Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Aggressive Screening for Polyps in Diverticulosis
Patients Appears Unnecessary
Patients with diverticulosis have a lower incidence
of polyps overall, tendency for less-advanced polyps
Oct. 26, 2009 - A Henry Ford Hospital study
questions the need for aggressive screening for colonic polyps in
patients with diverticulosis. About half of senior citizens (those over
age 60) have diverticulosis.
Read more...
Medicare News
Suit Against Medicare, Social Security for Better
Service with Part D Payments is Settled
Goals were to improve processing for Part D premium
withholding, issuing refunds of premium amounts erroneously withheld,
and forwarding withheld premiums
Oct. 23, 2009 – A suit filed in 2007 by Medicare
beneficiaries against the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and
the Social Security Administration has been settled. One of the legal
teams that represented the beneficiaries, The Center for Medicare
Advocacy, says the Machado case was brought by beneficiaries who
experienced lengthy delays in having their Part D premiums accurately
withheld, or not withheld, from their Social Security benefits.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Cancer Society Stands Firm: Older Women Need Mammograms, Men
Advice on Prostate Tests
‘Mammography is effective – mammograms work and
women should continue to get them,’ ACS
Oct. 23, 2009 – The American Cancer Society has
issued a statement saying it is not changing its recommendations on
cancer screening, despite a news report indicating a shift in guidance
was being made to emphasize the risk of overtreatment for breast,
prostate and other cancers. Women still should get mammograms and men
should be offered prostate cancer testing at age 50, says the ACS.
Read more...
Features for Senior Citizens
No Elder Left Behind: Researchers Say Designers Can
Close Tech Gap for Senior Citizens
Extra time and effort required to learn a new skill
are among the reasons older adults are less motivated to learn new
skills
Oct.
23, 2009 - While more older adults than ever are using cell phones and
computers, a technology gap still exists that threatens to turn senior
citizens into second-class citizens, according to Florida State
University researchers.
Read more...
Retirement News
Boomers, Seniors Can Live Better by Planning a
Retirement that Includes Some Type of Job
Those who keep working in retirement enjoy better
health, but do best mentally staying in original field
Oct. 22, 2009 – Baby boomers and senior citizens
thinking about retirement may want to consider a temporary or part-time
job. Those who do will have fewer major disease and will enjoy better
day-to-day function than their contemporaries who choose to stop working
altogether, according to a new national study.
Read
more...
Senior Citizen Politics
GOP Defeat of Bill to Fix Problem in Medicare
Physician Pay Devastating to Doctors, Seniors
Doctors face 21% pay cut from Medicare in 2010; same
annual quandary Democrats tried to fix; senior citizens many find it
harder to get a doctor; AMA issues new list of states with problems
By
Tucker Sutherland, editor & publisher
SeniorJournal.com
Oct.
22, 2009 – An annual event for years has been the threat of a Medicare
pay cut for doctors, caused by an automatic
payment formula for physicians that takes in annual data and
spits out a demand that doctors’ pay must be cut. This is followed by
the physicians' lobbyists and medical associations rushing to
Washington, campaign cash in hand, to get the Congress to magically
transform the pay cut into a pay hike. - which they always do.
Read more...
Caregivers & Elder Care News
HHS to Create National Resource Center for Elderly
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
Experts estimate that as many as 1.5 to 4 million
LGBT individuals are age 60 and older
Oct. 22, 2009 – Health and Human Services Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius today announced plans to establish the nation’s first
national resource center to assist communities across the country in
their efforts to provide services and supports for older lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Read
more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Senators
Introduce Elder Abuse Victims Act to Combat Exploitation of Senior
Citizens
Companion
bill introduced earlier in the House by Rep Joe Sestak (D-PA) was passed
by a vote of 397 to just 25
Oct. 22, 2009 – A group of Senators, frequently
active in legislation supporting senior citizen issues, today introduced
the Elder Abuse Victims Act, a bill , they say, that will improve the
law enforcement community's ability to target and combat abuse and
exploitation of senior citizens. Read
more...
Reverse Mortgage News for Seniors
Senior
Citizen Facing Home Foreclosure Rescued by Unusual Reverse Mortgage
Transaction
Wall Street Journal reports on tactic being used to
help some seniors about to lose their homes
Oct.
