencies were short-staffed and couldn’t send helpers on the schedule Anna needed.

Anna’s daughter finally insisted her mother go to a nursing home and when Anna refused, the New Jersey Department of Human Services gave her another option: a monthly stipend to hire her own helpers. Anna paid a cousin and a neighbor to take care of her and avoided checking into a nursing facility, a move medical experts say dramatically decreases the length and quality of an elder’s life.

The solution to Anna’s problem — a non-traditional Medicaid program called Cash and Counseling — was pioneered by New Jersey, Florida and Arkansas in the late 1990s with seed grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration on Aging and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The same grants were extended to12 more states — Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia – in 2004.

Now, the Medicaid option — which allows elders to avoid tapping into the overburdened home health care industry — is spreading across the country. At least 18 more states already have plans to offer Cash and Counseling programs starting in 2008 or later, according to a new study by the Center for Health Care Strategies.

Martha talking to the Senate

Video too!!

Chairman Kohl, Ranking Member Smith and members of the Committee: I appreciate the invitation to testify before you today and am honored to be here.

You have chosen a subject that is increasingly critical to our quality of life—not only for older Americans but for family members who care for them. I look forward to learning from the work of the Committee as it continues to examine this issue. The experience of the distinguished professionals on your panel today will be important as well.

I respond to your invitation today as a member of a family whose eyes were opened by personal experience—and to share what we have been learning at the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

Advocates laud Elder Justice Act

The Elder Justice Act (HR 1783) received a heap of accolades from senior care advocates and industry representatives at a hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday.

Testimony from AARP and Robert Blancato, national coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition, highlighted the care community's support of the bill, which was introduced last year by Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-IL).

Among the more than 556,000 confirmed cases of elder abuse recorded in 2004, 20,000 of those occurred in a nursing home or long-term care facility, said Blancato, speaking to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. In its submitted testimony, AARP echoed Blancato's sentiments of concern and praised the legislation.

A Quick Look at Alzheimers: Four Short Films for Download

Developed in partnership with the Alliance for Aging Research, these four very-short films aim to increase understanding of Alzheimer's disease. The creators of the films call them"pocket" films because of their brevity and portability; they are designed to be viewed anywhere at anytime: a doctor's office, a Congressional hallway, a family living room.

The films are designed to be downloaded to iTunes, or to your desktop.

http://www.aboutalz.org/

People First Theatre Troupe dramatizes the stories of persons with intellectual disabilities.

As his wheelchair is pushed through the doors of the nursing home, Michael (Gordie Arsenault) wipes a tear from his eye.

The actor is portraying a man with an intellectual disability who has had an accident.

Michael has fallen off a stepladder and broken his leg.

But that’s not what hurts him the most. Michael has a broken heart. Ever since the accident happened, his sister has wanted him out of her home. She is going to have a baby and can’t take care of him anymore.

The Guardian photo

That is why he is moving into a long-term care facility.

And he’s not happy about it.

“Bingo and no beer, boy this place is going to be hard on the head. The only thing left is solitaire,” says Michael as he listens to the orderly, Ralph (Norman Pickering), listing off house rules.

It’s a scene from a new play by Vian Emery. From Pillar to Post will be performed by the People First Theatre Troupe at The Guild in Charlottetown on April 24.

The play deals with what often happens to persons with intellectual disabilities, following an accident or the death of a parent, when they are placed into long-term care facilities because there’s nowhere else for them to go.

Study links incontinence drugs with memory problems

CHICAGO (AP) - Commonly used incontinence drugs may cause memory problems in some older people, a study has found. "Our message is to be careful when using these medicines," said U.S. Navy neurologist Dr. Jack Tsao, who led the study. "It may be better to use diapers and be able to think clearly than the other way around."

Urinary incontinence sometimes can be resolved with non-drug treatments, he added, so patients should ask about alternatives. Exercises, biofeedback and keeping to a schedule of bathroom breaks work for many.

