Aging News Alert

Delaware

 

Models to Address End-of-Life Care

The program will support research dealing with adolescents and young adults ages 12 to 24 with serious, advanced illnesses, including end-of-life/palliative care models.

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Most Needy to Receive Health Care Help in Six States

Grantees use these funds to provide health services to low-income individuals, including those without insurance and the underinsured.

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(GRANTS) Funding for 24 States Help Add to Respite Care for Seniors

Grants help further implement the requirements of the Lifespan Respite Care Act by promoting collaboration of state aging agencies and state respite coalitions that enhance and expand the availability of Lifespan Respite services in the state.

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(FUNDRAISING) Center Builds Relationship To Fund Expansion

At least half of the center's patients have no form of health insurance, and a sizable portion of that group is comprised of people age 50 and older.

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(FUNDING) Delaware Taxes Payday Loans for Financial Literacy Program

Delaware uses funding derived from a fee charged on payday loans to start a $200,000 Financial Literacy Education Fund. The new fund should be of particular interest to operators of seniors service organizations in that the elderly represent a demographic frequently targeted by payday lenders.

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(SENATE) Procedural 'Hold' Stops Senate Action on Rx Drug Importation Bill

Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE), a member of the Finance Committee, has thrown up a procedural roadblock preventing his colleagues in the Senate from voting on a bipartisan proposal to lower prescription drug prices for millions of Americans.

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IRA Rollovers: Stashing Your Retirement Nest Egg

Whether you are a boomer saying goodbye to the daily grind or a Gen-Xer moving on to the next level of your career, retirement or a job change can create an ideal time to ask yourself what you want to do with your accumulated retirement funds. Unfortunately, there is no cookie-cutter answer to this question.

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Policy Primer Demystifies Federal Affordable Housing Programs

Although the ongoing foreclosure crisis has focused the nation's attention on housing problems and policies, the struggles of renters have largely been overlooked. Federal rental programs, dating back to the New Deal, serve about 6.5 million households, but an estimated 12.4 million low-income renters -- more than a third of which are elderly people on fixed incomes -- face serious housing problems without any assistance.

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17 People Doing Good Work In Second Half Of Life Win Unusual Story Contest

One winner retired from the military and found his true calling: teaching disadvantaged youth in a homeless shelter. Another realized her childhood dream of becoming a nurse after a career in office management. A third, a former TV news producer, applied the passion she felt for vulnerable children to her new job raising money for a pediatric care center. These are three examples of Americans who are successfully transitioning from mid-life careers to new encore careers -- work that combines personal meaning and social impact with continued income in the second half of life. They and 14 others have won a trip to a first-ever summit on encore careers organized by Civic Ventures, a national think tank on boomers, work and social purpose.

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Web Site Promises Seniors Easier Plan Advice than Medicare

Experion Systems says its online PlanPrescriber tool offers Medicare beneficiaries an easier way to evaluate their health insurance options than the government's Medicare.gov site.

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Advocates: Stable Part B Premium Is Good News For People With Medicare

The announcement Friday (Sept. 19) by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that the monthly Part B premium will remain at $96.40 is welcome news for older adults and people with disabilities who have seen the premium charged for doctor visits and other Medicare outpatient services more than double, from $45.50 since 2000, say advocates for seniors.

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New Rules Issued To Enforce Marketing Requirements During Enrollment Period

CMS has released final regulations aimed at protecting Medicare beneficiaries from deceptive or high-pressure marketing tactics by private insurance companies and their agents during the upcoming 2009 Medicare Advantage and prescription drug open enrollment period. The regulations also include other non-marketing related Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plan provisions.

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Report: Millions of Low-Income Adults Can't Get Medicaid

A new report from AARP to be released Monday (Sept. 15) looks at why millions of low-income adults cannot get Medicaid and what can be done about it. The report will be released at a panel discussion taking place on Capitol Hill sponsored by AARP and the Alliance for Health Reform.

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Medicare To Launch New Caregiving Initiative

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), along with representatives from partner organizations will launch a new online Medicare caregiver initiative providing information, tools and materials to help family caregivers. The effort will be launched with a Webcast on Thursday, Sept. 18, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. ET, where forum participants will take questions from caregivers and highlight personal stories and experiences.

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Genetic Variants Associated With Vitamin B12

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and their collaborators at Tufts University and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have identified a common genetic influence on B12 vitamin levels in the blood, suggesting a new way to approach the biological connections between an important biochemical variable and deficiency-related diseases.

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ASA Invites Entries For Graduate Student Research Award

The American Society on Aging is accepting applications for its award for graduate research projects in the field of aging. The award is given for the best research paper on a completed project. The award is presented annually to a graduate student for research relevant to aging and applicable to practice. Applicants must either be currently enrolled in a graduate degree program or must have completed their studies no more than one year before the point of submission.