21, 2009 – An unusual tactic by Bank of America helped a 69-year-old
California man save his home of 40 years from foreclosure, according to
a story in today’s Wall Street Journal. Pedro Garcia and his family now
have a home that is “nearly payment free.”
Read
more...
Medicare News
Medicare Says Over 70 Percent of Senior Citizens Will Not See Part B
Increase in 2010
CMS lays out the fees and charges seniors will see in
2010 for basic Medicare; mostly impacts those with higher incomes
| |
Medicare
& You 2010 books are currently in distribution. Pdf copy
available online –
click. |
|
Oct. 21, 2009 – Senior citizens, many worried about
their economic fortunes in 2010, when they will not see their Social
Security benefit increase, are getting good news from Medicare - most
seniors covered by Medicare will not see an increase in their Part B
monthly premium. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS),
says this is due to a “hold harmless” provision in the law.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Thyroid Surgery
Safe for Elderly Patients, No More Dangerous Than in Youthful Patients
Another
barrier to surgery on senior citizens falls as older population
continues boom
Oct. 21, 2009 – The next bearer to fall in the
battle for surgery to treat senior citizens appears to be the one that
has stopped thyroid surgery for older people. A new study shows that in
thyroid surgery performed by a single surgeon, older adults did not
appear to have more complications than younger patients.
Read more...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Vegetable Symposium Hears that Vegetable Juices are Good Way to Achieve
Dietary Goal
Something
as easy as drinking vegetable juice can help people increase their
vegetable intake and have significant health benefits
Oct. 21, 2009 – For many elderly, in particular
those who live alone, preparing healthy meals can become a burden. Two
studies presented this week at the International Symposium on Human
Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables in Avignon, France, suggest an
easy, enjoyable way to add more vegetables to their diet.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Longer,
Healthier Lives Offered Senior Citizens Seeking Treatment for
Hypertension
Best approach in patients 80 and up is two drugs in
low doses in an effort to reduce the incidence of stroke
By Joan
Vos MacDonald, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service
Oct.
20, 2009 – Studies show that older people – those 60 and older – seeking
treatment for hypertension will live longer, healthier lives. The
effects might be more obvious in those who already have cardiovascular
disease, but anti-hypertensive therapy also benefits other seniors and
can help reduce deaths due to stroke as well as myocardial infarction or
sudden cardiac death.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Diagnosis of Cardiovascular Disease Significantly Increases Risk of Hip
Fracture
Twin of cardiovascular diseased sibling also
experiences increased rate of hip fracture
Oct. 20, 2009 - A study that includes twins finds
that the risk of hip fracture was significantly increased following a
diagnosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD), with analysis also suggesting
a genetic predisposition to the development of CVD and, according to a
study in the October 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA).
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Senior
Citizens Lead Swing to Support Government-Run Health Care Plan; U.S. Now
Supports It
Independents and seniors, two groups crucial to the
debate, have warmed to the idea of a public option, and are particularly
supportive
Oct.
20, 2009 – Senior citizens and independents have swung to favor a
government-run health-care plan to compete with private insurers,
according to a new Washington Post-ABC poll showing support for the
government-run plan to complete with private insurance has rebounded
from its summertime lows and wins clear majority support from the
public.
Read more...
Aging News & Information
Aggressive Microdermabrasion Induces Wound-Healing Response to Repair
Aging Skin
Aggressive treatment may be a useful
procedure to stimulate remodeling and to improve the appearance
of aged human skin
Oct. 19, 2009 – A hot technique for rejuvenating
aging skin just got hotter with the release of a new scientific study
confirming that microdermabrasion, using a coarse diamond-studded wand,
appears to induce molecular changes in the skin of older adults that
mimic the way skin is remodeled during the wound healing process.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Senate
Postpones Vote on Fixing Medicare Doc Pay; Medicare Officials Easy Up on
Insurers
More details emerging on changes to Medicare in
health care reform proposals
Oct. 19, 2009 - Senate Democrats have postponed a
scheduled cloture vote today on a bill that would make permanent changes
to scheduled rate cuts to Medicare reimbursement for doctors and
hospitals. Meanwhile, doctors worry about the cuts and lawmakers worry
that the fix could break budget goals.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Volunteers
Film
Features Senior Citizens Who Greeted Almost a Million Troops Passing
Through Bangor, Maine
The Way We Get By featured on PBS for Veterans
Day; in some theaters now, on DVD November 3 - Video clip below in
story.