U.S. sales of prescription drugs to treat urinary problems topped $3 billion in 2007, according to IMS Health, which tracks drug sales. Bladder control trouble affects about one in 10 people age 65 and older, according to the National Institute on Aging, which helped fund the study. Women are more likely to be affected than men. Causes include nerve damage, loss of muscle tone or, in men, enlarged prostate.

Martha Stewart, Institute Of Medicine Testify At Aging Hearing On Expanding Health Care Workforce

Today U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI) held a hearing to address the impending severe shortage of health care workers who are adequately trained and prepared to care for older Americans. The committee reviewed key factors that are contributing to the deficiency, such as the lack of geriatric training in the medical education system and the need for federal and state training requirements for direct care workers, such as home health aides and personal care attendants. The panel also heard from family caregivers that enhanced education and training would help them develop the necessary skills to provide the best possible care for an ailing family member. Currently there are over 44 million Americans serving voluntarily as the sole source of care for an older family member or loved one. Chairman Kohl announced his plan to incorporate lessons from today's hearing into legislation to expand, train, and support all sectors of the health care workforce, including doctors, nurses, direct care workers, and family caregivers.

"By the year 2020, it is estimated that the number of older adults in need of care will increase by one-third," said Chairman Kohl. "The United States will not be able to meet the approaching demand for health care and long-term care without a workforce that is prepared for the job. Fortunately, understanding what we need to change is half the battle, and this hearing provides us with that knowledge."

The hearing was the first in which Congress reviewed the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) major recommendations for improving and expanding the skills and preparedness of the health care workforce in their report, "Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Healthcare Workforce," released Monday. Dr. John Rowe, Chairman of the IOM's Committee on the Future Health Care Workforce for Older Americans, focused his testimony on the report's recommendations. Joining him on the first panel was Dr. Robyn Stone, Executive Director of the Institute for the Future of Aging Services at the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. Dr. Stone's testimony highlighted the weaknesses and limitations of the current health care system in meeting the needs of aging boomers.

On the second panel, businesswoman and author Martha Stewart testified on the role of family caregivers in providing essential services and support to loved ones. Ms. Stewart shared with the committee her experience as a caregiver for her mother, and how it shaped her decision to establish the Martha Stewart Center for Living, a model clinic for coordinated outpatient geriatric services at Mount Sinai in New York. Dr. Todd Semla, President of the American Geriatrics Society, made the case for using existing law to increase the number of trained geriatricians practicing in the U.S.

New Episode of The Senior Care Podcast by LivHOME Discusses Long-Distance Caregiving

Listen to this article. Powered by Odiogo.com
http://snipurl.com/24oae

LivHOME, the nation's largest provider of professionally led at-home care for seniors, has released a new episode of The Senior Care Podcast by LivHOME that discusses the challenges of long-distance caregiving and practical ways to close the gap.

In Episode 5, LivHOME Care Manager Sharon Rosenfield discusses the challenges of providing care to senior family members who live apart from their grown children. Long-distance caregiving has become a necessity for many seniors as families find themselves living at greater distances.

During the interview, Rosenfield emphasizes the importance of noticing the little things, such as whether a senior is taking his or her medicine and paying attention to personal hygiene, as a clue to understanding whether it is time to begin providing long-distance care. She discusses ways to make the experience less lonely for seniors and explores the roles a long-distance caregiver must play in emergencies.

For more information, visit livehome.com

Antipsychotic Drugs Increase Risk Of Developing Pneumonia In Elderly - Nursing Home Patients At Particular Risk

Elderly patients who use antipsychotic drugs have a 60 percent increased risk of developing pneumonia compared to non-users. This risk is highest in the first week following prescription and decreases gradually thereafter. These findings are published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Antipsychotic drugs are frequently used in elderly patients for the treatment of psychosis and behavioral problems associated with dementia and delirium. This study is the first to show that the development of pneumonia is associated with antipsychotic drug use.