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Rachel Carson Intergenerational Poetry, Essay, Photo Contest

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Aging Initiative, in partnership with Generations United and Rachel Carson Council Inc., invites the public to vote for their favorite submissions for the Second Annual Rachel Carson Sense of Wonder Intergenerational Poetry, Essay and Photography Contest.

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New Medicare Law Will Help Beneficiaries

While reporting on the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA), passed July 15 to override a veto by President Bush, focused primarily on the provisions canceling a pay cut for physicians that went into effect July 1, the Center for Medicare Advocacy issued a release citing other...

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Veto-Proof Majority In U.S. House Passes Medicare Package

The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelming approved passage of HR 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients & Providers Act, by a veto-proof vote of 355-59

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LTC Facilities Required To Have Sprinkler Systems

Long-term care facilities such as nursing homes across America will, for the first time, have to protect their residents by installing sprinkler systems throughout their buildings if they wish to continue to serve Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, under a new regulation to be issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Facilities will have a five-year phase-in period to be fully compliant with the new rule.

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Stamford Senior Services Marks 100th Year

Connecticut: To help celebrate its 100th anniversary, Senior Services of Stamford, CT, will be hosting someone renowned for celebrating 100-year birthdays. Willard Scott, the inimitable NBC "Today" show personality who each week honors Americans turning 100 and beyond, is slated to be keynote speaker at Senior Services' first fundraising gala.

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AMA Resorts To Issue Advertising To Halt Docs' Medicare Pay Cuts

The American Medical Association is turning up the heat on federal lawmakers in an effort to derail a measure by the Bush administration that will automatically cut physician Medicare payments by 10.6% next month. This week, the AMA began running an advertisement in several "inside-the-Beltway" publications with a headline that says: "Physicians provide state of the art care to seniors. Too bad Medicare is still 10 years behind."

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CMS Part D Regulation Changes Spur Confusion

Two final CMS regulations regarding the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit address issues raised by beneficiaries, providers and health plans in the administration of the drug program. Unfortunately, some of the changes made by these new rules are not beneficiary-friendly.

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New Tools for Cell Fate Determination and Tissue Homeostasis in the Aged

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) invites Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant applications from institutions and/or organizations that propose to develop tools to track cell fate determination and to determine cell life spans in normal tissue homeostasis and in response to injury or disease in the elderly.

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CMS Slates Special Open Door Forum On Wage Index Reform

CMS will hold a Special Open Door Forum, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, May 20, to provide an opportunity for the public to discuss and share their opinions, suggestions and expertise on the wage index and alternative methods for computing the wage index.

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CDC Recommends Merck's Shingles Vaccine For Adults 60+

CDC has adopted the unanimous recommendation of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the use of ZOSTAVAX for the prevention of shingles in adults aged 60 and older. ZOSTAVAX is the only vaccine to prevent shingles, a frequently painful disease marked by a blistering rash that is caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus.

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Weak Enforcement Of Serious Errors Highlights Need For Stricter Oversight

Nursing home decisions issued by the Department of Health & Human Services' Departmental Appeals Board in 2007 highlight serious failures in care that cause residents to suffer unnecessary pain, injury, trauma, and death, finds the author of an important new report.

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BenefitsCheckUp.Org Makes Older Americans Month Last All Year Long

While Older Americans Month may conjure up images of healthy older adults playing tennis, gazing at the horizon from a cruise ship or sitting happily with their grandchildren, many older Americans in this country do not fit that stereotype.

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HHS, Cleveland Clinic Collaborate On Treatment For Neurological Disorders

The Department of Health & Human Services and Cleveland Clinic are teaming up to raise awareness about deep brain stimulation and its impact on Americans with neurological disorders and disabilities.

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Before It's Too Late: Deathbed Conversations with Dad

Since he is an imposing figure, dad's negative disposition can easily hinder his child's ability to interact with him. As a result, the lack of meaningful early communication can spill over into adulthood, leaving grown children with unresolved "daddy issues."

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May Is Older Americans Month, But Should We Celebrate?

May marks the 45th anniversary of "Older Americans Month." Originally established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the month is set aside to honor those age 65-plus. However, Ilyse Shapiro, founder of the job search website MyPartTimePRO.com, wonders whether we should still be celebrating when so many of seniors cannot live the idealized picture we have of our golden years.

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Debunking Myths About Switching To Digital TV Next Year

Quite a few people -- many of them elderly and on fixed incomes -- are under the impression that unless they go out and buy an expensive new HDTV, they won't be able to watch their favorite TV shows after Feb. 17, 2009, which is the day the national transition to digital television takes place. That simply isn't so.

