Medicare News
Medicare can Cost More Than Seniors can Afford but
Help is Available for Low Income
Medicare Interactive explains how these programs
work, offers assistance
July 2, 2009 - While Medicare is a valuable
resource available to virtually all Americans once they turn 65, and to
many others who suffer with disabilities, it has costs like premiums,
deductibles and coinsurances that can add up and become very expensive.
If you have limited income, there are programs that may help with the
costs of Medicare.
Read more...
Entertainment for Senior Citizens
John Wayne’s Grandson, Brendan Wayne, Joins Cast for
Remake of 1943’s ‘Angel and the Badman’
Stars Luke Perry, Lou Diamond Phillips Star join
Wayne to discuss why westerns endure
July 2, 2009 - Thirty years after John Wayne – the
face the of the American Western – rode off into the sunset for the last
time, his grandson, Brendan Wayne, dusts off his grandfather’s cowboy
hat for a role in “Angel and the Badman,” a remake of ‘The Duke’s’ 1947
classic. The Hallmark Channel’s Original Movie premiers this Sunday,
July 5.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Predicting the Return of Prostate Cancer Improved by
Results from John Hopkins Study
May also help resolve the debate on when, and in
what form, secondary treatments should occur
July 2, 2009 - Cancer experts at Johns Hopkins say
a study tracking 774 prostate cancer patients for a median of eight
years has shown that a three-way combination of measurements has the
best chance yet of predicting disease metastasis (the spread of the
cancer to other parts of the body).
Read more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
How We Spend Our Time May Determine the Decline of
Cognitive Abilities, Says Bee Study
| |
 Bee scans the stimulus with her
antennae and learns when she extends her proboscis, she is rewarded
with a droplet of sucrose. |
|
When forager bees revert to nursing bee
behavior their brains become 'young' again
July 1, 2009 – Cognitive ability declines as people
age but a new study has found that honey bees seem to have solved this
problem. They have discovered that by switching their social role, aging
honey bees can keep their learning ability intact or even improve it.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Questions Linger Over Pharmaceutical Industry
Agreement to Cut Costs for Health Reform
The deal includes $30 billion to lower seniors’
drug costs in Medicare, 23% off drugs for Medicaid
July 1, 2009 - "As details emerge of the
pharmaceutical industry's agreement to kick in $80 billion to help pay
for health care reform, the deal is facing increasing skepticism from
inside and outside the health care industry,"
Politico reports.
Read more...
Medicaid News
Medicaid Regulations Rescinded by HHS to Ensure
States Have Necessary Flexibility
Rules
had been put on hold by Congressional action that was set to expire on
July 1
June 30, 2009 – Health and Human Services took
action today to rescind three Medicaid regulations and delay the
enforcement of a fourth to “ensure that the states have the flexibility
they need to fully serve Medicaid-eligible individuals," said Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius.
Read
more...
Aging News & Information
Growing Old Study by Pew Research Finds Big Gap
Between Senior Citizens and Younger Americans
Seniors report fewer benefits of aging than
younger adults expect, such as more time with family, traveling for
pleasure, more time for hobbies, doing volunteer work or starting a
second career
June 30, 2009 – “Getting old isn't nearly as bad as
people think it will be. Nor is it quite as good,” according to a new
Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends survey on aging. It is a broad ranging study on aspects of everyday
life from mental acuity to physical dexterity to sexual activity to
financial security.
Read more...
Aging News & Information
Injuries Related to Walking Canes, Walkers are
Sending 47,000 Senior Citizens a Year to ERs
Fractures most common injury for these falls; one in
three injuries required hospitalization
June
30, 2009 - From 2001 to 2006, an average of 129 American seniors, those
ages 65 and older, were treated in emergency departments each day - a
total of more than 47,000 each year - for injuries from falls that
involved walkers and canes, according to a Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention study published this month in the Journal of the American
Geriatrics Society.
Read
more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Democrats Back on Track with Health Care Reform but
Questions Still Loom
Long-term care provision in Senate Health Reform
Bill corrects problem that Medicare does not cover long-term care
Jun 29, 2009 -
Reuters reports that "President Barack Obama's drive to overhaul the
U.S. healthcare system may be back on track thanks to Senate efforts to
cut the price tag to $1 trillion, but a bipartisan deal on the sweeping
proposal still is far from certain ...
Read more..watch
video.
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Pig Heart Valves Not Living Up to Expectations as
Aortic Valves for Senior Citizens
Four out of 106 heart replacement valves made from
pig hearts failed in new test
June
29, 2009 - Pig heart valves used to replace defective aortic valves are
expected to last 10 to 15 years in patients over 70, but a new report –
claiming to be the first to demonstrate a potential problem – says the animal valves
have failed much earlier and more often than expected.