"The risk of developing pneumonia is not associated with long-term use, but is the highest shortly after starting the drug," say Drs. Rob van Marum and Wilma Knol, authors of the study. They caution that "all antipsychotic drugs may be associated with pneumonia in elderly patients."

Arbitration bill 'misguided,' lobbying group claims

Lobbyists for the long-term care industry on Friday voiced strong objections to the Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act, a new piece of legislation that would prohibit the use of arbitration agreements at the time of a resident's admission to a long-term care facility.

The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living argued that arbitration agreements allow nursing home and assisted living facility staff to concentrate on providing care to residents. They help ensure that Medicaid money will go towards improving care instead of paying off legal fees and settlements, the group claims.

But requiring prospective residents to sign pre-admission arbitration agreements intrudes upon their right to “access the civil justice system for redress of their potential claims,” said Sens. Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Mel Martinez (R-FL), who introduced the bill last week. Bruce Yarwood, president and CEO of AHCA, called the bill “misguided.

Nursing Homes Increasingly Use Arbitration To Avoid Lawsuits, Reduce Costs

Nursing home residents and their families increasingly are "giving up their right to sue over disputes about care, including those involving death, as the homes write binding arbitration into their standard contracts," the Wall Street Journal reports. Under arbitration agreements, nursing home residents and their families agree to settle disputes through a third-party arbiter. According to the Journal, "Nursing homes have been among the biggest converts to the practice since a wave of big jury awards in the late 1990s."

The practice has "profound implications" on the nursing home industry, according to the Journal. An industry study released last year found that the average cost of settling cases has declined for nursing homes. At the same time, claims of poor treatment have been increasing, the Journal reports.

Consumer advocates and plaintiffs' lawyers have criticized the arbitration systems for nursing homes, saying that people too often do not understand whether the arbitration clauses are mandatory or that they are waiving their right to sue. Critics say courts should handle such claims. Sens. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) on Wednesday introduced legislation that would prohibit nursing homes from requiring patients to sign an arbitration agreement as a term of service. Martinez said, "It is an unfair practice given the unequal bargaining position between someone desperate to find a place for their loved ones and a large corporate entity like a nursing home."

The American Arbitration Association, which is the largest arbitration provider in the nation, generally refuses to handle cases of nursing home arbitration and opposes arbitration requirements in nursing home claims. The American Health Lawyers Association has a similar stance, and other arbitration groups said they only accept the cases when the agreements are in compliance with law. Eric Tuchmann, general counsel for the American Arbitration Association, said that some patients "really are not in an appropriate state of mind to evaluate an agreement like an arbitration clause."

The nursing home industry says arbitration is relatively inexpensive for plaintiffs and defendants, and allows nursing home staff to focus on patient care, instead of litigation (Koppel, Wall Street Journal, 4/11).

Middle-Aged And Elderly People In Poor Neighborhoods 'Significantly More Likely' To Suffer Mobility And Cognitive Problems

Research carried out at the Peninsula Medical School, South West England, has found strong links between neighbourhood deprivation and the physical and intellectual health of older people.

Two studies were conducted, both using data on participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA).

The first study investigated over 7,000 individuals aged 52 and older who lived in urban areas across England. The study found that even when individual differences in education and income were taken into account, people who lived in the most deprived areas were significantly more likely to have poorer cognitive function than those living in the least deprived areas. These findings represent a cause for concern because poor cognitive function in older people is closely linked to the risk of developing dementia.

Meanwhile, the second study, which involved 4,148 individuals aged 60 and over, assessed whether mobility disability and neighbourhood deprivation are linked. Over a two-year period, 13.6% of those in the most deprived areas developed problems with mobility compared to 4.0% of those in the least deprived areas. As with the first studies, these figures took into account individual differences in income, education, and health.

Patti Green: We Have to Learn to Speak Up

“Most of the people that get into this work are women, and they have kids,” says Patti Green of her fellow direct-care workers. “A lot of them are single. They need to earn a decent hourly rate of pay, and they need to have health insurance.”