| |
My
life don't mean a hell of a lot to me, but if I can make it mean
something to somebody else, that's my endeavor... Jerry Mundy |
|
Oct. 18, 2009 – Too much of the world finds it easy
to ignore senior citizens – the has-beens of yesteryear – but almost a
million American military personnel will not forget the seniors of
Bangor, Maine. They are the “troop greeters” of Bangor, an intrepid
group of retired and elderly citizens who have taken it upon themselves
to greet every troop plane arriving or departing Bangor, which is the
last and first piece of U.S. soil many GIs will see before and after
their deployments. Now millions of Americans will know them too, thanks
to a movie on PBS for Veterans Day.
Read
more... see video clip
Senior Citizen Politics
Senior
Citizens League Pushes Bill Giving Seniors $415 Increase in Social
Security for 2010
House bill proposes a 3% pay hike for seniors – the
average COLA increase over last 10 years
Oct. 16, 2009 – Despite strong Congressional
support and the backing of President Obama for a $250 payment to senior
citizens in 2010 to compensate for the lack of an increase in Social
Security, The Senior Citizens League is not giving up on its support for
a House bill that would give the average beneficiary an additional
$415.20 in Social Security payments, a boost of $34.60 per month in
2010. Read
more...
Senior Citizens and Internet
Senior Citizens Reduce Depression with Internet Use, Can Save on
Nation's Health Care Bill
Getting more seniors Online could trim
billions from US health costs, says Phoenix Center
Oct.
15, 2009 – If you are reading this story on a computer, chances
are you are reducing your chances of depression. Spending time
online reduces depression by 20 percent for senior citizens, the
Phoenix Center reports in a new Policy Paper released today. In
addition to the quality of life benefits, reducing the cases of
depression through widespread Internet use among older Americans
could trim the nation's health care bill.
Read more...
Social Security News
Social Security Makes It Official: No COLA Increase for Seniors in 2010
Due to No Inflation
SSA calls for passage of $250 payment to each senior
citizen as recommended by President Obama
Oct. 15, 2009 – Social Security made it official
this morning. Over 57 million Americans will not see an automatic
Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) added to their Social Security payments
for 2010. More than 36 million of these are senior citizens. The COLA is
automatically determined each year to cover inflation, but, since the
economic crash back in 2008 inflation has gone flat in the struggling
economy.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
President Wants
Congress to Give Each Senior Citizen $250 to Offset No Social Security
COLA
Obama wants additional $250 Economic Recovery Payment
paid to seniors, veterans and people with disabilities
Oct.
15, 2009 - President Obama yesterday announced his support for an
additional $250 Economic Recovery Payment to the seniors, veterans and
people with disabilities who are struggling to make ends meet with
retirement savings that have not fully recovered from their losses over
the first year of the recession.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Senate
Health Reform Bill Has Amendment Protecting Some Medicare Advantage
Patients
Sen.
Olympia Snowe – almost a senior citizen at 62 – is in spotlight after
casting lone GOP ‘yes’ vote; Sen. Joe Lieberman jumps ship
Oct. 14, 2009 - An amendment to the Senate Finance
Committee bill, sponsored by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., would allow most
Medicare Advantage patients in southern Florida to keep their current
benefits.
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Study
Suggests Mastectomy Not Being Overused For Breast Cancer Treatment
One-third of patients choose mastectomy as initial
treatment when not given a recommendation for BCS or mastectomy by their
surgeon
Oct.
14, 2009 - With there being concern that mastectomy is excessively used
as a treatment for breast cancer, a survey of nearly 2,000 women
indicates that breast-conserving surgery was attempted as the initial
therapy for about 75 percent of those surveyed.
Read
more... Watch video...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Minimally
Invasive Radical Prostatectomy Has Advantages, But Higher Rate of
Complications
MIRP, especially with robotic assistance, increased
from 1% to 40% of radical prostatectomies from 2001 to 2006,despite
limited data on outcomes and costs
Oct.
14, 2009 - New research indicates that the use of minimally invasive
procedures (including the use of robotic assistance) for radical
prostatectomy, which have increased significantly in recent years, may
shorten hospital stays and decrease respiratory and surgical
complications, but may also result in an increased rate of certain
complications...
