For all long-term care residents, pressure reduction foam mattresses were cost-effective 82% of the time compared to standard mattresses, with average savings of $115 per resident, the researchers showed. Foam cleansers for incontinence care would be cost-effective 94% of the time compared to soap and water, saving an average of $179 per resident.The clinical benefits of foam cleansers for bedsores, or "pressure ulcers," however, require confirmation through more research, the team noted.
Duh!
Barbie Aging in Place
The dream home is now over 50 years old, my sisters haven’t played with Barbie dolls for over 40 years. Given these realities, it occurred to me that maybe Barbie should start looking into The Universal Design Dream House. Here’s 5 places to start:
The Barbie Universal Design Dream Home
1. Adapt main floor of the home for one level living: No-step entry, bathroom and bedroom / Kitchen and laundry on main floor
2. Widen doorways to 36” w/ offset hinges on doors: Doorways are often too narrow for walkers and wheelchairs (or someone carrying packages, widening a plus for all)
3. Install hand-held shower heads and grab bars: These are some of the least expensive changes you can make; great help to those with balance issues
4. Use lever handles on doors and plumbing fixtures: Hand strength can be an issue with all ages–using a simple lever eliminates the struggle w/operating doorknobs/faucets
5. Use “comfort height” toilets: Many people suffer from osteoporosis, arthritis, or temporary injuries and find it hard to stand up from a normal height toilet–a higher toilet (or toilet chair that fits over the existing toilet) helps with this challenge
There is a picture along with the article that is priceless.
SSA and VA can designate spouses, other family members, friends, and organizations to serve as fiduciaries. Similarly, when state courts determine that adults are incapacitated, they have the authority to grant other persons or entities--guardians--the authority and responsibility to make financial and other decisions for them. Incapacitated adults are vulnerable to financial exploitation by fiduciaries and guardians, so these arrangements are not without risk. In 2010, we identified hundreds of allegations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation by guardians in 45 states and the District of Columbia between 1990 and 2010. At that time, we reviewed 20 of these cases and found that guardians had stolen or otherwise improperly obtained $5.4 million from 158 incapacitated victims, many of whom were older adults. To protect against financial exploitation, state courts as well as federal agencies are responsible for screening prospective guardians and federal fiduciaries, respectively, to make sure suitable individuals are appointed. They are also responsible for monitoring the performance of those they appoint. This statement today is based on our recent report on this topic. It will cover (1) SSA and VA procedures for screening prospective federal fiduciaries, and state court procedures for screening prospective guardians; (2) SSA and VA monitoring of federal fiduciary performance, and state court monitoring of guardian performance; (3) information sharing between SSA and VA fiduciary programs and between each of these programs and state courts; and (4) federal support for improving state courts' oversight of guardianships.
The continuing scandal....
As former overseers of Medicare, which together with Medicaid makes up a staggering 23 percent of federal spending, we offer this advice: Find savings in Medicare by replicating the market-based approaches of the prescription drug program.
Evidence of the success of the Medicare prescription drug program is mounting. Last month, we learned that the average Medicare prescription drug premium will decline next year. It's the second time premiums have dropped since the drug benefit was initiated five years ago. That's a welcome deviation from the 5 percent rise in premiums for all of healthcare.
We also learned recently that the Medicare prescription drug program is reducing Medicare hospital and nursing home admissions, saving $12 billion because of reduced use by program participants. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found an average savings of $1,200 per year for seniors who had inadequate drug coverage before Medicare Part D.
Now in its fifth year, Medicare Part D is costing 41 percent less than the Congressional Budget Office originally projected. And program participants give it high marks — satisfaction percentages among seniors are in the high 80s, impressive for any government program.
Washington, DC---As the President unveiled his debt plan this morning, hundreds of activists with disabilities stormed the White House to demand a voice in the structuring of Medicaid reform. ADAPT, the national disability rights direct action group, is asking the administration to work with them to ensure that Medicaid dollars are invested in cost-saving community supports.
“The President says that he expects all Americans to share the burden of controlling the budget, but Medicaid recipients are already shouldering the burden for balancing budgets at the state level,” said Randy Alexander of Memphis ADAPT. “States have already made significant cuts to Medicaid. How many more people with disabilities and seniors must lose our basic freedoms and lives in order to have done our share?
The new study used YouTube clips as a means to deliver reminiscence therapy to dementia patients in a hospital setting. Six participants watched video clips related to their social interests or topics that came up in discussion. These included clips of historic sports stars and classic moments from movies and musicals, such as Gene Kelly's "Singing in the Rain."
After six weeks, the researchers conducted informal interviews with the participants and found improvements in participants' moods, quality of life and communication abilities. Most participants also showed improvement in their scores on a standard language skills test.
"YouTube is a feasible means of conducting computerized based [reminiscence therapy]," the researchers wrote in their findings, published Aug. 31 in the journal Age and Aging. "[T]his small cohort of participants had an increased sense of well-being and mood, and displayed greater communicative participation and engagement in the group," the researchers said.
The Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation is collaborating with Mayo Clinic's Robert and Arlene Kogod Center for Aging and the Charter House in creating the Healthy Aging & Independent Living (HAIL) Lab to support 'aging in place' helping seniors remain at home, healthy and independent. The HAIL Lab will be a place for focus groups, as well as for designing, prototyping and piloting new services and technologies with voluntary participation from Charter House residents and other community agencies."The goal of the HAIL Lab is to understand the needs of seniors and develop products and services that will help them live longer, more independent lives," says Nicholas LaRusso, M.D., medical director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation.
A federal judge on Tuesday gave her preliminary approval to a settlement that could eventually help thousands of disabled, low-income Illinois residents live more independently while saving the state money in the process.
State officials and advocates for the disabled lauded their agreement as a money-saving milestone after U.S. District Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow gave it her initial backing and set a Dec. 20 hearing for fielding comments and objections.
If the judge gives the deal her final approval, it could affect not only 20,000 low-income people with physical disabilities and mental illnesses living in Cook County nursing homes, but also thousands more nursing home residents throughout Illinois.
Illinois could save $2,320 per person annually by housing Medicaid-eligible people with disabilities in houses and apartments with community services instead of in nursing homes, advocates and state officials agreed.