Aging News Alert
Idaho
‘Linkage Lab’ to Help Community-Based Organizations
The SCAN Foundation has launched the Linkage Lab Initiative to help community-based organizations that are seeking partnerships with the health care sector.
(INSURANCE SCAMS) Idaho Law Protects Seniors from 'Life Settlement' Fraud
In bad economic times, it isn't unusual to find people -- especially seniors -- cashing in on their life insurance policies. Older people who have been paying into life insurance policies for a long time often find that their policies have accumulated considerable wealth over the years -- wealth they can easily tap into, if they so desire. But this can create opportunities for abuse.
Key Congressional Democrats Push Bill Addressing Healthcare Workforce Shortage
Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, joins with Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Bob Casey (D-PA), along with lead House sponsor Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), in introducing bicameral legislation addressing the impending severe shortage of healthcare workers who are adequately trained and prepared to care for older Americans.
A Call To Retool The Nation's LTC Healthcare System
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) charged the ad hoc Committee on the Future Health Care Workforce for Older Americans to determine the healthcare needs of Americans over 65 years of age. This segment of the U.S. population is expected to double by 2030, but the nation is not prepared to meet this increased demand in health care needs
AFAR Funds Aging Research
(Deadline: Dec. 16) The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is accepting applications for its Research Grants to assist in the development of the careers of junior investigators committed to pursuing careers in the field of aging research. In total, 15 grants of up to $75,000 each will be awarded.
Vitamin B12 May Protect The Brain In Old Age
Vitamin B12, a nutrient found in meat, fish and milk, may protect against brain volume loss in older people, according to a study published in the Sept. 9 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. For the study, 107 people between the ages of 61 and 87 underwent brain scans, memory testing and physical exams. Researchers also collected blood samples to check vitamin B12 levels. Brain scans and memory tests were also performed again five years later.
Grant-Making Strategy In Place To Help Victims Of Gustav
A regional grant-making strategy developed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is ready to be followed again if needed during the current hurricane season, Chris Crothers, communications director of the Jackson, MS-based Foundation for the Mid South.
Study Finds Most Patients Can Drive Safely Six Weeks After Bunion Surgery
Six weeks following bunion surgery, most patients’ pain levels are so low that they are able to get back behind the wheel of a car again. A study published in the August 2008 issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery also found that emergency brake time response in patients who underwent a first metatarsal osteotomy (a common surgical treatment for bunions) is similar to that of healthy individuals just six weeks later.
Corporate America Faces a Brain Drain
As the more than 76 million baby boomers approach retirement, an imminent talent shortage is affecting the workforce and many U.S. companies will be challenged with a significant loss of experienced workers. This talent drain can be partially alleviated if companies entice older workers to remain in the workforce longer, say Joan Strewler-Carter and Stephen Carter, the husband/wife team that co-founded the Life Options Institute, an organization dedicated to helping people plan for life after age 50.
Nursing Home Industry to Receive $1.5 Billion Overpayment in 2009
Yielding to intense lobbying by the nursing home industry, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is giving skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), nursing homes that provide nursing and rehabilitative services to Medicare beneficiaries recovering from a hospital stay, a two-part rate increase worth more than $1.5 billion next year.
CBO Updates Long-Term Projections For Social Security
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) regularly prepares long-term projections of the future paths of revenues and outlays for the Social Security program. In its latest report, CBO presents projections for the 75-year period from 2008 through 2082. The projections differ somewhat from earlier results because of newly available programmatic and economic data, updated assumptions about future demographic and economic trends, and improvements in CBO’s models.
ASA, MetLife Foundation Sponsor MindAlert Awards
The American Society on Aging and the MetLife Foundation are MindAlert awards of $1,500 each to recognize innovations in mental-fitness programs for older adults. One award will be made to a program in each of the following categor...
BenefitsCheckUp Helps Low-Income Older People Stay Cool
Throughout most of the country, it's another hot summer and many older people are trying to figure out how to pay for air conditioning, as well as food and medicine. And when the seasons change, millions of these same seniors will probably need help staying warm, with home heating oil costs expected to reach record highs.
Telephone Equipment Available For Hearing Impaired
Many states have established programs to provide basic telecommunications services for Hard of Hearing, Deaf, Deaf/Blind, and Speech Impaired individuals. Equipment such as amplified telephones, signalers, TTYs, cordless phones are just a sampling of what is available.
Gray & Green Together: Older Adults Can Help Create Healthier Environment
Volunteering for environmental protection activities can be physically and mentally sustaining for older people, according to a report appearing in the latest issue of Public Policy & Aging Report (PPAR), a publication of the National Academy on an Aging Society, the policy arm of The Gerontological Society of America. In fact, this demographic group is in a unique position to have a noticeable impact on its surroundings, the PPAR report says.
