PHI Testifies before Senate Aging Committee: “Health Reform Must Invest in Direct-Care Workers”

From PHI:

On March 4, 2009 the Senate Aging Committee will take up health care reform and the needs of an aging America. PHI Washington liaison Henry Claypool will address the committee concerning the reforms disability advocates have brought to long-term care policy and the applicability of these reforms for older Americans. Mr. Claypool will call on Congress to support a skilled, stable direct-care workforce, which he concludes is essential to supporting elders and people with disabilities to live meaningful lives in the community....

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New Spray Eases Pill Swallowing

from bloglongtermcare.com:

Spray'n Swallow® a 100% all-natural way to help people swallow pills is announced by Marlenk Innovations, Inc. Spray'n Swallow's proprietary formulation lubricates pills so they can glide down the throat, and masks the after taste of many medications. With the ever growing use of prescription medications, vitamins and supplements, Spray'n Swallow® offers a much needed solution for many Americans both young and old who struggle with this problem....

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Report Highlights Need for HCBS Policy Reform

From PHI:

The Center for Personal Assistance Services (PASC) has issued a report titled Home and Community-Based Services: Public Policies to Improve Access, Cost, and Quality that offers suggestions for improving policy at both the state and federal levels...

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Pioneer Network Hosts Small House Webinar Series

From PHI:

The Pioneer Network is offering a webinar series for those interested in learning more about attached and detached small houses and smaller environments as ways to create home for those needing long-term care.

The three-part webinar series starts March 5 and is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Topics include:

• The Essential Elements of Small Houses
• Lessons Learned from Small House Models
• Policy, Regulatory and Reimbursement Issues

Visit the Pioneer Network website for more details and registration information.

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New York Times Examines Role Of Children As Caregivers

From NY Times:

The New York Times on Monday examined the increased number of U.S. children "providing care for sick parents or grandparents," and how schools, social service agencies and health care providers often are "unaware of those responsibilities because family members may be too embarrassed, or stoic." According to a 2005 survey, about 3% of households with children ages eight to 18 include children who serve as caregivers....

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McKnight's Online Expo to offer continuing education credits

From McKnight's:

...McKnight's' readers can learn more about payment and policy issues during the McKnight's Online Expo March 25-26.

"The nation's long term care financing system requires a complete restructure in order to ensure continued access and quality care for our nation's most vulnerable populations," said Bruce Yarwood, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association Monday. He released a statement on the day of the Fiscal Responsibility Summit at the White House.

McKnight's will delve into financing issues during its third annual virtual trade show. Attendees will be able to hear webcasts, including "Medicare, Medicaid and the year ahead" and "MDS 3.0 is coming-are you ready?" Three other webcasts will concentrate on technology ("Tech tools that help drive quality improvement"), wound care ("Providers are under more pressure") and capital ("Sizing up new marketplace realities"). This year, for the first time, administrators will be able to receive a continuing education credit for each of the five webcasts.....

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Devices for Memory Loss

From jenweir.com:

Thanks and a Hat Tip to K. Wyeth

Remembering daily events, activities, and routines is difficult for all of us at times. Some conditions associated with aging can result in memory loss ranging from forgetting to take medication at a designated time, to not being able to remember one's own address or getting lost in one's own neighborhood. Persons who have dementia with short-term and long-term memory may fail to recognize a familiar face, take care of personal hygiene, or speak effectively.

There are many ways to assist persons who have memory loss, including techniques to aid memory and helpful products that can be purchased in local stores or easily made at home. Each person has different needs, so devices and techniques should be tailored to suit the individual.

Home-Made Modifications

The home will be more familiar if the furniture and other items are not rearranged. Small modifications to trigger memory can also be useful. "Home-made" memory aids are often good solutions for several types of memory problems. For example, checklists can help remind a person to do certain tasks. A checklist placed inside the door to a home may include items like "Make sure I have the key" and "Make sure the stove is turned off". Home-made labels can also help people to remember the contents of a cabinet, drawer, or closet. For example, a label that says "socks" or a picture of socks can be placed on a dresser that holds socks. Labels are also useful for the names of people in a photograph. This can help a person with memory loss to recognize family and friends.