Read more...
Social Security News
Senior Citizens May Not Get Social Security COLA for
Years Says Kaiser Medicare Brief
No Social Security increase also means higher
Medicare Part B fees for many seniors says the analysis
June 29, 2009 – Senior citizens are not expected to
receive a cost of living adjustment (COLA) in 2010 – for the first time
ever. What’s worse, they may not receive an increase for the next three
years. And, it keeps getting worse - no COLA means high Medicare Part B
premiums for about a quarter of all Medicare beneficiaries, according to
an analysis by the the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
New Study Finds Gastric Bypass Surgery Not More
Risky for Senior Citizens Than Young
About 26% of seniors 65 and older in U.S. are
obese, nearly 40% are overweight, putting them at a higher risk for Type
2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease
June 25, 2009 – Morbidly obese seniors, age 65 and
over, who had laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery lost nearly 76 percent
of their excess weight after two years and had low complication rates
and short hospital stays comparable to younger surgical patients,
according to a new study presented today at the 26th Annual Meeting of
the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
PARP Drugs May Be Miracle Cure for Cancer Suggests
Success with Breast, Ovarian, Prostate Cancer
| |
 Patricia
Buckles, after 29-year battle with breast cancer, says the
cancer disappeared after treatment with PARP inhibitors. View
the NBC News report by Brian Williams. Video link in story. |
|
NEJM editorial says PARP inhibitors may point to a
new direction for anticancer drugs
June 25, 2009 – The battle against cancer seems to
be on the verge of a major step forward, according to a study reported
in the New England Journal of Medicine. The success of a new class of
drugs – PARP inhibitors – in destroying the disease points to a new
direction in the development of anticancer drugs, says an editorial in
the current NEJM.
Read more...
|
U.S. Cracks Down on Medicare
Fraud; Charge Doctors and Patients
June 24, 2009 (Reuters) – U.S.
authorities on Wednesday announced they had charged 53
people with Medicare fraud and vowed to pursue a
crackdown on schemes that cost taxpayers billions of
dollars a year.
Attorney General Eric Holder said
Medicare fraud charges this week demonstrate "we will
strike back against those fraudulent schemes" that
undermine the health insurance program for the elderly
and contribute to rising health costs.
The Justice Department said
indictments unsealed in Detroit charged the 53 people --
doctors, business owners, employees and patients -- with
more than $50 million in Medicare offenses.
>>
Read more from Reuters at Yahoo News |
Senior Citizens and Internet
Senior Citizens, Older Baby Boomers Lead Charge to
High-Speed Internet
Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life
Project finds broadband use finally on the move
June 24, 2009 – The use of a broadband connection
to reach the Internet by senior citizens has jumped from only 19 percent
in May of 2008 to 30 percent in April of 2009, according to a new report
from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. The
study that looked at broadband usage also found baby boomers age 50-64
increased usage from 50 percent in 2008 to 61 percent in 2009.
Read
more...
Senior Citizen Longevity & Statistics
Senior Citizen Population on Brink of Explosion in
World and in United States: Census Bureau
U.S. seniors may increase by 40% in five years,
world senior age group to triple by 2050
June 24, 2009 – The U.S. Census Bureau has released
data over several recent days that highlight to staggering boom in the
senior citizen population in the world and nation. In the U.S., the
senior citizen population appears to be headed to a 40 percent increase
in the next five years. The world’s 65-and-older population is projected
to triple by midcentury, from 516 million in 2009 to 1.53 billion in
2050. Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Obesity is Killer for Seniors with Pancreatic
Cancer; More Likely to Get It if Obese When Young
| |
 Roger
Giles weighed 270 pounds - 80 more than as a teen - when
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Video link in story. |
|
Those overweight or obese from age 30 to 79 had
reduced overall survival of pancreatic cancer
June 23, 2009 - Older people who were overweight or
obese as young adults have an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, and
seniors who are now obese have a lower overall survival rate from
pancreatic cancer, according to a new study in the June 24 issue of the
Journal of the American Medical Association.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
|
Small (under $200) Donors by Age Group
|
Age Grp |
Obama |
McCain |
|
18-29 |
15% |
5% |
|
30-39 |
16% |
7% |
|
40-49 |
20% |
10% |
|
50-64 |
33% |
25% |
|
65+ |
16% |
53% |
|
Senior Citizens Were More Than Half of McCain’s
Small Donors, Just 16% of Obama’s
Obama’s small givers – those giving less than $200
- were disproportionately female (56%) while McCain small donors were
61% male
June 23, 2009 – Senior citizens who contributed
less than $200 were only 16 percent of the small donors who contributed
to the presidential campaign of Barack Obama. But, these older voters
were more than half – 53 percent – of the small donors to the John
McCain campaign.
