“Fresh Food By Prescription: This Health Care Firm Is Trimming Costs — And Waistlines” – NPR
by Allison Aubrey
Registered dietitian Anna Ziegler counsels Tom Shicowich, who has a Type 2 diabetes. Since enrolling in the Fresh Food Pharmacy program, Shicowich has lost about 45 pounds. His A1C level has dropped significantly. – Allison Aubrey/NPR
“The advice to eat a healthy diet is not new. Back around 400 B.C., Hippocrates, the Greek doctor, had this missive: Let food be thy medicine.
“But as a society, we’ve got a long way to go. About one out of every two deaths from heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes in the U.S. is linked to a poor diet. That’s about 1,000 deaths a day.
“There are lots of places to lay the blame. Calories are cheap, and indulgent foods full of salt, sugar and fat are usually within our reach 24/7.
“So, how best to turn this around? Consider Tom Shicowich’s story. It begins with a toe. His left pinky toe.”
Meals On Wheels Wants To Be The ‘Eyes and Ears’ For Hospitals, Doctors” – CNN
Debbie Case, CEO of the Meals on Wheels San Diego County, delivers lunch and dinner to 75-year-old David Kelly. Kelly lost his sight about two years ago and reluctantly gave up cooking. – Photo: Meals on Wheels lifeline
by Anna Gorman, Kaiser Health News
“Debbie Case held an insulated bag with two packaged meals — a sandwich wrap and fruit for lunch, a burrito and cauliflower for dinner.
“You’re going to eat well today,” Case told 75-year-old Dave Kelly as she handed him the meals. Kelly lost his sight about two years ago and reluctantly gave up cooking.
“After putting the food away, Kelly chatted with Case about his experience as a folk musician. As they talked in his living room, Case, CEO of San Diego County’s Meals on Wheels program, glanced around for hazards that could cause Kelly to fall.
“Kelly said the homemade meals keep him from eating too much frozen food or take-out. But more than that, he said he appreciates someone coming by to check on him every day.
“‘Anything could happen,’ Kelly said, adding that he worries about falling. ‘I wouldn’t want to lay around and suffer for days.’
“Meals on Wheels is undergoing a dramatic overhaul as government and philanthropic funding fails to keep pace with a rapidly growing elderly population. The increased demand has resulted in lengthy waitlists and a need to find other sources of funding. And at the same time, for-profit companies such as Mom’s Meals are creating more competition.”
Continue reading this article in its entirety at CNN, click here.
Health literacy continued | talking about health issues is a good thing
Two articles from justcareusa.org make a lot of sense for everyone.
“Many of us want to help our parents or other people we love as they age. But, we have no idea how to help. For sure, engaging them in conversation is already a big help. If you want to talk to your loved ones about their health, here are five tips for beginning the conversation.”
“How to lower your blood pressure: DASH | The Centers for Disease Control offers advice on how to lower your blood pressure to avoid hypertension. DASH, the dietary approach to stop hypertension (high blood pressure), is an eating program that’s easy to implement. The goal is to consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day.”
Friday Wrap-Up, September 23, 2016 | a message from the Secretary of Aging
Each 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 read the September 23 newsletter.
Highlighted in this newsletter are:
- The Governor’s food security plan – Setting the Table: A Blueprint for a Hunger-free PA
- The National Foundation to End Senior Hunger has launched What A Waste University (WAWU). WAWU is a center for learning – dedicated to education about Nutrition, Waste and Sustainability
- Information about a Human Diversity and Cultural Competency Online Course.
- Events – PA Link to Aging and Disability Resources.
“Misconceptions on aging and health” – World Health Organization
At the Cultural Diversity Workshops held at Lebanon Valley College today, the closing keynote featured Dr.Ayesha S. Ahmad, M.D., F.A.C.P. who presented this Keynote Topic: The Greying of America. Dr. Ahmad touched on several of the emerging trends below in her comments today.
