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October 2008 Edition
News From The AGS Foundation For Health In Aging
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News From The AGS Foundation For Health In Aging
American Geriatrics Society Foundation for Health in Aging Names 6 Winners of New Photo Contest Celebrating Older Adults
The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) honored both professional and amateur photographers with awards for their photo submissions to the Foundation's first ever "We All Have Grandparents" photo contest. The competition celebrates the many faces of aging. The 3 winners and 3 honorees were recognized for photographs capturing the character and experiences of older adults, and for providing images that challenge stereotypes surrounding aging.
A professional photojournalist with The Times of India, Sudipto Das received the top $500 award for his photograph of two older adults exercising outdoors on a chilly winter morning in Kolkata, India. "The most interesting part of my photograph is the spirit of the elderly persons, both of whom were older than 80," says Das, who learned of the contest from the Foundation Web site and was thrilled to receive the award.
Vice-Chair of the AGS Ethnogeriatrics Committee, Carmel Bitondo Dyer, MD, received the second place award of $200 for her photograph, "El Sonriente Bisabuelo" (The Smiling Great Grandfather). Taken in the University of Texas at Houston Geriatrics Clinic, the photo features Mr. Guerra and his granddaughter, with Mr. Guerra holding his newly born great grandchild in his arms. Dr. Dyer learned of the contest from Mr. Guerra's daughter, who visits the American Geriatrics and Foundation for Health in Aging Web sites regularly.
Simon Friedman, PhD, professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Missouri, took third place for "The Family Tree," a shot of his mother and his 2-year-old son playing "peekaboo" in their backyard. "I love how the picture shows the playful spirit of both of them, separated by 80 years, but having the same joyful outlook," says Friedman whose sister, a geriatrician, told him of the contest. Dr. Friedman received a $100 award.
Three honorable mention awards of $20 each went to Karla Neuhaus of Powder Springs, Georgia; Rodney Holmes of Algodones, Mexico; and Robin Williams of Lebanon, New Hampshire.
A committee of five selected the winners from a field of 15 entrants. The 6 winning photos are featured on the Foundation Web site.
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AGS and Foundation for Health in Aging to Participate in "National Memory Screening Day"
The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and its Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) are pleased to be among the endorsing participants in this year's "National Memory Screening Day", slated for November 18. Organized each November and spearheaded by the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, the 6th annual event promotes early detection of Alzheimer's disease and related illnesses to encourage appropriate intervention.
In collaboration with organizations and healthcare professionals, participating sites - senior and community centers, assisted living facilities, adult day centers, doctors' offices, and the Kmart pharmacy chain - offer free confidential memory screenings, as well as follow-up resources and educational materials to those concerned about memory loss. In 2007, nearly 2,000 sites in 46 states offered participated.
The face-to-face screenings take about five minutes to complete and consist of a series of simple questions and tasks. They are administered by qualified healthcare professionals, such as physicians, nurses, psychologists pharmacists, and social workers. The AFA's Web site provides further information about the annual event and how to get tested or participate.
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American Geriatrics Society Foundation for Health in Aging Helps Kick Off "National Family Caregivers Month"
The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and its Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) are pleased to be among the endorsing organizations of National Family Caregiver Month (NFC), created by the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) to bring attention to the needs of family caregivers. NFC is celebrated each November in recognition of the upwards of 50 million family members caring for loved ones.
"This year we are encouraging people to speak up during National Family Caregivers Month," said Suzanne Mintz, NFCA president and co-founder. "One of the most important attributes of being an advocate for your loved one is the ability to speak up to health care professionals protecting not only the health and safety of your loved ones but for yourself as well."
In honor of National Family Caregivers Month the NFCA is hosting a free national TeleClass for family caregivers on November 6 and 13 at 2 p.m. ET. The two hour-long sessions are designed to help family caregivers communicate more effectively with healthcare professionals and become better advocates for themselves and their loved ones. For additional information and registration details, visit the NFCA Web site or call 800-896-3650.
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Other News
Medicare Launches New Web Site for Family Caregivers
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched a comprehensive new Web site for caregivers that's designed to serve as an "all-inclusive resource on Medicare and other caregiver-related issues."
The "Ask Medicare" site clearly explains what Medicare does and doesn't cover, and helps caregivers find government and non-profit agencies and organizations that assist the elderly and those who care for them. The site also includes information concerning care options, such as in-home services and other alternatives to nursing facilities; as well as helpful tools to compare drug plans, and financial guidance. In addition, the Web page offers caregivers advice on caring for themselves, and links to government and nongovernmental sources of information, and to message boards, online forums and blogs concerning aging and caregiving.
The site "aggregates many useful resources previously difficult to find or incoherently presented on the sprawling Web site of the federal Department of Health and Human Services," The New York Times' Jane Gross wrote in a recent column praising the site. CMS also plans to launch a new electronic newsletter for caregivers.
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Revamped National Transitions of Care Coalition Web Site Now Live
The National Transitions of Care Coalition's (NTOCC) newly revamped Web site, www.ntocc.org, is now live. The AGS is one of 29 participating organizations in the NTOCC, which is dedicated to improving care coordination for patients transferred from one care setting to another. NTOCC views such transitions as major challenges to quality healthcare that can only be addressed by breaking down barriers among different health care settings and working collaboratively.
The organization's new Web site includes information and tools for patients and their caregivers, including a "My Medicine List" form; and tools, resources and best practices information for healthcare professionals. It also offers policy makers information and resources to guide policy; and the media, information concerning transitions of care. In addition, the site includes links to the NTOCC's quarterly newsletter and news concerning care transitions.
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Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Clinical and Research Program, in Collaboration with Others, Releases Materials to Help Dementia Caregivers Make Decisions about Driving
"On the Crossroads: Caregiving, Dementia & the Driving Decision" is a guide to help caregivers determine when older adults, particularly those with dementia, need to stop driving.
Created by the Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Clinical and Research Program (BU ADCRP), in collaboration with the MIT AgeLab, and The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., the guide includes recommendations -- from experts in medicine, gerontology and transportation -- aimed at promoting safe driving, rather than relinquishing independence. Caregivers can use the "Driving Warning Signs Worksheet" in the guide to note dates and incidences of good and bad driving and then share this information with family and healthcare professionals to make decisions. The "Support Group Leaders Kit on Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia and Driving," also included, is designed to help workshop leaders educate caregivers and better prepare them to address driving-related issues with relatives suffering from dementia. Another element of the guide, the Senior Living Residences blog, created by BU ADCRP Co-Director, Dr. Robert Stern, highlights the difficulties inherent in balancing public safety and personal independence.
Interested people can download free copies of all of these materials, except for the "Support Group Leaders Kit on Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia and Driving", from the Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center.
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To make a donation to the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging, visit the donation page on our Web site at http://www.healthinaging.org/donate/ or call Li-Chia Ong, at 212-308-1414.
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