Features for Senior Citizens
Hospital Report Cards are Growing on the Web, But Can You Use Them to Make a Choice
May not be perfect, but they can
offer clues to the care you might receive
By Becky Ham, Science Writer, Health Behavior News
Service
Oct. 10, 2008 - Consumers are awash in information
they can use to find the best deals on everything from dishwashers to
car insurance. But is it possible to comparison shop for a hospital?
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizen
Surgery to Prevent Strokes in Patients Age 80 and Older Now Considered Safe
As elderly population surges, it’s crucial to
identify ways to limit the devastating strokes
Oct.
10, 2008 - New research published in the October issue of Journal of the
American College of Surgeons challenges the current opinion that
patients in their eighties, who are often deemed "high-risk" due to
their advanced age, should not undergo carotid endarterectomy – a
stroke-preventing surgical procedure that clears blockages from the
neck's carotid arteries.
Read
more...
Medicare Drug Program News
Medicare Drug Plan Data for 2009 Now Available Online
for Senior Citizens to View Options
Open enrollment is Nov. 15 through Dec. 31 – Links
below to key information at Medicare
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Links
below story to Medicare |
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Oct. 10, 2008 – The data on the Medicare Part-D
prescription drug plans for 2009 has now been loaded into the computers
and senior citizens can begin exploring their options for the new year.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has been relentless in
warning seniors that the cost of their current plan may increase
significantly in 2009 and it is important they explore all the options,
including other drug plans or Medicare Advantage plans with drug
coverage. (See below story for help in finding information at Medicare)
Read more...find links to Medicare data
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In ‘Sweetie’ and
‘Dear,’ a Hurt for the Elderly
New York Times writer John
Leland looks at the consequences of “elderspeak” in
article published October 6, 2008

Bea Howard, 77, of Berkeley,
Calif., said she had been ignored by restaurant
workers while dining with a younger friend. |
Professionals call it elderspeak,
the sweetly belittling form of address that has always
rankled older people: the doctor who talks to their
child rather than to them about their health; the store
clerk who assumes that an older person does not know how
to work a computer, or needs to be addressed slowly or
in a loud voice. Then there are those who address any
elderly person as “dear.”
“People think they’re being nice,”
said Elvira Nagle, 83, of Dublin, Calif., “but when I
hear it, it raises my hackles.”
>>
Read the full story… |
Reverse Mortgage News for Seniors
Real Estate Scammers are Using Reverse Mortgage
Program to Flip Depressed Homes
Senior citizen gets a free house, scammers get the
money, but senior can’t afford the home
Oct.
9, 2008 - There is a new scam involving reverse mortgages that everyone
needs to be aware of because it doesn’t affect just senior citizen
borrowers, according to Cliff Auerswald of All Reverse Mortgage Company.
It seems that in their effort to find new ways to beat the system, there
are some who are looking for ways to use senior borrowers and reverse
mortgages to flip properties.
Read
more...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Dementia Won’t Improve for Older People by Taking
Procaine but Health Might Suffer
A topical anesthetic, normally, procaine has been
touted as anti-aging drug that might prevent or even reverse dementia
Oct.
9, 2008 - Procaine, a medication that is normally used as a topical
anesthetic , has been touted as an anti-aging drug that might prevent or
even reverse dementia. A new Cochrane Review, however, suggests that the
risks of bad side effects outweigh any benefit. Procaine
is also known as novocaine.
Read more...
Medicare Drug Program News
More
Than a Million Low-Income Seniors Being Moved to New Medicare Drug Plans
Avalere Health says low-income beneficiaries will
again see choices shrink in 2009
Oct.
9, 2008 – More than 1.3 million low-income senior citizens will find
themselves automatically reassigned to new drug plans for 2009,
according an analysis by Avalere Health, which says there will be fewer
options for low-income Medicare beneficiaries trying to choose a Part D drug plan. Avalere notes this is a trend that has
increased every year since the drug benefit began.
Read
more...
Medicare Drug Program News
Senior Citizen May Get a Shock When They See
Medicare Drug Plan Premiums for 2009
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Kerry Weems, CMS |
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Medicare administrator urges every senior to check
their plan and other options
By Tucker Sutherland,
editor, SeniorJournal.com
Oct. 8, 2008 – Senior citizens may be in for a big
surprise if they just renew their Medicare Part D drug plan this year,
without checking the details – like the premium, co-pays and
deductibles. The cost for 2009 may be substantially higher than it was
in 2008. This seemed to be the message being delivered today by Kerry
Weems, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services, in a telephone news conference.
Read more...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Vitamin C May Help Old Men Maintain Stronger Bones,
Fight Osteoporosis
Did not see significant effects of vitamin C intake
on bone in old women
By Rosalie Marion
Bliss, ARS
Oct.
8, 2008 - Findings from a new study suggest vitamin C may be protective
against bone loss in older men. Researchers funded by the Agricultural
Research Service (ARS) reported the findings in the October issue of the
Journal of Nutrition.
Read
more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Forgetting an Appointment or Name of Friend is Not
Necessarily the Beginning of Dementia
Maybe there are just too many things to remember for
the size of your brain
Oct. 8, 2008 – Most older
people that
occasionally struggle to remember the name of a friend or totally forget
an appointment are quick to conclude this embarrassment is caused by
aging - the early signs of dementia. They may be wrong, according to a
study published yesterday in Neurology, the medical journal of the
American Academy of Neurology, which finds this happens to people without
dementia, too.
Read
more...
Elder Care News
End-of-Life
Discussions with Physicians Produce Benefits for Patients and Caregivers
Knowing death is near allows patients, caregivers and
physicians to focus on clarifying patient priorities and managing pain
Oct.
7, 2008 - Terminally ill patients who had end-of-life discussions with
physicians had a better quality of life near death, compared to patients
who did not have these discussions, according to a study in the October
8 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association. These patients
also received less aggressive medical care in their final week of life
and were not more likely to experience emotional distress.
Read more...Video
link in story.
Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens
New Physical Activity Guidelines Say Seniors Should
Try to Keep Up with Younger Adults
Adults – including senior citizens – need two and a
half hours a week of aerobic physical activity, says Health & Human
Services
Oct.
7, 2008 – Adults - even senior citizens – need two and a half hours a
week of moderate aerobic physical activity, which will return
substantial health benefits, according to the new Physical Activity
Guidelines for Americans, which were released today by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services.
Read
more...
Medicare News
Incentive Pay for Using E-Prescribing is Focus of
CMS National Conference Today
Electronic prescribing of prescriptions could save
thousands of senior citizens from medication errors
Oct. 7, 2008 – E-prescribing, which has the
potential to save thousands of senior citizens from medication errors,
received a big boost today as 1,400 health care professionals and
industry leaders convened in Boston at the National E‑prescribing
Conference hosted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Read more...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Red Wine Lowers Lung Cancer Risk in Older Men,
Especially Smokers
Two percent lower lung cancer risk with each glass of
red wine consumed per month

