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Article Outline
- Two Reports Available on Global Aging and Work and Caregiving
- New York University’s Nursing Education Program Moves
- Saving 100,000 Lives
- Illinois Passes Legislation to Protect Consumers of Home Care
- Case Management Society Supports Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Awareness
- Clinical Practice Guidelines May Not Apply to Elderly Patients With Multiple Chronic Illnesses
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Announce Medicare Health Support
- Acupuncture—More Than Just Placebo Effect
- Collaborative Care Improves Mental Health for African American and Latino Seniors With Depression
- Resources
Two Reports Available on Global Aging and Work and Caregiving
The Population Reference Bureau (PRB) has recently released a report titled “Global Aging: The Challenge for Success.” This report includes a section on caregiving and comes to the conclusion that informal care is extremely important but difficult to quantify because many activities may not be recognized by the giver or receiver as “support” or “care.” To download a copy of the report, go to the Web site at http://tinyurl.com/72xhy.
A second report from the PRB, “The Work, Family and Equity Index: Where Does the United States Stand Globally?” includes a focus on how the United States compares with other countries in the adoption of paid family leave and other workplace policies that would enable caregivers to respond to the health needs of older or disabled family members. To download the report, go to the Web site: http://tinyurl.com/3jqoj.
New York University’s Nursing Education Program Moves
New York University’s nursing education program has recently been elevated to the stature of College of Nursing, located at the NYU College of Dentistry, effective September 1, 2005. Dr. Terry Fulmer, appointed dean of the new College of Nursing indicates that the move places NYU nursing at the heart of the New York University health campus, within walking distance from 5 major Manhattan hospitals and promises an excellent opportunity for the growth and development of nursing.
Saving 100,000 Lives
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is helping promote the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s “Saving 100,000 Lives” campaign, which is aimed at getting hospitals nationwide to implement care changes that have been proven to prevent avoidable deaths. The campaign wants facilities to commit to implement some or all of 6 specific quality improvement changes. For more information on the campaign, go to the institute’s Web site: www.ihi.org.
Illinois Passes Legislation to Protect Consumers of Home Care
In August 2005, Illinois passed legislation that protects seniors and other consumers of privately paid home care by holding all models and providers of home care to high standards, including mandatory background checks for all home-care workers. This bill follows the leads of Indiana and California and helps protect the increasing number of seniors who need assistance and choose to live at home. For more information on this legislation, go to the Web site at www.privatedutyhomecare.org.
Case Management Society Supports Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Awareness
The Case Management Society of America wants to maximize awareness among seniors, their family members, and their caregivers about the new Medicare prescription drug coverage program that is scheduled to begin in January 2006. Medicare will help pay for prescription drugs for people on Medicare. All Medicare recipients are eligible, regardless of income and resources, health status, or current prescription expenses. For more information about the new Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, go to their Web site at www.cms.hhs.gov/partnerships or call (800) 633-4227.
Clinical Practice Guidelines May Not Apply to Elderly Patients With Multiple Chronic Illnesses
According to a recently published article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Boyd CM et al. JAMA 2005;292:716-24), doctors following current clinical practice guidelines when caring for elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions may lead to overly complicated health regimens for the patient or potentially harmful drug interactions. The authors of the study state that because the guidelines are designed largely by specialty-dominated committees for managing single diseases, the guidelines provide clinicians little guidance about caring for older patients with multiple chronic diseases. When handling patients with multiple conditions, physicians need to rely on their clinical judgment and create individual treatment plans that account for the individual circumstances and wishes of the patient and family members who contribute to the patient’s care.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Announce Medicare Health Support
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced the Medicare Health Support—a new initiative designed to help beneficiaries with diabetes and congestive heart failure reduce their health risks and protect their quality of life. Eight pilot programs will be offered this year in various parts of the country. Participation in the program is completely voluntary and will not affect beneficiaries’ Medicare coverage, access to medical services, or ability to choose their own doctors and other health care providers. For more information about the Medicare Health Support initiative, go to the Web site at www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/ccip.
Acupuncture—More Than Just Placebo Effect
Researchers in Southampton and London, England, have demonstrated for the first time that the impact of acupuncture extends beyond the acknowledged placebo effect. By monitoring specific responses in the brain during treatment, the researchers were able to show that acupuncture elicits a demonstrable physiological effect over and above the simple skin prick. To read further on the study, the findings were published in the May 1, 2005, edition of the journal NeuroImage.
Collaborative Care Improves Mental Health for African American and Latino Seniors With Depression
In the April 2005 issue of Medical Care, a study found that seniors who were diagnosed with depression and who were either African American or Latino benefited from improvement in both depressive symptoms and physical function, as measured by standard testing, when they received specialized or collaborative care. Collaborative care, also called specialized care, includes provider education, treatment monitoring, and greater utilization of community resources; it is not widely available to patients of any age. By reducing barriers to specialized treatment, older Latinos and African Americans were more likely to make use of mental health services.
Resources
Arthritis en Español
The National Institute on Aging has posted a free fact sheet in Spanish about treatments for the most common forms of arthritis: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout. The fact sheet is available at www.niapublications.org/spnagepages/arthritis-sp.asp. Other Spanish language materials are posted at www.niapublications.org/shopdisplayproducts.asp?.
Online Master of Science in Nursing Degree Program
Sentinel University, a unit of the American Graduate School of Management, has opened enrollment for its accredited online master of science in nursing degree program. For more information, please visit the school’s Web site at www.agsm.edu or call Jeff Benson at (303) 991-1575, ext. 225.
Online Pain Management Course
Three leading national providers of health services and information are joining forces to present a free 12-week online program designed to help families and individuals plan ahead and make informed decisions about health care choices and options. “Planning Ahead: Understanding Your Choices before a Health Crisis” is a series of 3 Web-based lessons that are available online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The sections cover Advanced Care Planning, Navigating the Care System, and Things to Consider. Also available is a free online CME/CE offering titled “The Last Chance for Comfort: An Update on Pain Management at the End of Life.” Go to the Web site at www.planningahead.webmed.com for additional information and free registration.
PII: S0197-4572(05)00368-X
doi:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2005.09.009