“That would attract more people, and then if they had the good screening and training we could weed out those that don’t really have a heart for it.”

“They listened to me - I was kind of surprised”
A natural leader, Green has become an expert on the state of direct-care work in America by running what amount to online break rooms for direct-care workers. Nursing Assistant Resources on the Web, the blog she started 10 years ago and now runs with the help of two other direct-care workers, is a trove of free articles, thoughtful blog posts, FAQs, and useful links. And at NursingAssistant@yahoogroups.com, the online community Green launched around the same time and still moderates, 750-plus members engage in a lively exchange of ideas, asking questions, venting frustrations, and offering each other affirmation and support.

A collaborative model takes on the care gap, part I

A group of Michigan providers convened to address their state’s looming care gap and formed the Kent County Health Field Collaborative (HFC). Its first project: a cooperative, flexible, and resourceful program that would directly address the barriers to sustained employment per the individual staffer.
John Oberlin

Michigan’s elderly population is expected to expand during the next 25 years by more than 52%—from 1.2 million to 1.8 million. Its traditional source of new caregivers (women age 25-44) is projected to shrink by more than 10%. Across the LTC industry, the annual turnover rate among entry-level direct-care workers is estimated to be as high as 70%.

In 2004, a number of Michigan providers convened to address their state’s looming care gap and formed the Kent County Health Field Collaborative (HFC). Its first project: a cooperative, flexible, and resourceful program that would directly address the barriers to sustained employment per the individual staffer.

The Opportunity Partnership & Empowerment Network (OPEN) program has been a success and continues to expand its role and coverage area outside of Kent County. During a two-year pilot program, more than 80% of employees utilizing the program maintained their employment. All of these employees were considered at risk of losing their jobs because of inabilities to successfully manage personal challenges and work expectations. Also, two of the five participating employers cut turnover rates in half, while another company reported a drop from an average of 36% to 22%. Among the employers who initially made up the HFC, turnover rates ran as high as 58% before the program.

The program's collaborative structure keeps costs low. Collectively, the provider members, who all share the same problem of staff turnover, pay for one case worker’s salary and any expenses such as supplies and additional project work. Because the HFC is made up of long-term care, acute care, and rehab providers, payments are calculated through a utilization formula.

AARP LTC Reform Hotline Goes Live

Andy Farmer sent a message saying that the hotline is live for the current Michigan appropriations process.

The number is

(888) 232-6829!

Health Care for Michigan

Click the Title Link and learn about this petition drive to assure every Michigan citizen health insurance. This is our best shot at changing the rules in this critical part of life. The language of the petition covers LTC as well.

The referendum doesn't dictate how health insurance would be provided. That would have to be decided by the Michigan legislature and the Governor (AND US!) if the referendum passes in November.

You can get involved and help reach the goal of 450,000 signatures, too!

Congress Needs To ‘Quickly’ Approve Indian Health Care Reauthorization Bill, California Senator Writes In Opinion Piece

House leaders should “act quickly and approve” the Indian Health Care Improvement Act reauthorization bill “so that we can send this bill to the president and provide the quality health care that [American Indians] in California and around the nation need and deserve,” Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) writes in a Eureka Times-Standard opinion piece (Boxer, Eureka Times-Standard, 4/2). The Senate in February approved the bill (S 1200), which would authorize $35 billion over the next decade for the Indian Health Service to expand health coverage and services for about 1.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives (Kaiser Health Disparities Report, 2/27).

Under the bill, “For the first time, Indian tribes would be able to use federal funds to provide long-term care, including hospice, home-based and community-based care for elderly and vulnerable members in their communities,” she writes.

Nursing home residents sue for at-home care

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Since a stroke four years ago, 66-year-old Bud Lee can't lift himself out of bed or take himself to the bathroom. He would like to regain a bit of his old independence.

