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May 1, 2009
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Inside this Edition:
Get to know geriatric care managers, why elders need to keep a positive perspective, the real healthcare crisis, and a new series on Alzheimer's from HBO.
BY JULIE DAVIS
Addressing the needs of both populations took center stage at the NAPGCM annual conference.
From examining long-term care challenges and addictions among the elderly to delving into ethical wills and learning about advances in technology for monitoring patients, the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM) 25th annual conference brought together leading experts in geriatric care management to share their knowledge and information about new trends in the areas of aging and family caregiving for seniors and disabled adults with special needs. The Conference, which ran from April 23 to 25 at the Renaissance Downtown Chicago Hotel, offered insights into a range of important topics facing the elderly, including a session on ethical issues with national expert Martha Holstein and a luncheon address by Cheryl E. Woodson, MD, a specialist in geriatrics and the author of To Survive Caregiving: A Daughter’s Experience, a Doctor’s Advice on Finding Hope, Help and Health, based on her own experiences as a caregiver to her mother.
As a 75 million-strong Baby Boomer population approaches retirement age—essentially doubling the number of the nation’s seniors during the next 15 years—private geriatric care management has become a valuable option for families. Trained to address the complex needs of seniors and their families, a geriatric care manager can navigate the maze of public and private sector programs and assist elders and their families with all aspects of chronic care. Parentgiving.com was the gold sponsor of the Conference in recognition of the role that geriatric care managers play not only for their elderly clients, but the family caregivers as well, many of whom live thousands of miles away from their loved ones. The geriatric care manager not only manages the welfare of the patient, but also bridges that distance between family members with constant communication. “Like NAPGCM, we are dedicated to helping lighten the burden on family caregivers and protecting the nation’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Bob Silver, co-founder of Parentgiving.com. “Our goal is to assist time-starved caregivers by bringing together the best information, support and products in one place on the Internet. We were thrilled to support this event.” One of the special highlights of the Conference is the presentation of NAPGCM’s coveted Adele Elkind award, named in memory of one of the organization’s founders and a pioneer in the field of geriatric care management. The award, decided on solely by past recipients, goes to a member who epitomizes the highest standards of professionalism and who has significantly contributed to promoting and practicing geriatric care management both on a national level and within their community. This year’s honoree is Mary Lynn Pannen, the founder and president of Sound Options, Inc., based in Tacoma, Washington. Mary Lynn’s practice includes geriatric care management, home care and elder care programs for employees. Sound Options has been recognized with numerous local awards including The Association of Washington Business’ Better Workplace Award in the category of innovative benefits for its employees; it was recently listed among the “Top Ten Growth Companies” in South Puget Sound. Mary Lynn, with Sound Options, is a partner of Parentgiving and the provider of the 800-GET-CARE service. As a member and past president of NAPGCM, Mary Lynn’s work for the organization has included reframing the Board with a strategic focus on the future and working on the certification committee, a key initiative to ensure that members continue to provide the highest standards of care management services. |
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A new study says you are what you think.
Further support of the late spiritual leader Dr. Norman Vincent Peale’s belief in the power of positive thinking comes from new research involving the elderly that shows negative thoughts breed negative results. Researchers at North Carolina State University found that senior citizens who think older people should perform poorly on memory tests actually do score much worse than seniors who do not buy into negative stereotypes about aging and memory loss.
In a study published in Experimental Aging Research, psychology professor Dr. Tom Hess and a team of researchers from NC State show that older adults' ability to remember suffers when negative stereotypes are "activated" in a given situation. "For example, older adults will perform more poorly on a memory test if they are told that older folks do poorly on that particular type of memory test," Hess says. Memory also suffers if senior citizens believe they are being "stigmatized," meaning that others are looking down on them because of their age. "Such situations may be a part of older adults' everyday experience," Hess says, "such as being concerned about what others think of them at work having a negative effect on their performance and thus potentially reinforcing the negative stereotypes. The positive flip side of this is that those who do not feel stigmatized, or those in situations where more positive views of aging are activated, exhibit significantly higher levels of memory performance." In other words, if you believe that you can retain your memory, you are more likely to perform well on memory-related tasks. The study also found that negative effects were strongest for those older adults with the highest levels of education. "We interpret this as being consistent with the idea that those who value their ability to remember things most are the most likely to be sensitive to the negative implications of stereotypes, and thus are most likely to exhibit the problems associated with the stereotype." "The take-home message," Hess says, "is that social factors may have a negative effect on older adults' memory performance." How to overcome them? Dr. Peale’s book, “The Power of Positive Thinking,” is a good place to start. Changing the stereotypes about aging will probably take the efforts of all 75 million baby boomers soon to reach age 65. |
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Healthcare reform can’t be implemented if there aren’t enough doctors to care for patients.