Persons who have memory loss may have difficulty remembering the time of day, day of the week, month, or year. Forgetting these things can become increasingly frustrating for both the person with memory loss and his or her caregiver. A prominently displayed digital clock and easy-to-read calendar can help remind a person of the day and time. Marking routines, appointments, special occasions, and future events on the calendar can also be helpful. A cue card with a home address and phone number that is carried at all times will ensure that the person always has necessary information in an emergency....

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CMS Further Postpones Competitive Bidding Program For Durable Medical Equipment

From Medical News Today:


CMS on Thursday said it will postpone the implementation of a competitive bidding rule for durable medical equipment providers until April, CongressDaily reports. Legislation approved in the summer of 2008 delayed the program and required that CMS redo the first round of bidding and provide feedback to suppliers about missing bid information rather than automatically disqualifying them. The interim final rule, issued in January, was set to take effect Tuesday, but CMS moved that date to April 19. The agency wrote in the Federal Register that they need more time to review the rule. The delay was first suggested Feb. 10, and about 550 comments in favor of the delay have been received since that date. The comment period ends March 17 (CongressDaily, 2/19).

New York leads states in spending on long-term care, but not in quality

From Healthcare Finance News:

ALBANY, N.Y – New York's Medicaid program spends more on long-term health care than any other state, but indicators of quality are "about average or slightly above average," according to a new report issued Friday by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.

The Institute's study examines a variety of factors that may influence such spending, including demographics, spending by type of care, characteristics of facilities, and varying policies among state Medicaid programs. New York was compared to 18 other large and Northeastern states including California, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio....

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New Rule Enacted by Bush Administration Impedes Cases Against Nursing Homes

From The Washington Post:

The Bush administration shut off a source of information last fall about abuse and neglect in long-term care facilities that people suing nursing homes consider crucial to their cases...

The rule designates state inspectors and Medicare and Medicaid contractors as federal employees, a group usually shielded from providing evidence for either side in private litigation. ...

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Senior care groups want nursing home funding protected in Obama's first budget

From McKnight's:

President Barack Obama is set to unveil his 2010 budget proposal
Thursday, causing anxious senior care groups to issue a call for
Medicare funding protection.



The Coalition to Protect Senior Care, which represents more than a
dozen healthcare groups around the country, called upon the president
to use his success with the stimulus package to protect Medicaid
funding for skilled nursing facilities....

I wonder who the groups are?

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Nursing home pressure ulcer rates topped 11% in 2004, new report finds

From McKnight's:

More than one in 10 nursing home residents had a pressure ulcer in 2004, according to newly released statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Key findings from the report show that roughly 159,000 nursing home residents—11% of the total—had some form of pressure ulcer that year. Stage two pressure ulcers were the most prevalent, the report found. Younger residents who experienced shorter lengths of stay also were more likely to have pressure ulcers....

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Location, Location, Location: Cost of Long-Term Care Services Vary Widely by Region

From PRNewswire:

Some Americans are spending nearly seven times more for certain long-term care services than others, according to research commissioned by financial security company Northwestern Mutual.

The survey of nearly 7,000 home health care providers, assisted living facilities and nursing homes revealed stark differences in cost for long-term care services based on geographic location. The most significant difference between locations was the hourly wage of Home Health Aides (HHAs), causing consumers in the most expensive markets to spend nearly seven times more than those in the least expensive markets...

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House passes Silver Alert Act, arbitration act reintroduced

From McKnight's:

The ball is back in the U.S. Senate's court on the issue of financing a system to help find missing seniors. The House last week passed the National Silver Alert Act (H.R. 632), which would establish an infrastructure for alerting both law enforcement and the public when a senior goes missing...

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Fewer care facilities use restraints for elderly residents

From USA Today:

Diann Snyder has a simple rule at the long-term care home where she's director of nursing: Restraints are not an option.

"If you restrain a resident, you actually see some desperation," Snyder says. "They experience some anguish. You kind of break their spirit. They give up. "

When she joined the staff of the Thornwald Home in Carlisle, Pa., 15 years ago, the facility sometimes used physical restraints on the elderly residents to keep them in their chairs or from wandering the halls. Staff and family members believed restraints made the residents safer.

Snyder knew that wasn't correct. "Statistics have shown there have actually been deaths from (the use of) restraints," she says. "That is definitely far worse than if they fall."

Now, none of Thornwald's 83 residents are in restraints, reflecting both Snyder's efforts and a nationwide push to reduce the practice. Nursing homes immobilize 5.5% of their residents with physical restraints on average, about a quarter as many as they did in 1991, a USA TODAY analysis of nursing homes' self-reported data to Medicare shows.