The World Health Organization states, “Most developed world countries have accepted the chronological age of 65 years as a definition of ‘elderly’ or older person, but like many westernized concepts, this does not adapt well to the situation in Africa. While this definition is somewhat arbitrary, it is many times associated with the age at which one can begin to receive pension benefits. At the moment, there is no United Nations standard numerical criterion, but the UN agreed cutoff is 60+ years to refer to the older population.
“Although there are commonly used definitions of old age, there is no general agreement on the age at which a person becomes old. The common use of a calendar age to mark the threshold of old age assumes equivalence with biological age, yet at the same time, it is generally accepted that these two are not necessarily synonymous.”
Misconceptions of aging and health: Some of the most important barriers to developing good public policy on ageing are pervasive misconceptions, negative attitudes and assumptions about older people. Although there is substantial evidence about the many contributions that older people make to their societies, they are frequently stereotyped as dependent, frail, out of touch, or a burden. These ageist attitudes limit older people’s freedom to live the lives they choose and our capacity to capitalise on the great human capacity that older people represent.
Click here to see 10 Misconceptions of aging and health, globally.
“More obese people in the world than underweight, says study” – BBC News
“There are now more adults in the world classified as obese than underweight, a major study has suggested.
“The research, led by scientists from Imperial College London and published in The Lancet, compared body mass index (BMI) among almost 20 million adult men and women from 1975 to 2014.
“It found obesity in men has tripled and more than doubled in women.
“Lead author Prof Majid Ezzat said it was an ‘epidemic of severe obesity’ and urged governments to act.
“The study, which pooled data from adults in 186 countries, found that the number of obese people worldwide had risen from 105 million in 1975 to 641 million in 2014.
“Meanwhile the number of underweight people had risen from 330 million to 462 million over the same period.”
“Fruits and Vegetables to Fight Cataracts” – The New York Times
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
“Here’s another reason to eat your fruits and veggies: You may reduce your risk of vision loss from cataracts.
“Cataracts that cloud the lenses of the eye develop naturally with age, but a new study is one of the first to suggest that diet may play a greater role than genetics in their progression.
“Researchers had about 1,000 pairs of female twins in Britain fill out detailed food questionnaires that tracked their nutrient intake. Their mean age was just over 60.
“The study participants underwent digital imaging of the eye to measure the progression of cataracts. The researchers found that women who consumed diets rich in vitamin C and who ate about two servings of fruit and two servings of vegetables a day had a 20 percent lower risk of cataracts than those who ate a less nutrient-rich diet.”
Click here to read this New York Times article in its entirety.
Changes in SNAP : Effective March 1, 2016, Work Requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDS)
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, “Beginning on March 1, 2016, SNAP recipients that are known as able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) will see a change in their benefits and requirements. An ABAWD is a benefit recipient, ages 18 through 49 with no dependents, who must work or participate in a work program to maintain eligibility for SNAP.”
“The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is the new name for the Food Stamp program. These benefits are used to buy food and help eligible low-income households in Pennsylvania obtain more nutritious diets by increasing their food purchasing power at grocery stores and supermarkets. If you are eligible, you will receive a Pennsylvania Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) ACCESS Card which is used to make food purchases at grocery stores and supermarkets.”
Today, celebrate World Water Day!
“Water doesn’t just keep us alive, it gives us everything that makes life worth living. Take a moment to celebrate all the good things water gives.” – SOURCE: Water.org
Read more about this most-precious commodity – water :
- 40 photos to make you think twice about wasting this precious resource – International Business Times
- “The world’s poorest pay largest percentage of income for water, study says” – The Los Angeles Times
- “Aging Pipes Are Poisoning America’s Tap Water” | “In Flint, Michigan, lead, copper, and bacteria are contaminating the drinking supply and making residents ill. If other cities fail to fix their old pipes, the problem could soon become a lot more common.” – The Atlantic
Need help identifying long term services and supports, read this!
Here’s a Webpage with a “tool (that) will help you and/or your caregiver to identify beneficial long term services and supports based on your specific needs. This tool is NOT meant to: tell you if you qualify for services; provide a diagnosis; and it will not save any information on any specific individual.
If you have any questions or require any assistance, please call the PA Link Call Center at 1-(800)-753-8827.
