Elder Guru — aging news and information

President Obama to Announce Caregiver Assistance Initiatives in State of the Union Address

January 25, 2010

President Barack Obama appears ready to announce a set of new initiatives in his State of the Union address to help America’s Sandwich Generation, people caring for both their children and their parents. The initiatives are part of Obama’s White House Middle Class Task Force, which also includes elements designed to create jobs and address [...]

An Open Letter to the American Seniors Association (ASA)

January 20, 2010

Dear American Seniors Association, I received your “Please Join Us For A ‘Shred Your AARP Card Rally’” notice the other day, and I thought, “seriously?”
When I first wrote about you back in August, after you made the news for attracting disgruntled AARP members that were angry about Obama’s health care plans, I questioned whether you [...]

Elderly Driving Safety Laws and Techniques Governments Can Use

January 18, 2010

Studies predict that within 15 years, 25% of all drivers on U.S. highways will be age 65 or older. When drivers reach the 75 and older age bracket, the likelihood of their becoming involved in a fatal accident increases greatly. These statistics and facts will present challenges for state governments trying to assure safe highways [...]

Breaking Out of Bedlam: A Novel – Unique, New Book Release in Assisted Living by Leslie Larson

January 17, 2010

Breaking Out of Bedlam, a new book written by Leslie Larson, and featured in The New York Times, is getting mention amongst some aging professionals, because of the novel’s setting, an assisted living facility. Cora Sledge, the 82-year-old main character, is placed in the Palisades, an assisted living facility, by her children. Horrified by this, [...]

Remote Cameras and Video Equipment for At-Home Caregiving

January 15, 2010

There’s a small, but growing trend in senior caregiving, the use of remote video cameras and other electronic monitoring equipment. Here is how it works:
George, an 86-year old man that is getting forgetful and frail, lives alone in his house. His daughter is concerned, because she can’t visit him as much as she’d like. To [...]

What Publicly Financed Programs Pay for Long-Term Care?

January 2, 2010

There are a few publicly financed programs that help individuals pay for long-term care services, and each has its own specific set of rules and/or income criteria associated with it. Following are the largest publicly funded programs that help pay for long-term care.
Medicare
Medicare is a Federal program that covers health care for peopled age 65 [...]

Gerontophobia and Gerascophobia Definition, Symptoms and Treatment

December 30, 2009

Gerontophobia has a few different definitions:

irrational and persistent fear of growing old,
hatred or anger toward the elderly, or
fear of the elderly.

Gerascophobia has one definition: irrational and persistent fear of growing old.
Everyone has experienced or does experience a fear of growing old and facing one’s own mortality, but only people with gerascophobia become horrified and obsessed [...]

Safe Medication Drug Mail Back Disposal Programs are Expanding

December 1, 2009

There are serious dangers associated with storing and/or improperly disposing of unwanted medications:

Older adults, teenagers and children could accidentally overdose or become poisoned by ingesting unused drugs;
drugs may be stolen for abuse or illegal sale; and
the environment suffers when drugs are thrown in the trash or flushed in the toilet.

To eliminate the risk that unwanted [...]

Download the Medicare and You 2010 Medicare Handbook

November 25, 2009

The federal Department of Health and Human Services has released the 2010 Medicare and You consumer handbook. This is the official government benefit description manual issued to Medicare members. The handbook contains information on the following:

What’s new in 2010
Medicare costs
Medicare coverage
Health and prescription drug plans
Medicare rights
Health information technology

Download the Medicare and You 2010 Handbook
There will [...]

Doll Therapy for People with Alzheimerâ€™s Disease is Not Always a Good Idea

November 10, 2009

I recently commented on a post at Alzheimerâ€™s Reading Room about the use of dolls for people with Alzheimerâ€™s Disease and related dementias. If you conduct an internet search on the subject youâ€™ll find articles where nursing home staff and caregivers tout the benefits and pleasure of giving dolls to the individuals. The benefits they [...]

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