Retirement vs. 'Secondment' -- Baby Boomers Get Second Life
Some 76 million baby boomers -- that's more than one-quarter of the U.S. population -- are now entering their 50's and 60's. And in doing so, they are confronting the "r" word (i.e.,retirement). But theirs is a generation of over-achievers; a generation that will not stop working -- at least not completely. On the other hand, they don't necessarily want to continue working full-time, say Joan Strewler-Carter and Stephen Carter, co-founders of the Life Options Institute, an organization dedicated to helping people plan for life after age 50.
Levin: Bogus Medicare Payments For DME Unacceptable
Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, is raising serious questions about the integrity of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' payment policies with respect to durable medical equipment (DME).
AoA Announces Nursing Home Diversion Funding Opportunity
U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina Carbonell on July 1 announced the availability of $13 million to support state efforts to help individuals with long-term care needs to avoid unnecessary nursing home placement.
CDC: Traumatic Brain Injuries Can Result From Senior Falls
Traumatic brain injuries due to falls caused nearly 8,000 deaths and 56,000 hospitalizations in 2005 among Americans 65 and older, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) released in the June issue of the Journal of Safety Research.
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.
CU Urges Withholding Medicare Payments To Hospitals That Harm Patients
The federal government should expand its effort to restrict Medicare payments to hospitals for the cost of healthcare associated with certain infections and medical errors acquired during treatment, argues Consumers Union (CU), the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports.
Michael J. Fox Foundation Launches Research Funding Initiative
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is launching a funding initiative to promote development and testing of technologies to image alpha-synuclein and/or Lewy body-related pathology associated with Parkinson's disease in living brain tissue.
Senate OKs $3.1 Trillion Budget Resolution; No Proposed Medicare/Medicaid Cuts
The Senate on a 48-45 vote approves a $3.1 trillion FY 2009 budget resolution, which includes significant spending hikes for domestic programs and ignores the Bush administration's proposed funding reductions for Medicare and Medicaid.
Deadline For Banfield Charitable Trust Grant Application Approaches
The Banfield Charitable Trust is accepting grant applications for the second cycle of 2008 grants until June 30. Organizations focused on strengthening the pet-human bond, by creating healthier lives for pets and families through education and community outreach, are encouraged to apply.
AoA Seeking Applications For Older Americans Act Projects
The Department of Health & Human Services' Administration on Aging is accepting applications for proposed projects that advance the purposes of Title IV of the Older Americans Act, the AoA strategic plan, and the AoA mission. The deadline for submitting applications is June 30.
Poll Shows Americans Want Congress To Protect Poor Seniors From Rising Medicare Costs
A new telephone poll conducted by Harris Interactive for the National Council on Aging finds that 89% of adults aged 18 and over believe that improving programs to protect low-income seniors against rising Medicare costs should be a top priority for Congress this year.
Funding To Study Healthcare Public Reporting, Pay-for-Performance
Preference will be given to those applicants who may be either public entities or nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
Home Depot Launches Housing Impact Grants Program
Preference will be given to requests that engage community stakeholders and result in building or rebuilding houses and/or apartments that are affordable to individuals/families earning a modest income (typically 80% or less of the area median income).
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.
CMS Proposes Revisions In MA Program, Special Needs Plans
CMS proposes revisions to the Medicare Advantage program and prescription drug benefit) that could impact the way so-called "dual eligible" beneficiaries obtain services.
Report On Nursing Home Decisions Underscores Need For Serious Penalties
A report this week from the Center for Medicare Advocacy describes serious deficiencies in the quality of care received by nurisng homw residents. It reveals a need for stronger oversight and better enforcement of the 1987 Nursing Home Reform Law.
Urban Institute Looks At Retirement Security For Low-Wage Workers
The Urban Institute's new report, Retirement Security for Low-Wage Workers: The Implications of Career Lengths for Social Security, describes how work histories vary by gender, education, and other characteristics.
CMS Proposes New Payment Rates For Skilled Nursing Facilities
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has unveiled a proposal for what it describes as "new, more accurate FY 2009 payment rates for Medicare skilled nursing facilities that more closely reflect differences in patient care needs." In essence, the new rates will mean fewer dollars for skilled nursing facilities in the coming year.
Retirees, Disabled Vets Still Can File for 2008 Stimulus Payments
Even though April 15 has passed, the Internal Revenue Service is reminding retirees, disabled veterans and others who normally do not file a tax return that there is still time to submit a 2007 form to receive an economic stimulus payment.