John Boyd, 50, has been paralyzed since 14. He would like an apartment of his own and a job, like when he answered customer service phones for Red Lobster a few years back.

Instead, both men live in nursing homes, a frequent situation when Florida Medicaid pays the bills.

That may change.

Lee, Boyd and five other nursing home residents backed by the AARP Foundation have filed a class-action lawsuit against the state of Florida under the Americans with Disabilities Act, citing a 1999 court ruling that helped spring mentally ill people from big, impersonal hospitals.

DO WE REALLY SUPPORT THE TROOPS?

just caught this on KELO TV. Reporter Jon Wilson has a story about a Vietnam veteran who came close to dying on April 20th, 38 years ago. Gene Murphy now calls that day his Come Alive Day. Paralyzed from his injuries, Murphy has been advocating for better health care for veterans ever since that day. He has a few criticisms of the current health care system for veterans.

After serving a tour in Vietnam, Murphy has a new enemy these days…the American Health Care System, especially when it comes to long-term care for disabled American veterans.

Murphy says, “I guess I didn’t think we would have to fight this hard for adequate budgets…especially for health care in the 38 years since I returned.”

From heads of state to politicians, even Presidents both present and former, Murphy has been a strong voice in Washington on behalf of disabled vets and says the toughest fight of all seems to be securing benefits that were promised to them by their government.

Murphy says, “And I’ve heard different administrators say I don’t know if we can afford it right now. And I said wait a minute, you had all kinds of money when we sent these young sons and daughters to wars, so we should have all kinds of money now.”

Amen to that Mr Murphy!

Blues opposing insurance overhaul

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan said Wednesday it is strongly opposed to alternatives being proposed by the chairman of the state's Senate Health Policy Committee to overhaul individual health insurance affecting 322,000 people.

he issue is shaping up as one of the top state legislative battles of the year while the number of consumers shopping for health insurance grows as employers drop health benefits.

The bills as written "will benefit consumers struggling today" to pay for insurance and provide a "long-term way of sustaining health insurance coverage for individuals," said Andrew Hetzel, vice president of corporate communications for Blue Cross.

The nonprofit insurer is supporting legislation to let it price and structure its money-losing individual policies more like commercial insurers. It wants to be able to immediately raise rates, subject to subsequent review by Michigan's Office of Financial and Insurance Services, with no challenges by consumers and Michigan's attorney general.
Growing trend

The legislation affects people under age 64. In 2006, the latest year for which figures are available, 256,000 people purchased their own health insurance in Michigan and another 66,000 had so-called group conversion policies that extend workplace coverage they once had, according to the insurance bureau.

The individual market, now 6 percent of all insurance sold in the state, will grow to 25 percent of all insurance policies in the next five to seven years, according to Blue Cross estimates. Using those projections, the individual market could affect as many as 2.5 million Michigan residents, said Sen. Tom George, R-Portage, chairman of the Senate committee.

The bills quickly passed the House in October by overwhelming margins.

Aerotel And Medicronic-Vodafone Launch Innovative Wireless Homecare System In Spain

Aerotel Medical Systems, one of the world's leading manufacturers of advanced telemedicine and remote monitoring solutions, announced today that Vodafone Spain in conjunction with Medicronic Salud have used Aerotel's e-CliniQ™ Wireless Home Monitoring System with successful results.

The e-CliniQ™ Wireless Home Monitoring System enables patients to keep track of their health, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Using Bluetooth technology, Aerotel's Tele-Modem™ Homecare Hub remotely monitors the patient's vital signs from various homecare sensors, transmitting the data to Medicronic's central receiving station via the Vodafone cellular network, where it is stored and analyzed by Aerotel's Medical Parameters Monitoring (MPM™) software.