There is a laundry list of reforms needed to fix Medicare, and luckily many of them may actually reduce its spiraling costs, like putting an emphasis on care management to avoid excessive hospitalizations. Other new approaches are needed to care for elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions, who often do not receive continuity or quality of care; older patients in particular need better care coordination, especially during transitions from hospital to home since the lack of coordination and follow-up care can lead to unnecessary and expensive hospital readmissions. Also on the agenda is how to shift the basis of Medicare payments made from the quantity of procedures to the quality of care provided. But the overriding issue, according to congressional meetings being held in Washington DC, may very well be the ever-growing shortage of primary care doctors available to manage the care of not only elderly people, but, in fact, of all Americans. The problem is so big that initiatives being discussed on Capitol Hill as part of the $2.5 trillion healthcare system overhaul, include increasing enrollment at medical schools by as much as 30 percent, increasing the amounts primary care physicians are reimbursed and finding ways to help a student graduate from medical school without today’s average debt of $140,000. Until this situation changes, proximity of quality medical care needs to be front and center when considering housing options for the elderly, perhaps more than any other factor, especially if already battling any chronic health conditions. |
Must See TV
HBO turns its attention to Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers.
HBO is known for award-winning and ground-breaking programming, not just sensations like The Sopranos, but important documentaries that don’t have to be edited to conform to broadcast network limitations. Starting on May 10, HBO will be airing a four-part series, “The Alzheimer’s Project,” a look at some of the faces behind the disease and the forces leading the fight for a cure. Insightful, emotionally wrenching yet ultimately hopeful in terms of potential scientific discoveries, the episodes cover the many aspects of the disease, from the toll it takes on patients and their caregivers to the research underway to find a cure.
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ELDER CARE NEWS: BEST OF THE WEEK
A round-up of articles and studies impacting the lives of seniors
"Study Bolsters Hopes For Prostate Cancer Vaccine Rejected By FDA," by Thomas H. Maugh II (Los Angeles Times, Apr. 29, 2009). Note: _LAT_ requires free registration before providing articles.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-prostate29-2009apr29,3,882058.story "Boomers turn to community colleges to launch new careers," by Bob Moos (Dallas Morning News, April 28, 2009).
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/042809dnbuscommunitycolleges.3a8d47a.html UK NEWS: "Elderly shoppers to get 'sat nav' gadget to find their way around supermarkets," by Alastair Jamieson (Daily Telegraph [London], Apr. 29, 2009).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/technologynews/5241034/Elderly-shoppers-to-get-sat-nav-gadget-to-find-their-way-around-supermarkets.html DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: "For Homebound Seniors, Project's Legal Help And a Caring Voice Are a Phone Call Away," by Michael E. Ruane (Washington Post, April 27, 2009). Note: WP requires free registration before providing
articles. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/26/AR2009042602323.html "Cervical Spine Fusion More Common in Elderly," (HealthDay News via Modernmedicine.com, Apr. 23, 2009).
http://www.modernmedicine.com/modernmedicine/Modern+Medicine+Now/Cervical-Spine-Fusion-More-Common-in-Elderly/ArticleNewsFeed/Article/detail/594911?contextCategoryId=40127 WEST VIRGINIA NEWS: "Manchin signs bill to help find missing seniors; Program will use broacast media alert for faster recovery of adults with cognitive impairment," by Michelle Saxton (Charleston Daily Mail, April 23,
2009). http://www.dailymail.com/News/statenews/200904220857 "Hormone therapy lowers colon cancer risk,"(Reuters Health, April 22, 2009).
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/04/22/eline/links/20090422elin022.html "Medicare Change May Impact Black Kidney Patients," (Forbes, April 22, 2009).
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/hscout/2009/04/22/hscout626290.html "Commonly Used Ulcer Drugs May Offer Treatment Potential In Alzheimer's Disease,"(Eurekalert [American Association for the Advancement of Science],
April 22, 2009). http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-04/e-cuu042209.php "Seniors On The Go Stay Sharp," by Whitney Woodward (Chicago Tribune, April 22, 2009).
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-barton-senior-center-city-zoapr22,0,1012134.story |
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