Elder Care Connect

Home Care Buzz

Timeline For Health Care Reform

This is the week that the U.S. Senate has started debating the extensive legislation with the goal of overhauling the health care system for our nation. Before the Senate left for their holiday recess over Thanksgiving, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) presented a Senate bill which combined several provisions from the Senate Finance Committee’s bill, along with provisions taken from the Senate Education and Labor Committee’s bill, as well as newer provisions that were not present in either bill.

The “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” the new Senate bill, managed to get the 60 votes required on a procedural motion to stop a filibuster, and has cleared a path for an extended debate to take place on Senate floor. After this debate, which will allow all the senators to have the chance to speak, the Senate will be voting on a final health care bill.

Because there will probably be hundreds of amendments proposed to this bill, that means this measure will continue to be debated through December, and probably into January. Should the Senate get a comprehensive reform bill passed, it will then go to a conference committee of certain House and Senate members who’ll then try to resolve any differences between the bills passed by the Senate and House.

Elder Care Specialists Search for Modifications in Teaching

Doctors who are attentive caregivers of the elderly have been entreating the country’s medical universities to enforce a requirement for all students to exhibit proficiency in caring for senior citizens, a change of century-old principles.

Since the first seventy-eight baby boomers are approaching retirement age, the American Geriatrics Society has advised that elderly care should be added in with the list of the six major, long-running areas in schools’ medical education and training.

Even though a lot of the schools have been incorporating more geriatrics into their classes, the intensity of training differs; as declared by the non-profit Institute of Medicine organization’s report, less than 1% of the school staff in charge of educating future doctors are geriatrics specialists.

Lest some major changes are enforced and more physicians and caregivers receive the proper education and training on the complicated health needs that are so common amongst the elderly, this report projects an approaching health care catastrophe.

New Drug Free Painkiller!

In a recent study in UCLA, it was shown that seeing the photo of a loved one or having a loved one present reduced perceived pain levels.

This study involved women, mostly students who had been involved in a good relationship for at least six months prior to the study.

It was significant because it showed that a mere photo can make a difference which implies that the mere perception of support via the photo is enough to produce significant pain reduction.

Here’s Another Reason To Stretch Those Muscles

Lifelong exercise has been shown to be a major factor in keeping seniors young at heart. The amount of exercise done by the participants over a 15 to 25 year period significantly affected the relative age of their heart and other organs.

This was the conclusion presented by Dr. Paul Bhella, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

According to Dr. Bhella, the more exercise done in this period, the younger the heart. In fact, master athletes, who are seniors who exercised 6 to 7 times a week in the past 15 to 15 years, had the hearts of 30 year olds!

So exercise benefits do have a cumulative effect on health in the long term so keep pumping those muscles !

Lack Of Screenings Plague Older Adults

Cancer screening and other preventive tests have been proven time and again to save lives. However, in a report prepared by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AARP and the American Medical Association, it was shown that only 25% of adults in 50 to 64 age bracket are receiving these tests.

The same report outlines ways by which this problem can be resolved as well as laying out plans to provide better preventive services to older adults.

Areas specifically mentioned included the flu vaccine, screenings for colorectal cancers as well as screening for breast and cervical cancer.

While the reports concentrates mainly on getting health agencies to promote these preventive measures, it also looks at ways to get the individual to become aware of these services and to avail of them.