A report from the AlzheimerÛªs Association, ÛÏChanging the Trajectory of AlzheimerÛªs Disease: A National ImperativeÛ shows that the cumulative costs of care for people with AlzheimerÛªs from 2010 to 2050 will exceed $20 trillion, in todayÛªs dollars. The report also shows that the number of Americans age 65 and older...
Author Archives: anthony
Avoid Indiana Long-Term Care if You Can!
Indiana has opted not to participate in the federal program around nurse background checks. According to officials the state cannot afford its $1 million share. Under the healthcare reform law, states could apply for a federal matching grant of 75% of the cost of implementing nurse background checks, up to...
Fewer Consumers Seeking Health Care
According to a Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, one in five Americans did not seek medical care for a recent illness or injury, with four out of 10 citing cost as the primary factor. Fewer consumers visited a physician or healthcare professional in the past year; 79% of respondents sought...
Multi-focal Lenses Could Contribute to Falls
From Mcknights – Seniors who wear multifocal prescription glasses could reduce their risk of falling if they switch to a single-focus lens while walking outdoors, new research finds. Many seniors wear bifocal or multi-focal prescription glasses to help see both close-range and distant objects. Among seniors who spend a lot...
Don’t Ignore Mailings from CMS to Seniors about Reform
Medicare beneficiaries have been receiving important information in the mail about the immediate benefits they may see from the enactment of the Affordable Care Act. The mailings outlines key provisions of the Affordable Care Act that are important for people with Medicare as well as members of their families. With...
Alzheimer’s Patients Have Better Recall When Information Sung to Them
Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine conducted a study to see if Alzheimer’s patients would be better able to recall new information if it was sung to them. Alzheimer’s patients and healthy control subjects were visually presented with the lyrics to 40 songs. Half of the lyrics were...
Mortality Rates Worsening for U.S.
Mortality rates in the U.S. have been worsening over the last 20 years. A new report shows that its world rankings have slid during that period. Obesity, smoking and AIDS have been the largest factors in the reversal of a long-progressing trend of increased longevity, according to a report in...
Beware Medicare Part D Rebate Scams
As another round of $250 Medicare prescription drug rebate checks goes out in the mail, healthcare officials are reminding seniors to be aware of potential scams. Scammers posing as Health and Human Services officials are calling seniors and saying they need personal information, such as a Social Security or Medicare...
Gene Linked to Alzheimer’s Discovered
A gene known to affect the aging process has been linked to amyloid plaques, which are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discovered that the gene, SIRT1, controls production of the protein fragments that comprise the amyloid plaques. In research they noticed that...
New Alzheimer’s Guidelines Proposed
From the New York Times – New diagnostic guidelines presented at an international AlzheimerÛªs meeting in Hawaii would mean that new technology like brain scans would be used to detect the disease even before there are evident memory problems or other symptoms. Some experts predict a two-to threefold increase in...