Oct.
7, 2008 – Moderate drinking of red wine may lower the risk of lung
cancer in older men, particularly if they are smokers, according to a
report in the October issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers &
Prevention¸ a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Read
more...
Features for Senior Citizens
Gay, Lesbian Senior Citizen Organization to Hear
AARP President at National Conference

Ad campaign |
SAGE launches new ad campaign: "There’s no expiration
date on a full and active life.”
Oct. 7, 2008 – The leading organization for gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender senior citizens kicked off a new
advertising campaign in New York yesterday, and today announced the
program for the Fourth National Conference on LGBT Aging, which will be
sponsored this year by AARP and MetLife.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizen
Colon Cancer Testing Should Continue Consistently
Through Age 75, Task Force Says
U.S. Preventative Services Task Force issues new
guidelines on how, when to test for colorectal cancer
Oct. 7, 2008 - New findings from a Decision
Analysis for the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) suggest
that routine colorectal cancer screenings can be stopped in patients
over the age of 75. The results are based on patients who began
screenings at age 50 and have had consistently negative screenings up to
the age of 75 resulting from annual screening with sensitive Fecal
Occult Blood Test (FOBT), ten yearly colonoscopies, or five yearly
sigmoidoscopies with a mid-interval sensitive FOBT.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizen
New Guidelines to Reduce Internal Bleeding Risks
Issued for Taking Antiplatelet with NSAID
Medical groups join to improve patient safety when
taking the most widely used class of medications in U.S.
Oct. 6, 2008 – The good news is that Americans
continue to live longer. The bad news is the longer we live the more
medical challenges we face. New guidelines were released today for
reducing the risk of ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding among those
senior citizens using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
along with antiplatelet agents.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizen
Women Should Have Breast Exams at Least Until Age
85, Says Breast Cancer Expert
More than half of breast cancers are found in women
65 or older, 45% diagnosed after age 70, death more likely when found
late
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Dr. Kathleen Diehl examines a breast cancer patient. - See
video link in story. |
Oct. 6, 2008 - Despite recent examples of young and
middle-aged celebrities being diagnosed with breast cancer, more than
half of breast cancers happen in women over age 65. Concerned that many
older women are not taking the threat of breast cancer to themselves
seriously, an expert at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer
Center is urging seniors to continue annual breast screening at least
until age 85.
Read more...(also link to video)