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News for Gerontology Professionals
AARP has released a new report, "State Housing Profiles: Housing Conditions and Affordability for the Older Population." This new report can be downloaded from the AARP website: assets.aarp.org/recenter/ppi/liv-com/AARP_Housing 2011_Full.pdf. It examines key housing indicators for older adultsin every state. The data show that conditions have deteriorated significantly for older households during the last decade.
The National Family Caregivers Association and Forest Laboratories, Inc., have released a new report that identifies fears among family caregivers. Their recent survey reveaked that first fear is of their care-recipients' health, followed by the loss of communication due to Alzeimer's Disease.This decline in communication was also found to be a major stress factor for the caregiver. You can find more about this report by going to www.nfcacares.org.
As noted in both New York Magazine, and the AARP Bulletin, New York City has a new Senior Center, the first ever center dedicated to the GLBT community. It is located on the 15th floor of a building at 305 Seventh Ave. Besides serving a nutritious lunch to up to 300 seniors, this site will offer the usual array of senior support services but for this specialized population.
Of further news to the GLBT community is a new Public Policy publication, released as the summer edition of the Public Policy and Aging Report focusing on addressing the gaps in research and policy affecting GLBT seniors. It can be viewed as a PDF at the SAGE website, sageusa.org.
Intergenerational Roomates? In Paris? Because both students and the aging have a hard time affording housing in Paris, a new program has been initiated matching students with older apartment dwellers who need some help staying in their own homes. In exchange for helping the elder, the young student saves the equivalent of $1,100 per month, which is the going rate in Paris for a studio. The matchmaking usually occurs during the duration of the academic year, as long as the matches are good ones. This news was posted on the Blog of The Global Aging Network.
New Journal : The Voices of Dementia What if all those folks who have Alzheimer's Disease had an opportunity to tell their story? What would such a book be like? What would we learn? Well, Richard Taylor, PhD, a retired psychologist, decided he wanted to create just such a journal, and the inaugural issue is available online. Dr. Taylor, himself, was diagnosed with AD in 2001, and now, at the age of 65 has not only published his own story, "Alzheimer's From the Inside Out" but he has started this journal to give other dementia patients their own voice. He refers to his disease as a public health pandemic, and as his disease is progressing the internet is extending his voice beyond national boundaries. He calls his journal, The Voices of Dementia. To view his first issue, go to the link below.
Top Senior Design Innovations as see in Long Term Care magazine's March Issue. Nursing stations are no longer required in nursing home design, following recent CMS "culture change" practices. The plastic med cart should be retired. Smaller living groupings are strongly recommended. Private bathrooms are also recommended, with lighted grab bars. Improved ceiling lifts for transferring patients have reduced staff injuries by 82%. (The portable lifts are ok, but never seem to be where staff needs them.) Finally, the magazine commends the ever increasing availability of Universal Design implements and utensils for patients to use, especially those with arthritis. The complete article can be found at ltlmagazine.com.
Resources for Gerontologists
Health AGEenda: The Hartford Foundation has launched a new blog, Health AGEenda to stimulate discussion about how the needs of the growing number of older adults are incorporated into the country's ongoing efforts to improve health care. According to the Gerontological Society of America's August newsletter, this blog will help us understand the challenges and proposed solutions being explored by public and private sector interests as stakeholders work on health care reform. This blog will share the knowledge gained by the foundation's officers as they travel around the country reviewing innovations in aging services, care, training, and research. Go to: jhartfound.org/blog
New Fall Prevention Guidelines Issued: The American Geriatrics Society and the British Geriatrics Society have released new guidelines aimed at preventing serious and potentially deadly falls of older adults. Fall related injuries are one of the leading causes of death for older Americans, accounting for more than 10,000 deaths annually. The online guidelines can be found at www.americangeriatrics.org/education/cp_index.shtml. The guidelines include step-by-step, recommended evaluations and interventions, emphasizing strength and balance training in the prevention of falls.
New Federal Website on Older Americans and AIDS
The Administration on Aging has developed an online resource in order to provide information useful to aging services providers and others interested in HIV and aging issues.
Met Life is offering a free booklet about the benefits and pitfalls of "aging in place." Receiving care in your own home is what most people want, but we have to plan for this. Most of our homes would not work well. Download the workbook by going to metlife.com/mmi. Click "Aging in Place Workbook" link in the "Popular Content: Essentials, surveys, Workbooks" box.
Time to Check out POGOe! The Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative has recently partnered with the administrators of the Portal of Onloine Geriatric Education (pogoe.org) at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University in order to disseminate Hartford's geriatric nursing programs and products as widely as possible. POGOe is a free public store house with over 400 geriatric educational materials in various formats, including lectures, exercises, virtual patients, case-based discussions, simulations, and links to other resources.
Vision and Aging Toolkit Available On-Line The National Eye Institute is making available a toolkit for professionals who work with older adults, in order to help them understand better how to promote eye health, and knowledge about age-related eye diseases and conditions. To download a copy, visit: www.nei.nih.gov/nehep/programs/visionandaging/index.asp
Now Available Online: Free Older Drive Safety and Wellness Resources, developed by the American society on Aging and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.The DriveWell toolkit includes information about older driver health and wellness; prepared scripts for presentations to community groups, older adults and caregivers; ready to use powerpoint presentations; information about promoting older driver wellness programs in your community; and more... Download from www.asaging.org/drivewell
American Society on Aging Launches new LGBT Information Site A new Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Aging Resources Clearinghouse has been launched by ASA. the site's searchable resources span several subject areas, such as education and training, health and mental health, housing and support services, populations and communities, public policy, advocacy, and legal issues. There are also annotated listings for service providers, community and professional associations, information sites, reports and articles, and links for ordering DVDs, books, and other products. Go to ASA.
Administration on Aging Offers eNewsletter and periodic enews alerts. Subscribe to the AOA eNewsletter and stay current in all the aging resources that the government offers. For example, the current issue is chock full of relevant information from all of the various agencies that do research or planning related to aging services and health care. One is an excellent free report on the status of adult health in those 55 and older. Go to eNewsletter
Gerontology Professionals of Long Island, Copyright 2012