The seamless technology is being used successfully by MEDICRONIC-VODAFONE SPAIN, a joint venture between Medicronic Salud and Vodaphone, to monitor, for example, patients' blood pressure and other vital signs. Easy to use, the e-CliniQ™ system is activated at the touch of a button. Blood pressure readings are encrypted and sent via a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone to the receiving center where the patient or doctor can directly access the information via the internet, using Aerotel's MPM-Net™ technology. The system allows doctors to check that patients are adhering to their pharmaceutical treatments.

"Flexibility and adaptation to patient needs has been key to e-CliniQ's success," commented David Rubin, Aerotel Medical Systems President & CEO. "In the modern age of wireless telecommunications and anywhere connectivity via cellular and internet networks, there is no reason why we cannot provide our patients with full remote and non-intrusive monitoring care, saving time and money in unnecessary visits to doctors and hospitals."

Dr. José Antonio Amérigo, Medical Director of MEDICRONIC-VODAFONE SPAIN, says that new cell phone technology, allows to control and follow up of Chronic Illness patients in many different ways, giving them full mobility and using e-CliniQ's to check instantly their vital parameters no matter the time or the place they are.

MedPAC Proposes Negative Change for Efficient Senior Care Providers

The Medicare Payment Advisory Committee is proposing changes to Medicare reimbursement to skilled nursing facilities that could lower payments to those facilities performing a high-volume of therapy related services.

The report recommends lower payments made by medicare based upon the efficiencies of scale that the Council has stated that any high volume provide should have achieved by technology and standardization processes. Is the council recommending punishing quality providers by reducing their payments? This could be a big blow to long term care for those who need to use these facilities.

The report criticizes that the current medicare system does not provide the best delivery and the use of private sector physicians and facilities is necessary to cope with the growing needs of the system. The council should recognize that private physicians are not government employees or programs and have every right to run their business as they see fit from an operational and financial perspective. The good news for those in private practice is that the proposal could be years from enactment and is contradictory to previous statements that it believes that highly efficient facilities are better for the long-term health of the medicare program (yeah, but if you cut their margins….). Additionally, Congress has routinely ignored the suggestions of this PAC.

How Telecare Helps People with Dementia To Stay Living At Home, UK

Dementia currently affects 700,000 people in the UK - and it is estimated that 150,000 of these live alone. Many people with dementia live in their own home but rely on support from an older carer, who may have their own health concerns. Consequently, as the effects of dementia progress, there has been little alternative to residential care.

However, innovative models of support are being developed which promote independence - allowing people to stay in their homes for as long as possible. Telecare plays a key role in facilitating the shift from traditional models of residential care, to supporting people with dementia at home.

A range of sensors can be installed in the home, to support existing social care services, by managing environmental risks. These sensors include a natural gas detector, carbon monoxide detector, flood detector, temperature extremes sensor, bed occupancy sensor and property exit sensor. Should a sensor be activated, an alert is sent either to a monitoring centre or a nominated carer. Telecare supports both safety in the home and security outside the home - where 60% of people with dementia experience the risk of 'wandering' dangers.

Dementia is often very distressing for carers, as it places them under immense pressure to provide round the clock support. Telecare can help relieve some of this pressure - enabling carers to take a well-earned break, secure in the knowledge that they will be contacted immediately if needed.

Minnesota Boomer Launches Elder Care Event to Help Others Find Answers

Good intentions only get baby boomers so far in trying to care for their aging parents. No matter how hard one tries to get the best care possible for a loved one, it's still easy to get overwhelmed, frustrated, angry and disappointed in the process.
One Minnesota baby boomer seemed to have an ideal combination of resources to care for her aging mother — 10 siblings as caretakers; a doctor, a lawyer and a geriatric social worker in the family; and multiple housing options from which to choose.

Even with these resources and a carefully considered plan, this was not enough. Her mother experienced three broken hips (including two in one week), staffing issues that added to medical problems, continual shifts in housing to address changing care needs, medication complications, and sudden memory problems. The greatest frustrations and struggles though, have resulted from the bureaucracy of the elder care system, which culminated in a letter sent from the government telling the family members their mother was dead (she wasn't).