Read more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Memory May Not Be First Thing to Go for Those Heading for
Alzheimer’s Disease
Some of the earliest signs of preclinical AD
may occur on tests of visuospatial and speeded psychomotor
skills
Oct.
13, 2009 – Senior citizens having trouble piecing together a
jigsaw puzzle may be showing signs of early Alzheimer’s disease,
a new study says. Cognitive abilities other than memory,
including visuospatial skills needed to perceive relationships
between objects, may decline years prior to a clinical diagnosis
in patients with AD, according to a report in the October issue
of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Older Adults Appear to Have Shorter Lifespan When
Facing Chronic Vision Problems
‘Impact of visual impairment on mortality may in
fact be greater than that reported from previous studies’
Oct. 13, 2009 - Visual problems that cannot be
corrected are associated with increased risk of death among individuals
between the ages of 49 and 74, and all visual impairments may be
associated with the risk of death in older adults, according to a report
in the October issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the
JAMA/Archives journals.
Read more...
Medicare News
H1N1 Flu Information for Seniors Prepared by CMS for
Medicare, Medicaid Beneficiaries
Medicare’s coverage of H1N1 flu vaccine and more
explained in Q&A below
Oct. 13, 2009 – Due to concerns among senior
citizens about H1N1 flu, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
(CMS) has opened a Web page with information specifically for people on
Medicare and Medicaid. The basic information is presented in a question
and answer presentation by Medicare, which appears below.
Read
more...
Medicare Drug Program News
Time for Senior Citizens to Review Medicare Drug
Coverage: Center for Medicare Advocacy
Changes cause beneficiaries to shoulder more of the
cost of their prescription drug coverage - private companies change
plans every year
By Center for Medicare Advocacy
Oct. 12, 2009 - In some parts of the country,
October brings changing leaves, but throughout the country, October also
brings information about changing Medicare prescription drug coverage.
While the October 1st announcement of the 2010 Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs)
and Medicare Advantage (MA) plans by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) continues to tout the wide array of offerings, the number
of plans that are available does not tell the entire story.
Read
more...
Medicare News
New Rules from CMS Toughen Requirements for Medicare
Drug and Health Plans
Says Part C & D revisions intended to improve
protections for enrollees, enhance transparency, clarify plan
requirements
Oct. 12, 2009 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) on Friday issued a proposed rule the agency says will
improve performance of prescription drug and health plans by
strengthening standards to participate in the Medicare program.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Dems Get Boost
from Another Republican
Backing Health Reform: Former Bush Medicare Chief
Key leader in Bush effort for Medicare drug program,
former CMS chief Scully, joins growing list of GOP speaking up for
health refrom
Oct.
9, 2009 - Former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief Thomas
Scully is the latest Republican to throw his support behind health care
reform. He supports the approach taken by the Senate Finance Committee,
chaired by Montana Democrat Max Baucus.
Read more...
Medicare News
Senior Citizens Facing Higher Medicare Drug Plan
Premiums May Seek Lower Cost Options
Marketing 2010 plans started October 1 and seniors
can start seeking better options for the open enrollment November 15
Oct. 8, 2009 – Medicare announced in August that
senior citizens are expected to face a 7 percent premium increase for
the average Part D prescription drug plan in 2010. The news is even
worse for some in Medicare Advantage plans that will see a premium jump
of almost 22 percent. With the open enrollment window opening on
November 15, and many seniors expected to seek less expensive options,
Medicare says choosing a new plan will be easier than in previous years.
Read
more...
Caregivers & Elder Care News
Nursing Home Industry Battered by New Reductions in
Funding will Face Closures
Industry leaders say the nursing home industry
could be at a tipping point.
Oct. 8, 2009 - "The nation's nursing homes are
perilously close to laying off workers, cutting services — possibly even
closing — because of a perfect storm wallop from the recession and deep
federal and state government spending cuts, industry experts say," The
Associated Press reports.
Read
more...
Flu News for Senior Citizens
Microsoft Launches Site to Help Consumers Decide if
They Have H1N1 Flu, What to Do
H1N1 Response Center hopes to keep patients at home
with self-assessment based on material from Emory University.
Oct. 7, 2009 – Microsoft jumped into the H1N1 flu
fight today with the launch of a Website, H1N1 Response Center, which it
says provides users with a program by Emory University to self-assess
their flu symptoms. It provides timely and relevant content, says the
announcement.
Read more...