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Dramatic Savings Achieved for Home Health Aides

From bloglongtermcare.com:

Home health aides continue to use low-technology, inefficient methods for documenting care, time and mileage as well as communicating with the office. A breakthrough solution with proven results is now being offered through a partnership between Thornberry Limited and AirClic .

NDoc+AirClic is a solution that uses a simple cell phone to reduce costs and improve revenue, patient outcomes and employee morale. The system has already been successfully deployed in the Syracuse, N.Y. area. St. Joseph's Certified Home Health Care Agency realized nearly $70,000 in savings the first year NDoc+AirClic was deployed. The company reports soaring employee retention and new applications among their home health aides....

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Care-Related Quality of Life in Old Age

From Medical Books Pro:

This book examines the relationship between quality of care and quality of life of frail older persons who are dependent on external support and care. Quality of life in old age has become a key issue within gerontology and health and social care research. The book specifically addresses this issue by developing a new concept of “care-related quality of life.” Key questions addressed include: what are the determinants of care-related quality of life in old age? How can care contribute to and support the quality of life of older clients? And how should care be managed to facilitate good quality and effective care?...

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GSMA MWC 2009: TWIG™ Launches TWIG Protector

From TechShow Wire:

GeoSentric Oyj’s (NASDAQ OMX: GEO1V), TWIG business unit, today announced the launch of its next generation, GPS/GSM personal protection device – The TWIG Protector.

Created to protect lone workers, the vulnerable and those needing access to emergency care, the TWIG Protector is shock and water resistant, light and extremely easy to use. In addition it can communicate with all TWIG™ devices and support systems using both SMS and GPRS Mobile Phone Telematics Protocol. When operated in conjunction with the TWIG WebFinder (www.twigworld.com), the TWIG Protector provides a fully integrated, mobile communications and protection solution, that can be used anywhere in the world....

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Report suggests shifting nursing home care to Medicare program

From McKnight's:

Consolidating certain aspects of financing care for some of the poorest older and disabled Americans at the federal level could soften the blow significantly to state budgets, a new analysis shows. Shifting long-term care coverage from Medicaid to Medicare is one of the report's recommendations.

Moving more of the cost of care for so-called dual-eligibles – the 9 million Americans eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare – from Medicaid to Medicare could save states as much as $47 billion annually, say study authors from the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, and researchers at the Urban Institute....

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County is a leader in fighting elder abuse, but individuals can play role

From the Flint Journal:

Thanks and a Hat Tip to Kate White...

Genesee County is fortunate to have a progressive prosecutor in David Leyton. Leyton, along with the dedicated and tenacious Genesee County Sheriff's Department, recently brought charges of murder in a case of severe neglect of Katherine L. Mukdsi. Too often "gray murders" (murders involving older adults) and cases of elder abuse and neglect are ignored or determined too complex to adequately investigate. Elder Law of Michigan applauds Genesee County and its elder death review team for bringing a murder charge in this case. Only a few counties in Michigan employ this nationally recognized best practice. Sending a clear message that abuse and neglect are serious crimes that carry significant penalties is critical for the health, safety and well-being of citizens of all ages....

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FREE OUR PEOPLE NOW!!!

From PhilosopherCrip:

...For decades, people with disabilities, both old and young, have wanted alternatives to nursing homes and other institutions when they need long term services. Our long term care system has a heavy institutional bias. Every state that receives Medicaid MUST provide nursing home services, but community based services are optional. Sixty seven (67%) percent of Medicaid long term care dollars pay for institutional services, while the remaining thirty three (33%) must cover all the community based waivers, optional programs, etc. ...

n a national planning meeting July 1990, ADAPT targeted the reallocation of one quarter of the federal and state Medicaid dollars from institutional programs to consumer controlled community based programs. ADAPT now also stands for American Disabled For Attendant Programs Today....

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Creating Intelligent Home Environment For Seniors

From Medical News Today:

...In the future, automated homes, intelligent environments, modern sensor systems, and information technology can help elderly to live autonomously in their own homes...

One particular challenge is to develop a system that not only functions safely and reliably, but also continuously adapts to changing requirements. New assistance services and devices can easily be integrated into the system, such as motion detectors or pressure sensors in the mattress. The sensors automatically report their data via wireless communication to a control center concealed in a cabinet....

