|
your path: Home > News >
October 2007 Edition
NEW FROM THE AGS FOUNDATION FOR HEALTH IN AGING
OTHER NEWS
FHA's October 17th Lifetime of Caring Gala
The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging will celebrate a year of extraordinary individual and collective accomplishments on behalf of older adults and their caregivers at its 8th annual Lifetime of Caring Gala on October 17 at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. The Gala will honor former Sen. John Glenn and his wife Annie and recognize other individuals and institutions whose work has contributed to the health and well-being of older people.
Hosted by diplomat Richard Holbrooke and capped by a performance by celebrated Grammy Award-nominee Monica Mancini, the benefit will also celebrate the accomplishments of the FHA. The foundation advocates on behalf of older adults and their special healthcare needs; supports elder health research; and provides public education programs for older people and their caregivers. Proceeds from the Gala will help support the FHA's important work. As the population of older Americans continues to grow, this work becomes ever more critical. You can promote the health and wellness of all older adults by supporting the Foundation for Health in Aging through the Annual Lifetime of Caring Gala. No gift is too large or too small. For more information, please contact Lauren Kahn at 212-308-1414 or lkahn@americangeriatrics.org
back to top
FHA Publishes New Health "Tip Sheet" for Older Adults
The American Geriatrics Society's Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) has published a new easy-to-read health "tip sheet" for older adults. Its "Guide to Advance Directives" is the latest in the FHA's series of tip sheets, which offer authoritative and up-to-date information concerning the health and healthcare needs of older people.
The FHA's "Guide to Advance Directives" encourages older adults to consider, and answer, difficult questions about life-or-death situations and offers advice on how to do so. Experts say it's important that older adults answer these questions and share their answers with others, so they receive the kind of medical care they want in such situations -- even if they're unable to communicate. The best approach is to prepare a written "advance directive." This legal document has two parts -- a living will and a durable power of attorney for health care (DPAHC). The living will explains what kind of care an older adult would and wouldn't want while the DPAHC names the person, usually a loved one, who will make treatment decisions on behalf of the older adult if he or she is unable to do so.
back to top
Eric Coleman, MD, to Discuss Care Transitions During Dial-In Session for Family Caregivers Slated for October 18; Registration Deadline is October 17
AGS member Eric Coleman, MD, will outline strategies aimed at improving care transitions during an October 18 Rosalynn Carter Institute "Telephone Learning Series" session aimed at family caregivers. An Associate Professor of Medicine within the Divisions of Health Care Policy and Research and Geriatric Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Dr. Coleman is an expert on care transitions for older patients and those with complex medical needs, and the leader of the university's Care Transitions Program. The program is designed to improve care transitions for older and complex patients.
Those registering for the telephone session will receive advance copies of the program's Patient Health Record, Discharge Preparation Checklist, and Mediation Discrepancy Tool via email. Register for the free session, which starts at 12 noon EST, online or by calling 229-931-2707. Those who register will get a toll-free number and dialing instructions to follow on the 18th. The registration deadline is October 17.
back to top
National Case Management Week, October 7-13, Celebrates Geriatric and Other Case Managers
National Case Management Week, slated for the second week of October, recognizes geriatric and other case managers' contributions to healthcare. The weeklong celebration, spearheaded by the Case Management Society of America (CMSA), aims to educate the public about case management and its importance.
Case managers assess, plan, facilitate, and coordinate care and advocate for options and services to meet patients' needs. Among other things, geriatric case mangers identify health and safety risk factors and help prevent medical complications, hospitalizations, and nursing home placement. In one study, a case management program reduced total hospital admissions by 54% and total health care costs by 33%. The CMSA's Web site provides information about case mangers, including geriatric case managers who can help older adults and their families make not only medical, but also legal and financial decisions.
back to top
CDC Urges Seniors to Get Vaccinated This Flu Season
If you're 65 or older, getting an influenza, or "flu," vaccination could save your life. That's why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is strongly urging seniors -- one of the groups hardest hit by influenza -- to make vaccination their top priority this flu season.
Each year in the United States alone, an average of 200,000 people are hospitalized and 36,000 people - many of them older adults -- die due to complications from the flu. Getting the flu shot or flu nasal-spray vaccine is the single, best way to protect yourself and people you love from influenza.
Contact your doctor or local health department to learn when or where to get a flu vaccination. For more information, call the CDC at 1-800-CDC-INFO or visit www.cdc.gov/flu.
The FHA tip sheet, "It's That Time of Year Again: Flu and Other Potentially Life-Saving Shots", offers additional information about other recommended vaccinations for older adults. The tip sheet lists these important shots, and offers advice on avoiding contagious diseases such as the flu. All FHA tip sheets are posted on the AGS' Foundation for Health in Aging Web site, and can be printed and shared at no cost.
back to top
NAFC Releases New Educational Brochure on Nocturia
The National Association for Continence (NAFC) has published a new consumer brochure on nocturia. The brochure, "Nocturia: Waking Once or More During the Night to Urinate," describes the urinary system, this condition, its causes, and treatment. The free brochure also explains what to do if you have nocturia, and identifies professionals who can help. You can order the brochure by visiting www.nafc.org or calling 1-800-BLADDER.
back to top
ShirleyBOARD Caregiving Site
As the US population ages, there will be a shortage of professionally trained people to care for the millions of older adults and we will need one another's help to care for our older population. ShirleyBOARD - a free caregiving Web site - is designed for people caring for aging loved ones. Created by a woman who became a caregiver to her mother, Shirley, after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, ShirleyBOARD helps caregivers through the difficult, yet rewarding process.
ShirleyBOARD helps caregivers stay organized amidst the doctors appointments, insurance paperwork, and stresses, and allows them to communicate and share information through a daily journal. Via this journal, they can exchange information about medical contacts, legal documents, and more, as well as network with other caregivers to share information, find other caregivers in a specific geographic location who may be experiencing similar situations, or volunteer to help each other. Caregivers can also create their own caregiving journal to keep a log of their caregiving experiences and share them with others.
The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging created its "Health in Aging Stories" Web site in 2005 for a similar purpose: to help older adults and caregivers find appropriate care. We continue to collect stories from both sides of geriatric healthcare - from older adults and their caregivers about the care that they have received from geriatrics health care providers, and from providers who offer care to older adults and their families. The idea behind the site -- which includes stories from older adults, their providers and their caregivers in a variety of situations -- is to showcase stories that illustrate the difference that geriatrics care can make in the lives of older adults. Through these stories, the site introduces others to the field of geriatrics.
back to top
Enhanced Tools Can Help Medicare Beneficiaries Find The Prescription Drug Plan That Best Meets Their Needs
The new, enhanced "Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder" can help beneficiaries, their caregivers, and family members review 2008 Medicare prescription drug plan options and choose the plan that best meets their needs.
According to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) this is the ideal time for beneficiaries to prepare and compare to find the plan that provides the best fit. The enhanced Plan Finder offers more information and greater clarity on available drug plans -- including information regarding out-of-pocket costs, and pharmacy networks - and important Medicare news and updates.
The 2008 Plan Finder allows beneficiaries to compare prescription drug plans, view premiums, formularies, and more before open enrollment begins on November 15, 2007. Beneficiaries should gather the prescription drugs they are currently taking for reference when using the online tool. People without Web access can get the same information by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), by visiting their local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) office for free personalized counseling, or by attending one of the local enrollment events taking place across the country now through December 2007.
back to top
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.
|
