Health and Disability

From Medical Books Pro:

This book examines the relationship between quality of care and quality of life of frail older persons who are dependent on external support and care. Quality of life in old age has become a key issue within gerontology and health and social care research. The book specifically addresses this issue by developing a new concept of “care-related quality of life.” Key questions addressed include: what are the determinants of care-related quality of life in old age? How can care contribute to and support the quality of life of older clients? And how should care be managed to facilitate good quality and effective care?...

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From TechShow Wire:

GeoSentric Oyj’s (NASDAQ OMX: GEO1V), TWIG business unit, today announced the launch of its next generation, GPS/GSM personal protection device – The TWIG Protector.

Created to protect lone workers, the vulnerable and those needing access to emergency care, the TWIG Protector is shock and water resistant, light and extremely easy to use. In addition it can communicate with all TWIG™ devices and support systems using both SMS and GPRS Mobile Phone Telematics Protocol. When operated in conjunction with the TWIG WebFinder (www.twigworld.com), the TWIG Protector provides a fully integrated, mobile communications and protection solution, that can be used anywhere in the world....

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From McKnight's:

Consolidating certain aspects of financing care for some of the poorest older and disabled Americans at the federal level could soften the blow significantly to state budgets, a new analysis shows. Shifting long-term care coverage from Medicaid to Medicare is one of the report's recommendations.

Moving more of the cost of care for so-called dual-eligibles – the 9 million Americans eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare – from Medicaid to Medicare could save states as much as $47 billion annually, say study authors from the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, and researchers at the Urban Institute....

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From the Flint Journal:

Thanks and a Hat Tip to Kate White...

Genesee County is fortunate to have a progressive prosecutor in David Leyton. Leyton, along with the dedicated and tenacious Genesee County Sheriff's Department, recently brought charges of murder in a case of severe neglect of Katherine L. Mukdsi. Too often "gray murders" (murders involving older adults) and cases of elder abuse and neglect are ignored or determined too complex to adequately investigate. Elder Law of Michigan applauds Genesee County and its elder death review team for bringing a murder charge in this case. Only a few counties in Michigan employ this nationally recognized best practice. Sending a clear message that abuse and neglect are serious crimes that carry significant penalties is critical for the health, safety and well-being of citizens of all ages....

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From PhilosopherCrip:

...For decades, people with disabilities, both old and young, have wanted alternatives to nursing homes and other institutions when they need long term services. Our long term care system has a heavy institutional bias. Every state that receives Medicaid MUST provide nursing home services, but community based services are optional. Sixty seven (67%) percent of Medicaid long term care dollars pay for institutional services, while the remaining thirty three (33%) must cover all the community based waivers, optional programs, etc. ...

n a national planning meeting July 1990, ADAPT targeted the reallocation of one quarter of the federal and state Medicaid dollars from institutional programs to consumer controlled community based programs. ADAPT now also stands for American Disabled For Attendant Programs Today....

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From Medical News Today:

...In the future, automated homes, intelligent environments, modern sensor systems, and information technology can help elderly to live autonomously in their own homes...

One particular challenge is to develop a system that not only functions safely and reliably, but also continuously adapts to changing requirements. New assistance services and devices can easily be integrated into the system, such as motion detectors or pressure sensors in the mattress. The sensors automatically report their data via wireless communication to a control center concealed in a cabinet....

The "Assistive Bathroom Environment" of the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS in Duisburg demonstrates how these support services function. "The obstacle-free electronically equipped bathroom has a toilet that recognizes the user and automatically adjusts itself to a suitable height," Dr.-Ing. Gudrun Stockmanns, Group Manager from IMS, explains. A light switches itself on and off automatically, and the tap shuts itself off to save water. This bathroom even has the capability to monitor the amount of toothpaste being used. The goal is to monitor and support the occupant without being intrusive...

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From McKnight's:

...Absolute humidity is the actual amount of water in the air. Low absolute humidity can explain 50% of viral transfers and up to 90% of the virus' survivability, say researchers. More moisture in the air means less chance for the flu virus to survive....

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From Open Congress:

A bill to expand, train, and support all sectors of the health care workforce to care for the growing population of older individuals in the United States.

Senate Bill: S.245 introduced by Sen. Kohl
House Bill:  H.R. 468 introduced by Rep. Schakowsky

You can see the respective full text versions through the links.

From Justice for All:

Monday, February 16th, President's Day, ADAPT will contact the Obama (a sponsor when he was a Senator) Administration.

Tuesday, February 17th, CCA supporters across the country will visit the local offices of members who haven't signed on.

Ask your U.S. Senators and Representative in Congress to become initial cosponsors of the Community Choice Act (CCA)!

It only takes a COUPLE of minutes.  CCA will be reintroduced soon.  Rather than start all over again building the number of cosponsors, we want to have the bill reintroduced with as many initial cosponsors as YOU help us get.

Use these links to contact your US Senators and Representative.

Contact your Senators at:
http://capwiz.com/rochestercdr/issues/alert/?alertid=12598871

Contact your Representative at:
http://capwiz.com/rochestercdr/issues/alert/?alertid=12597841

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From the NY Times:

Increasingly, many older people who live alone are not truly alone. They are being watched by a flurry of new technologies designed to enable them to live independently and avoid expensive trips to the emergency room or nursing homes.

Bertha Branch, 78, discovered the power of a system called eNeighbor when she fell to the floor of her Philadelphia apartment late one night without her emergency alert pendant and could not phone for help.

A wireless sensor under Ms. Branch’s bed detected that she had gotten up. Motion detectors in her bedroom and bathroom registered that she had not left the area in her usual pattern and relayed that information to a central monitoring system, prompting a call to her telephone to ask if she was all right. When she did not answer, that incited more calls — to a neighbor, to the building manager and finally to 911, which dispatched firefighters to break through her door. She had been on the floor less than an hour when they arrived....

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