Seniors In Poorer ZIP Codes Less Likely To Survive Surgery

Elderly patients living in impoverished areas are more likely to die after undergoing surgery compared to peers from higher-income ZIP codes, a new study finds.



n fact, all patients regardless of income who underwent treatment at the hospitals in the poorest areas were more likely to die, whereas all patients undergoing surgery in the wealthiest ZIP codes proved less likely to die.


Norman DeLisle, MDRC
"With Liberty and Access for All!"
GrandCentral: 517-589-4081
MDRC Website: http://www.copower.org/
LTC Blog: http://ltcreform.blogspot.com/
Recovery: http://therecoveringlife.blogspot.com/
Change: http://prosynergypsc.blogspot.com/

Seniors Mobilizing Against Medicare Advantage Cuts

As Congress continues to pursue a solution to the Medicare physician payment issue, seniors from across the country are mobilizing over the July 4th recess to urge Congress to preserve their Medicare Advantage benefits.

The Coalition for Medicare Choices, which consists of 400,000 seniors, has mobilized thousands of seniors across the country to call, write, email, and visit their representatives during the July 4th recess to express their opposition to cutting Medicare Advantage benefits.

"My Medicare Advantage plan has always been there when I needed it the most. Congress needs to know that while my health care benefits may not be that important to them, they are important to me," said Joe Cameron of Fort Worth, Texas.

AHIP today also announced that it is launching a new national television advertising campaign that reminds Congress what happened last time it cut the Medicare Advantage program and what's at stake for millions of seniors across the country. The ad, "Again," begins running this week on national cable television. 

Norman DeLisle, MDRC
"With Liberty and Access for All!"
GrandCentral: 517-589-4081
MDRC Website: http://www.copower.org/
LTC Blog: http://ltcreform.blogspot.com/
Recovery: http://therecoveringlife.blogspot.com/
Change: http://prosynergypsc.blogspot.com/

Age Friendly Primary Health Care (PHC) Centres Toolkit

 All primary health care workers need to be well versed in the diagnosis and management of the chronic diseases and the so-called four giants of geriatrics (memory loss, urinary incontinence, depression and falls/immobility) that often impact people as they age.

The toolkit's purpose is to:

• improve the primary health care response for older persons.
  sensitize and educate primary health care workers about the specific needs of their older clients.
• assist primary health workers in how to operate the geriatric care instruments/tools contained in the toolkit.
• raise awareness of the accumulation of minor/major disabilities experienced by older people to primary health care workers.
• provide guidance on how to make primary health care management procedures more responsive to the needs of older people's needs.
  offer direction on how to do environmental audits to test primary health care centres for their age-friendliness.

Norman DeLisle, MDRC
"With Liberty and Access for All!"
GrandCentral: 517-589-4081
MDRC Website: http://www.copower.org/
LTC Blog: http://ltcreform.blogspot.com/
Recovery: http://therecoveringlife.blogspot.com/
Change: http://prosynergypsc.blogspot.com/

AARP Report Shows How States Can Help Prevent Abuse Of Older Americans, Identifies Better Ways For Courts To Oversee Guardianships

A new report by AARP's Public Policy Institute (PPI) identifies effective practices for monitoring court-appointed adult guardians, reducing the chances for abuses that occur when oversight is lax.

Conducted with the American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Law and Aging, the report follows a 2006 AARP survey showing that a large number of state courts around the country fail to assign a monitor to visit vulnerable individuals under guardianship, leaving many Americans open to physical neglect and financial abuse. The 2006 survey also found that, in many jurisdictions, no one verifies the information in guardianship reports.

BenefitsCheckUp Has Served Two Million Seniors

BenefitsCheckUp(R), the nation's most comprehensive online benefits screening service for seniors with limited income and resources, served its two millionth senior as of this month.

Historically, no more than half of older Americans who are eligible for these needed programs ever apply for them. For example, 70 percent of those qualified for food stamps have not enrolled in the program and nearly half of those who qualify for supplemental security income (SSI) have not applied. Similarly, there are still as many as 4.2 million who have not enrolled in the extra help available through Medicare prescription drug coverage.

Developed and maintained by The National Council on Aging (NCOA), BenefitsCheckUp® enables seniors with limited income and resources as well as those who care for or serve them to screen for and in some cases apply for federal, state and local benefits programs.