Julie Groshens wondered how families get through the maze of elder care options without a social-worker sibling to guide them. Nearly every day, she heard similar stories from colleagues, friends and family. So Groshens decided to form Elder Care Expos, LLC, a Minnesota-based company that produces elder-care resource events for the public.

Older People Want To Use Technology To Help Them Remain At Home

Older adults want to use technology so they can age safely in their home. Family caregivers agree believing technology can ease some of the challenges of caregiving. Concerns such as cost to install and maintain equipment remain barriers for people 65-plus and for caregivers. These are the conclusions of two new reports, one from AARP and the other from the Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA).

The AARP Foundation commissioned this report which examined the attitudes of people 65-plus and caregivers towards technology and found that both groups are concerned about costs. The study identified a willingness to try technology like home security services, sensors to detect falls and devices to regulate temperature, lights and appliances. But cost remains a factor with seventy-five percent of caregivers and eighty percent of those 65-plus willing to pay $50.00 or less per month for the service.

"The ground is fertile for the use of caregiving technology to flourish," said Elinor Ginzler, AARP Sr. Vice President for Livable Communities. "Almost nine in ten older Americans want to be able to stay in their own homes and they are willing to use technology that can help them do that. Cost, however, is the elephant in the room-how to pay remains a big obstacle."

Common Anti-psychotic Drugs Bad For Alzheimer's Patients, New Study Finds

A new UK study has found that anti-psychotic drugs, such as (Melleril), chlorpromazine (Largactil), haloperidol (Serenace), trifluoperazine (Stelazine) and risperidone (Risperdal), are bad for patients with Alzheimer's disease - the drugs were found to make their condition worse.

The researchers, from Kings College London and the Universities of Oxford and Newcastle, found that neuroleptics undermined Alzheimer's patients' verbal skills, and offered most patients with mild symptoms of disturbed behavior no long-term benefit. In fact, they found that a deterioration in verbal skills happened within six months of taking the medications. Neuroleptics are drugs used for treating schizophrenia as well as some other serious mental illnesses.

In this study, researchers looked at 165 Alzheimer's patients from four different nursing homes in Oxfordshire, Newcastle, Edinburgh and London. Approximately 60% of UK Alzheimer's patients are given medications to control their often aggressive behavior. There are indications that neuroleptics may also up the death rates of Alzheimer's patients.

You can read about this study in the Public Library of Science Medicine

Thousands More Medicaid Enrollees Could Get Home And Community-Based Care Under New Rule

housands of Medicaid beneficiaries who were previously limited to receiving care in an institutional setting may now be given the option to receive that care in their homes and communities, under a proposed rule published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) gave states a new option to provide home-and-community based services (HCBS) to Medicaid beneficiaries without applying for a demonstration waiver. The proposed rule provides guidance to states on how to implement this provision of the DRA.

Under this option, states will now be able to set their own eligibility or needs-based criteria for providing HCBS. Previously, to qualify for assistance with personal care, home health care or other services in the home or community setting, beneficiaries were required to be at imminent risk of institutionalization. The DRA provision eliminates this requirement and allows states to cover Medicaid recipients who have incomes no greater than 150 percent of the federal poverty level, or $15,600 per individual in 2008, and who satisfy the needs-based criteria.

"Thousands more Medicaid beneficiaries may now be able to opt for needed long-term support services in their homes rather than institutions," said CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems. "Breaking the historic link between long-term care and institutions will level the playing field and give beneficiaries new choices for how they receive care."

The proposed rule emphasizes "person centered" care, giving individuals an active role in developing their care plans, and the "self-direction" option in which states can allow individuals to take charge of their own services. The services states may make available under this benefit include case management, homemaker, home health aide, personal care, adult day health, habilitation, and respite care. The DRA also allows states to provide special services to individuals with chronic mental illness, including day treatment or other partial hospitalization, psychosocial rehabilitation, and clinic services.