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Event Focuses On Improving Healthcare System for Aging Population

New York Academy of Medicine's Section on Health Care Delivery on April 22 will host a presentation, "Transitions in Care for Older Adults."

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Does Another Mortgage Crisis Loom On The Horizon?

It's easy to see why the $4 trillion of home equity that's wrapped up in the houses of America's senior citizens seems like an attractive solution to an underfunded old age.

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New Penn State 'Smart Spaces' Center To Research Independent Living

A new Penn State center will pursue interdisciplinary research that enhances independent living opportunities for older Americans in their homes and their communities and also fosters their physical, emotional and social well-being.

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Aging Experts to Convene In Philadelphia

To help you better serve your senior clientele, the National Aging in Place Council has assembled an impressive group of aging experts to discuss current trends.

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Colorectal Cancer Testing on the Rise

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that colorectal cancer testing in the United States has been rising steadily since 2002, a sign of slow but encouraging progress in the fight against a cancer that's largely curable when caught early, and can even be prevented in some cases.

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Effort Launched to Encourage Hispanics to Become More Involved in Their Health

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality and The Advertising Council have launched a Spanish-language national public service campaign designed to encourage Hispanics to become more involved in their health care.

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AARP Urges Congress to Support House, Senate Budgets

AARP is urging members of Congress to support the House and Senate budget resolutions and to oppose harmful amendments that would negatively impact older Americans.

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Workshop Will Examine Medicare's Funding Warning

On Thursday, March 6, the Kaiser Family Foundation will hold a 9:30 a.m. (EST) policy workshop to examine the so-called "45% trigger" and its implications for this year's budget debate and Medicare's long-term fiscal health.

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More Consumers Buying Medicines Via Mail

Of Americans who buy prescription drugs, the proportion that purchase them from mail order pharmacies rose from just under 9% in 2000 to just over 13% in 2005, according to the new data from the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality.

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Nonprofit Consultant Discusses Ways To Prepare For Economic Downturn

Nonprofits, funders and donors facing a possible recession would do well to draw lessons from the challenging economic period that the sector went through in 2001, made worse by 9/11, says the head of a nationwide consultancy for nonprofit organizations.

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Income-related Part D Premiums Seen Costly for Medicare Beneficiaries

President Bush's proposed FY 2009 budget proposes establishment of an income-related Part D premium structure, similar to the income-related Part B premium -- a proposal the Washington, DC-based Center for Medicare Advocacy (CMA) finds most troubling.

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What's Ahead for Active Aging?

The International Council on Active Aging offers eight trends to watch in 2008 that will further define the term "active aging," especially among boomers.

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FDA Under Pressure to Explain Genesis of Controversial Guidance

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) has fired off a strongly worded letter to Food & Drug Admin. Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach, demanding release of documents related to the FDA's controversial draft guidance on off-label use of drugs and medical devices.

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CMS Adds Phone Lines for Important Open Door Forum

As a result of high demand for participation in the Special Minimum Data Set 3.0 Special Open Door Forum, CMS has worked hard to obtain additional lines to accommodate as many telephone participants as possible. If you haven't had the opportunity to register, now is your chance.

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AARP's 'Divided We Fail' Initiative Shows Impressive Support

AARP's "Divided We Fail" initiative marks its first anniversary this week as it continues to press candidates and elected officials to make access to quality, affordable healthcare and long-term financial security top issues in the national political debate.

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'Inappropriate Accounting' at Sunrise Senior Living

The accounting mishap bug that bit so many large companies, including government-sponsored mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, appears to have sunk its teeth into one of senior housing's top players. And it has led to the sacking of some of the company's top officials.

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Overview of Senate-Passed Medicare Legislation

Medicare legislation passed by the Senate will stop a 10% cut in federal reimbursement of Medicare doctors for six months and provide a half-percent update in payments, and will extend a number of expiring provisions vital to seniors' care under the program.

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Report Suggests State-Level Action To Support Caregivers

A new report from MIT in Cambridge, MA, provides a comprehensive set of recommendations for state-level public policy to improve the quality of life of family caregivers.

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GAO Honcho: Serious Weaknesses Affecting Financial Systems

"If the federal government was a private corporation and the same report came out this morning, our stock would be dropping and there would be talk about whether the company's management and directors needed a major shake-up," GAO honcho David Walker tells an audience in Washington, DC.

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OSHA Publishes Final Rule on Employer-Paid Personal Protective Equipment

OSHA publishes a final rule that requires employers -- including agencies providing home healthcare providers -- to pay for personal protective equipment for their employees.

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Seniors' Advocates Urge Reform of Medicare Advantage

The National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare and the Alliance for Retired Americans have delivered 48,000 petitions signed by seniors from around the nation asking the Senate to eliminate or reduce billions in insurance industry subsidies to private Medicare providers.

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