BenefitsCheckUp® includes more than 1,550 public and private benefits programs from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These programs include health care, prescription drug assistance, heating and energy assistance, legal services, housing assistance, property tax programs and nutrition programs, as well as volunteer and training opportunities and education programs.

Since its inception in 2001, BenefitsCheckUp® has helped two million seniors determine eligibility for these programs and has identified over $5.8 billion in public benefits...

See http://www.ncoa.org/content.cfm?sectionID=305

Ignorance And Confusion About Cancer Amongst The Elderly Revealed By Survey

Elderly Spaniards have very poor knowledge about cancer, its causes, treatment and prevention according to research carried out amongst people living in and around Barcelona. Some even believe that cancer is a contagious disease and that it is a punishment for something bad that the patient has done.

In a poster discussion at the European Cancer Conference (ECCO 14) in Barcelona, Dr Tania Estapé said: "This reports shows how important it is to improve and increase the cancer education programmes that are targeted towards older people."

Dr Estapé, a psychosocial programme coordinator in the psychosocial oncology department at the Fundación para la Educación y la Formación en Cáncer (FEFOC), Barcelona, Spain, said that misconceptions about cancer could be very damaging. "Some attitudes and misconceptions about cancer may lead to the elderly avoiding or not participating fully in a healthy lifestyle. For instance, more than half of our respondents did not know that being overweight is a risk factor for cancer," she said.

She and her colleagues questioned 557 people aged 65 and over in one-to-one interviews. The average age was 74. When asked about prevention and early diagnosis, only 53.5% believed that cancer could be prevented and 94% did not know the European Code against Cancer, although they knew some of its recommendations; for instance, over 90% knew to avoid smoking, excessive alcohol and sunbathing. However, only 45.8% knew about the impact of diet on cancer and only 38.1% knew about avoiding being overweight. Three-quarters knew that cancer could be diagnosed early, but only 44% knew about the PSA test for prostate cancer and 34% knew about early detection of breast cancer. Men appeared to be better informed than women about early diagnosis, with more men believing in the possibility of early diagnosis for prostate, breast and colon cancer.

SilverCensus.com, Inc. Launches Web Site To Educate Florida Seniors, Caregivers And Healthcare Professionals On Available Health And Living Options

SilverCensus.com, Inc .. founders Michael and Jessica Adams are proud to announce the launch of their senior health and living search engine http://www.silvercensus.com.

A recent fall of an ailing parent in Florida triggers waves of distress amongst the adult children in Michigan. Emotionally charged, the siblings are faced with healthcare and assisted-living decisions that need to be made in a distant and unfamiliar community. This was prior to the launch of SilverCensus.com, when caregivers had limited resources available to prepare and arrange for health care needs. At last, a web site designed to provide health and living options so care can be initiated from anywhere, regardless of the distance. SilverCensus.com was designed to educate and allow caregivers, healthcare professionals, and seniors to select information from a comprehensive online database of high-quality community-based healthcare resources and services.

The content rich web site includes a database of Florida-based specialized physicians, residential care facilities, skilled home health care and non-medical assistance agencies, medical equipment suppliers, free senior resources, transportation and meal delivery providers, as well as a calendar of senior activities and support groups throughout Florida: http://silvercensus.com/health_related_services.php.

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Older People In Pain Receive Relief From Drug-Free Treatments

Mind-body therapies, which focus on the interactions between the mind, body and behavior, and the ways in which emotional, mental, social and behavioral factors can affect health, may be of particular benefit to elderly chronic pain sufferers. A new study published in Pain Medicine provides a structured review of eight mind-body interventions for older people, including progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, hypnosis, tai chi and yoga.

All eight treatments were found to be feasible for older adults, and no adverse events or safety issues were reported. The article finds evidence that, in particular, progressive muscle relaxation may be effective for older people with osteoarthritis pain, while meditation and tai chi appear to improve function and coping with low back pain and osteoarthritis.

There's no place like home: Builders design for elderly

Sixteen years of ups and downs took their toll on Sharon Hitchcock's knees.

As a bus driver for the Clinton County Regional Educational Service Agency, Hitchcock often had to help special needs students on and off the bus. That meant frequent trips up and down the stairs, and loading wheelchairs.

The physical wear already is showing. At 65, Hitchcock had back surgery six years ago, and, last month, she went through a knee-replacement operation. She has now had both knees replaced.