The "Assistive Bathroom Environment" of the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS in Duisburg demonstrates how these support services function. "The obstacle-free electronically equipped bathroom has a toilet that recognizes the user and automatically adjusts itself to a suitable height," Dr.-Ing. Gudrun Stockmanns, Group Manager from IMS, explains. A light switches itself on and off automatically, and the tap shuts itself off to save water. This bathroom even has the capability to monitor the amount of toothpaste being used. The goal is to monitor and support the occupant without being intrusive...

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Humidity lessens spread of flu, study finds

From McKnight's:

...Absolute humidity is the actual amount of water in the air. Low absolute humidity can explain 50% of viral transfers and up to 90% of the virus' survivability, say researchers. More moisture in the air means less chance for the flu virus to survive....

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Retooling the Health Care Workforce for an Aging America Act of 2009

From Open Congress:

A bill to expand, train, and support all sectors of the health care workforce to care for the growing population of older individuals in the United States.

Senate Bill: S.245 introduced by Sen. Kohl
House Bill:  H.R. 468 introduced by Rep. Schakowsky

You can see the respective full text versions through the links.

CCA Day: Support Housing Choice

From Justice for All:

Monday, February 16th, President's Day, ADAPT will contact the Obama (a sponsor when he was a Senator) Administration.

Tuesday, February 17th, CCA supporters across the country will visit the local offices of members who haven't signed on.

Ask your U.S. Senators and Representative in Congress to become initial cosponsors of the Community Choice Act (CCA)!

It only takes a COUPLE of minutes.  CCA will be reintroduced soon.  Rather than start all over again building the number of cosponsors, we want to have the bill reintroduced with as many initial cosponsors as YOU help us get.

Use these links to contact your US Senators and Representative.

Contact your Senators at:
http://capwiz.com/rochestercdr/issues/alert/?alertid=12598871

Contact your Representative at:
http://capwiz.com/rochestercdr/issues/alert/?alertid=12597841

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Sensors Help Keep the Elderly at Home

From the NY Times:

Increasingly, many older people who live alone are not truly alone. They are being watched by a flurry of new technologies designed to enable them to live independently and avoid expensive trips to the emergency room or nursing homes.

Bertha Branch, 78, discovered the power of a system called eNeighbor when she fell to the floor of her Philadelphia apartment late one night without her emergency alert pendant and could not phone for help.

A wireless sensor under Ms. Branch’s bed detected that she had gotten up. Motion detectors in her bedroom and bathroom registered that she had not left the area in her usual pattern and relayed that information to a central monitoring system, prompting a call to her telephone to ask if she was all right. When she did not answer, that incited more calls — to a neighbor, to the building manager and finally to 911, which dispatched firefighters to break through her door. She had been on the floor less than an hour when they arrived....

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The Editors’ Blog Stimulus bill gives nursing homes reason to smile

From McKnight's:

It’s OK to crack a grin now that Congress has reached a tentative agreement on the colossal economic stimulus package. Nursing homes have a lot to be happy about.....

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Now I can get that new boat!!

Help for the 'annoyingly cheerful'

From a long term care blog:

Follow Depressant Drug

This is fake news from the Onion News Network (ONN) and is a video. Some offensive langauge.

Guide To End-Of-Life Care

From Medical News Today:

Years ago, dying patients in most communities often had a single option if they needed hospice care. Now they have many more; competition reigns.

This is one crucial reason why a Brown University researcher and end-of-life expert has helped develop user-friendly guides for both doctors and patients about the best hospice care options in the marketplace....

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Doctor with ties to nursing home controversy a victim in car bombing

From McKnight's:

Dr. Trent P. Pierce, a former nursing home medical director involved in
legal controversy, was the victim of a car bombing at his West Memphis,
AR, home late last week. The 54-year-old chairman of the state medical
board, remained in critical condition as of press time. Authorities
said they had no suspects in the attack but said they were examining
lawsuits the physician was involved in.

Officials said they were investigating what was
believed to be a homemade bomb left in the driveway by Pierce's car.
He suffered severe burns, shrapnel injuries and a badly injured eye
in an attack last Wednesday, according to local reports.

Up until a few weeks ago, Pierce was a co-defendant along with
Golden Living (formerly Beverly Enterprises) in a wrongful death suit
that reached the Arkansas Supreme Court.

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