Read
more...
Aging News & Information
Four Biologists Join to Explain the Biological
Reasons for Aging to International Gathering
Aging occurs because our complex biological
molecules become dysfunctional over time as the energy they need
diminishes
June 23, 2009 – New insights make it possible to
understand the biological reasons for aging, according to Leonard Hayflick, former president of the Gerontological Society of America. Dr.
Hayflick will be joined by three other biologists to describe the
underlying causes of aging at the World Congress of Gerontology and
Geriatrics, taking place from July 5–9, 2009, in Paris, France.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Statins Get Credit for Big Reduction of Bad
Cholesterol, Protection from Alzheimer’s Disease
American Heart Association
reports percentage meeting
cholesterol standards has doubled in decade; study from Netherlands
finds statins can protect nerve cells against damage known to occur in
Alzheimer's
June 22, 2009 – The news for statins today was
great. The American Heart Association credits statins as a significant
reason that the percentage of people lowering their elevated “bad”
cholesterol to within the recommended range has almost doubled in the
last decade. And, from The Netherlands comes a study showing statins can
protect us from Alzheimer’s disease.
Read more...
Aging News & Information
When Seniors Lose Interest in Going Out, the Motor
Skills that Took Them Decline Rapidly
One-point decrease on social activity scale was
equivalent to being approximately five years older at the start of the
study - risk of death, disability jump
June 22, 2009 - As senior citizens lose their
interest in socializing with their friends and family, the motor skills
that used to get them there also begin to decline – rapidly. This
weakness in motor skills has been well established as leading to a
number of problems, not the least of which are death and disability,
according to a report in today’s issue of Archives of Internal
Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
President Obama Promises Doughnut Hole in Medicare
Drug Program Will Get Smaller
President says agreement has been worked out with
pharmaceutical industry for 50% discount
June 22, 2009 – President Barack Obama says he will
reduce the size of the infamous “doughnut hole” in Medicare Part D, the
Medicare prescription drug program, that has placed many senior citizens
in the position of not being able to buy prescribed medicines. He made
the announcement today and said an agreement had been reached over the
weekend with the pharmaceutical industry.
Read more...
Opining of a Cranky Old Man
Cranky Old Man Explains How Retirement Works for
Those Who Worry What to Do
For those who think retirement is time to
prepare for one’s “dirt nap”, think again!
By Bill Kalmar, Retiree
June 22, 2009 - Some of our friends who have yet to
experience the joy of retirement wonder what they will do all day once
they jettison themselves from the daily grind of work. It is their
feeling that retirees sit home all day and watch “Court TV” and reruns
of “The Andy Griffith Show”. Balderdash!
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Veterans Badly
Mistreated for Prostate Cancer at VA Hospital, Reports NY Times
| |
 Dr. Gary D.
Kao is responsible for most of the errors, investigators say. (NY
Times Photo) |
|
92 of 116 cancer
treatments were botched during a six year period at Philadelphia unit
June 22, 2009 - “For
patients with prostate cancer, it is a common surgical procedure: a
doctor implants dozens of radioactive seeds to attack the disease. But
when Dr. Gary D. Kao treated one patient at the veterans’ hospital in
Philadelphia, his aim was more than a little off,” says the lead in a
New York Times report on Sunday, June 21.
Read more...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Carotene that Makes Carrot Orange is in New
Supplement that Slows Age-Related Macular Degeneration
New supplement introduced today appears so slow
down AMD, the leading cause of blindness in elderly
June 19, 2009 – Eating carrots actually is good for
your sight, at least that’s what is indicated by new research being
presented today. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – the leading
cause of blindness in senior citizens - can be slowed by taking an
antioxidant supplement containing carotenes, according to the results of
a program at Queen’s University Belfast.
Read more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Telemedicine Advances to Provide Care for
Parkinson’s Patients in Nursing Homes
Neurologists can effectively deliver
care for Parkinson’s patients via web camera that allows them to
interact with and visually assess patients
| |
 See
link to video in story below |
|
June 17, 2009 - A unique and innovative
telemedicine project is providing distant nursing home patients with
Parkinson’s disease access to neurologists at the University of
Rochester Medical Center (URMC).A pilot study of the project – the
results of which were released this month at the International Congress
of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders in Paris – demonstrates
that the system can improve the quality of life and motor function of
patients.
Read
more...
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