Report Examines One-Stop Career Centers' Aid to Older Workers
GAO) has released a report examining one-stop career centers as a means to link older workers with employers through employment and training services.
Social Security Administration Multilanguage Gateway Opens Doors
The Social Security Adminsitration is now offering information to the public in 15 languages besides English.
Top 10 Reasons Why You May Need A New Knee Surgeon
With all the advances that have been achieved, the decision to have surgery made by many doctors is still often the incorrect one, leaving patients with unnecessary physical and financial burdens.
Martha Stewart Testimony Inspires Optimism at Hearing on Elder Care
Martha Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, describes for lawmakers how caring for her aging mother led her to become deeply committed to easing the difficulties associated with caring for the elderly.
House Labor Committee Approves Bill to Expose Hidden 401(k) Fees
American workers would receive clear and complete information about fees that could be cutting deeply into their 401(k)-style retirement savings under legislation approved Wednesday (April 16) by the House Education & Labor Committee.
White House Threatens To Veto Bill That Would Delay Medicaid Rule Changes
In a letter Tuesday (April 15) to members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, Health & Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt says President Bush will likely veto legislation that would delay for one year implementation of seven new Medicaid regulations.
Senate Aging Panel Hears Recommendations On Long-Term Care
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living tells a Senate panel that adequate governmental financing will remain a key factor in the ability of providers to meet the rising demand for care among a progressively older, higher acuity patient population.
Baucus Looking For Longer Lasting Fix On Doctors' Pay
Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT) is pushing Medicare-related legislation that would delay for 18 months a 10% Medicare physician payment cut scheduled become effective July 1.
Healthcare Work Force Too Small, Unprepared For Boomers
As the first of the nation's 78 million baby boomers begin reaching age 65 in 2011, they will face a healthcare work force that is too small and woefully unprepared to meet their specific health needs, says a new report from the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine.
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.
Seniors Fall Prevention Bill Passes House, Heads to President
House passage Tuesday of the Safety of Seniors (SOS) Act, clears the measure for the signing by President Bush. Advocates say the bill comes at a critical point.
Kidney Disease Info Newest Offering on NIHSeniorHealth
Information about the diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease has just been added to NIHSeniorHealth, the National Institutes of Health website designed especially for seniors.
How Well Do Older Adults Handle Change?
A new study of Americans aged 50+ shows they are not nearly as fearful of or resistant to change as people may think.
IRS Offering Additional Part-Year Grants for Low Income Taxpayer Clinics in 12 States
The IRS will accept applications for a part-year Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) matching grant from qualified organizations that will provide services to qualified taxpayers in the following areas: Los Angeles; Central Oregon; Boise, ID; Minneapolis; Reno and Las Vegas, NV; St. Louis; Brownsville and Laredo, TX; Southwest Florida; New Mexico; Colorado; Mississippi; and Northeast Pennsylvania.
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.
EPA Releases Physiological Parameters Database for Older Adults
Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic models have increasingly been employed in chemical health risk assessments carried out by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and it is anticipated that their use will continue to increase.
Loss of LIS Due to Beneficiary Not Responding to SSA
The Social Security Administration now is in the process of mailing "SSA Medicare Prescription Drug Assistance Notice of Termination" letters to some beneficiaries who are currently receiving the low-income subsidy.
Panel To Review First-Year Diabetes Measure
The National Committee for Quality Assurance will convene an expert panel to examine recent evidence with respect to intensive hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) control among patients with diabetes.
Buying Group Formed For Nonprofit Long-Term Care Providers
MedAssets Inc. and the American Association of Homes & Services for the Aging have agreed to align AAHSA's Group Purchasing program with MedAssets Supply Chain Systems.
AHCA: Grassley-Kohl Nursing Home Bill Off-Target
The American Health Care Association (AHCA) isn't particularly happy with proposed legislation recently introduced by Sens. Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Herb Kohl (D-WI).
PBGC Unveils New Investment Policy
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation has adopted a new diversified investment policy to help ensure the federal insurance program can meet its long-term obligations to America's retirees.
Bush Proposes Means Testing for Part D Beneficiaries
The Bush administration has unveiled a legislative proposal calling for higher Medicare prescription drug benefit premiums for higher-income beneficiaries. The proposal also would cap non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits and compel healthcare providers to adopt the use of e-health records.
IRS Provides New Details for Recipients of Social Security, Veterans Benefits
The Internal Revenue Service has released additional information about the upcoming economic stimulus payments in a specially designed section for taxpayers on IRS.gov.
GAO Honcho to Step Down; Becomes Head of the Newly Formed Foundation
David Walker, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has announced his intention to resign his post effective March 12 and will accept the position of president and CEO of the newly established Peter G. Peterson Foundation.
