Following the events of the past week in Florida, the Secretary again reinforces the urgency to have plans, practice the plans for emergencies.
“Are doctors recommending hospice too late?” – Futurity.com
“Despite experiencing symptoms for months before the end of their lives, older adults are spending shorter periods of time in hospice.
“The finding suggests there may be a need for more attention to symptoms and disability for these elderly people—and perhaps earlier hospice admission.
“Researchers looked at information from a study of 562 people, aged 70 and older, who were not disabled when the study began but died over the following 16 years.
“Of these individuals, 244 (43.4 percent) were admitted to hospice during the last year of life. They were slightly older and more likely to have cognitive impairments (problems thinking and making decisions) than older adults who weren’t admitted to hospice.”
Read this article at Futurity.com in its entirety, click here.
“Blind Patients to Test Bionic Eye Brain Implants | prosthesis could help more people who have lost their vision than a device already on the market.” – MIT Technology Review
by Emily Mullin
“The maker of the world’s first commercial artificial retina, which provides partial sight to people with a certain form of blindness, is launching a clinical trial for a brain implant designed to restore vision to more patients.
“The company, Second Sight, is testing whether an array of electrodes placed on the surface of the brain can return limited vision to people who have gone partially or completely blind. For decades, scientists have been trying to develop brain implants to give sight back to the blind but have had limited success. If the Second Sight device works, it could help millions of blind patients worldwide, including those who have lost one or both eyes.
“The device, called the Orion, is a modified version of the company’s current Argus II bionic eye, which involves a pair of glasses outfitted with a camera and an external processor. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted the company a conditional approval for a small study involving five patients at two sites, Baylor College of Medicine and the University of California, Los Angeles.”
Continue reading this article at the MIT Technology Review.
“Rich American seniors are getting healthier, leaving the poor behind” – The Conversation
“The U.S. has seen substantial improvements in life expectancy over the past century, particularly for those who are better-educated and more affluent.
“Our study, out September 18, looks at the health of older Americans in recent years, using data collected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on more than 50,000 seniors age 65 and older. Seniors in 2014 were 14 percent more likely to report that they were in very good or excellent health, compared to seniors in 2000.
“However, a closer look tells a worrisome story: The health divide is widening across socioeconomic groups. Gains in good health primarily went to more advantaged groups.
“Our work reveals a health disparity echoed in reports by others. In 1980, a wealthy 50-year-old man could expect to live an additional 5.1 years longer than a poor man of the same age. Thirty years later, the life expectancy of two similar men differs by more than a dozen years.”
Read this article at The Conversation in its entirety, click here.
“Why We Need More Nonprofit Senior Housing | A plea to investors for more affordable housing with quality care” – next avenue
“On the surface, the United States appears to be one of the best places to grow older. After all, we have some of the best hospital facilities, a high standard of living and tons of investors ready to help build a new wave of senior housing to keep our growing aging population safe. So why does America continue to rank behind other developing countries when it comes to the overall well-being of its elderly?
“It turns out quality senior housing itself is not enough to solve the problems facing today’s aging — problems including poverty and isolation, which lead to increased risk of death. Providing affordable, quality senior housing is key and it’s this kind of housing that is, sadly, in short supply.
“Time to Invest Better in Senior Housing
“We need to invest better in senior housing.
“When it comes to helping our aging, investors have a responsibility to look beyond just making money with their senior housing investments.”
Continue reading this next avenue article in its entirety, click here.
“‘Every time it’s a battle’: In excruciating pain, sickle cell patients are shunted aside” – STATNews
“Amy Mason, who has sickle cell disease, at her home in Mobile, Ala. “Every time, it’s a battle,” she says of seeking care in the emergency room.” Sharon Steinmann for STAT
by Sharon Begley
“Amy Mason had toughed it out for hours one day this past July, trying warm soaks and heating pads and deep breathing to soothe pain that felt like her bones were being sawed with a rusty blade.
“She knew this was a life-threatening emergency of sickle cell disease, in which her misshapen red blood cells were getting stuck in her blood vessels like tree limbs in a storm sewer. But she delayed going to the emergency room; previous visits hadn’t gone well.
“Just before midnight, Mason, 34, finally had her boyfriend drive her to a Mobile, Ala., hospital. She told the triage nurse that she was having one of the worst sickle cell crises of her life and that she was off the far end of the 1-to-10 pain scale. She was told to wait.
“As the hours passed, Mason begged her boyfriend to take her to another hospital, then passed out from the pain. She awoke, she told STAT, to her boyfriend’s shaking her and pleading with her to stay with him. I can’t do this anymore, Mason whispered.”
Read this article in its entirety at STATNews.com.
“And chemo begins” – Time Goes By: What it’s really like to get old.
We’ve been following website author, Ronnie Bennett, writings for a long time – her observations on life, music and now her experiences with pancreatic cancer are so well written. We’ve laughed, been brought to tears and reveled by reading her words and listening to the bunches of sound tracks she’s shared.
This column, now, shares her thoughts on her first chemotherapy session.
Friday Wrap-Up, September 15, 2017 | a message from the Secretary of Aging
“Because emergencies and disasters strike quickly, you might be forced to evacuate your neighborhood or be prepared to be confined to your home. What would you do if your basic services: water, gas, electricity, or communications, were cut off? Recognizing that state and regulating agencies have specific responsibilities to protect those entrusted to their facility’s care, it is incumbent upon each of us to learn how to take precautions to protect ourselves and cope with disaster by planning in advance and by working with those in our support network: family, neighbors, friends, and caregivers, as well as local responders, as a team.”
Each week week the Office of the Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Aging releases a Friday newsletter with information relevant to activities, issues and events for older Pennsylvanians and persons with disabilities across the Commonwealth.Click here to download the newsletter as a .pdf file.
September is National Preparedness Month | Make a Plan for Yourself, Family and Friends
“From Research to Standard Practice: Advancing Proven Programs to Support Family Caregivers of Persons Living with Dementia”
“This report from the AARP Public Policy Institute discusses what is known about effective programs to support family caregivers and emphasizes evidence-based programs for family caregivers of persons living with dementia. Evidence-based programs to help caregiving families are not widely available in communities. This report looks at barriers to scaling up effective programs, such as health care and social services providers’ lack of knowledge about proven caregiver supportive services. Additionally, this report: draws attention to programs that have been shown to improve one or more aspects of the quality of life of family caregivers and can be implemented in local communities; summarizes positive program outcomes; and identifies common characteristics of successful caregiver programs and services. The report provides four recommendations to ensure a broader reach and wider impact for improving the lives of family caregivers and those for whom they care.” – NASUAD Friday Update
Click on the graphic above or here to download the report.
“Dealing with the Dangers of Clutter”
This article is shared by Lancaster County Link partner, Mary Ellen Mahoney of Caring Transitions of Lancaster County, PA.
“It’s important to be safe on the road and at work, but safety at home is an equally critical consideration—particularly in light of National Safety Month this past June.
“With the help of Chris Seman, president of Caring Transitions, a professional solution for senior relocation, downsizing, estate sale, and online auction services, we explore the dangers of clutter and provide tips on cleaning your home and clearing your mind for a senior living move.
“When clutter gets out of control
“Let’s be honest—many of us live in somewhat cluttered households. Seman points out that the average American home has more than 300,000 items.
“But is clutter really all that dangerous? Seman says it is: ‘Some of the more obvious dangers are the risks for personal injury, such as trips and falls.’ In fact, falls are the leading cause of injury-related death for adults age 65 and older, according to ‘Injury Facts 2017,’ the National Safety Council’s statistical report on unintentional injuries.”
Continue reading this article, click here.