AAHSA 'Future of Aging Services' Conference Approaches
The American Association of Homes & Services for the Aging's 2008 Future of Aging Services Conference, March 31-April 2 at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC, will offer 21 education sessions, including many on transforming the way attendees recruit and retain people of talent.
Attorneys General Press Congress On Background Checks For Nursing Home Workers
Thirty-nine state-level attorneys general and three state authorities that house Medicaid Fraud Control Units have fired off a letter to members of Congress in support of the proposed Patient Safety & Abuse Prevention Act of 2007.
CMS Report on Nursing Homes Underscores Need For Better Staffing Ratios
With CMS reporting that more than 90% of nursing homes do not have sufficient staff to meet residents' needs, it is time for Congress to enact legislation mandating comprehensive and meaningful nurse staffing ratios, say officials at the Center for Medicare Advocacy.
Committee on Aging Tackles Challenges Facing Older Voters
Making certain older voters or other people with disabilities are able to cast votes in an election requires policymakers to think broadly about access, senior-level officials from the Government Accountability Office told the Senate Special Committee on Aging.
FDA Not Conducting Mandated Inspections of Medical Device Makers
This issue may be problematic for the elderly, a significant number of whom use medical devices manufactured by companies purportedly not being inspected by the FDA in accordance with the law.
Group Presses for Social Security as Tool for Economic Stimulus
The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare wants Congress to use Social Security -- not income tax refunds -- as a tool for distributing economic relief to seniors, thus stimulating the national economy.
Groups Offer Plan To Strengthen Long-Term Care
Some of the nation's leading long-term care organizations gathered this week in Washington, DC, to warn consumers and policymakers about the severe long-term care crisis.
CMSA Unveils Online Senior Housing Locator
In an effort to meet the rapidly growing need for appropriate senior housing, the Case Management Society of America (CMSA) has launched the CMSA Senior Housing Locator, an online senior housing navigational tool developed by SNAPforSeniors.
Challenges Exist in Delivering Key Components of End-of-Life Care
In 1999, approximately 28% of all Medicare spending was used to provide care for beneficiaries in the last year of their lives, finds a new report released by the Government Accountability Office.
MedPAC Approves Recommendations on SNFs
MedPAC's latest recommendations to Congress will affect skilled nursing facilities and home healthcare agencies.
Boomers Making the Most of 401(k) Plans
A study of 500 boomers with investment assets of $1 million or more finds 71% have participated in 401(k) plans during their careers, and about half of these individuals say their 401(k) assets represent more than half of their overall retirement savings.
Treasury Dept. Addresses Social Security Reform
The Treasury Dept.'s latest brief focuses on ways to assess the fairness of potential reforms and the adequacy of benefits in a financially sustainable Social Security system.
FDA Clears Rapid Test for Drug-Resistant Staph Infections
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has cleared for marketing the BD GeneOhm StaphSR Assay, the first rapid blood test for the drug-resistant staph bacterium known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant "Staphylococcus aureus"), which can cause potentially deadly infections. Methicillin is an antibiotic...
CMS to Issue RFP for Quality Improvement Organizations
CMS plans to issue a Request for Proposal for competitions resulting in awards of separate contracts for Quality Improvement Organizations for the states of Alaska, California, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.
New Aging-Related Resources on the Web
Aging News Alert offers a quick update of the newest aging-related resources on the Internet.
Congress Will Look at Medicare Pay Cuts First Half of 2008
Congress is likely to tackle Medicare issues during the first half of 2008, Capitol Hill sources tell us.
Senate Passes Final Bill with No Cuts to Homecare
This year's final Medicare bill, which passed in the Senate Dec. 18 by unanimous consent and which is slated for a vote in the House Dec. 19, does not contain any provisions relating to oxygen, wheelchairs, or durable medical equipment competitive bidding.
OIG Urges Stronger Medicare Rx Drug Program Oversight
HHS' Office of Inspector General found that Medicare drug plans haven't met all requirements for tracking out-of-pocket spending by beneficiaries in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program.
2008 Calendar of Events and Meetings
Here's a handy-dandy list of aging-related events slated for 2008. Put those fridge magnets to work now!
MedPAC Draft Recommends Pay Freeze for Nursing Facilities, Home Health Providers
MedPAC has sent draft recommendations to Congress calling for a freeze on reimbursement rates for skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies in 2009.
Governance Policy Changing Among Nonprofits
The governance landscape of the not-for-profit community has changed dramatically since the implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley. Today, 87% of not-for-profit organizations have created new governance policies compared with 20% in 2003.
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