AARP: Seniors Need Better Internet Access to Support Aging in Place

4-16-2013 National:

Seniors need to have better access to high-speed Internet in order to benefit from Web-based technologies that support aging in place such as telehealth and “smart home” systems, says AARP in a Public Policy Institute report.

Many older adults still do not have affordable, high-speed connectivity at home, and a review of 2010′s National Broadband Plan suggests a “slow and uncertain progress” to address barriers to older adults’ adoption and use of broadband, according to the report.

Just under four in ten people aged 65 and older had high-speed Internet access in their homes as of 2012, compared to 77% of the 30-49 age demographic.

Among minorities, access dips much lower, to 18% of African-Americans aged 60 and older, and 20% of Hispanics in the same age cohort.

Lacking access to broadband access is a problem, according to an FCC chairman who said that “broadband has gone from being a luxury to being a necessity for full participation in our economy and society.”

While the Internet was once predominantly used by consumers for email and reading Web pages, says AARP, it has become a more powerful and common platform with many more capacities. ...continued... by Alyssa Gerace

Using the Internet could decrease loneliness in seniors

2-28-2013 National:

Among senior citizens who live in assisted- and independent-living communities, those who engage in online activity are less lonely than their peers, according to a University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) study.

 This research, “The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies Use on Loneliness and Contact with Others among Older Adults,” is forthcoming in “The Journal of Medical Internet Research.”

Shelia Cotten, Ph.D., professor of sociology in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences, along with her colleagues William Anderson and Brandi McCullough, discovered that using the Internet provides seniors with the social connections they need to help decrease feelings of depression and isolation.

“Older adults are at an increased risk of experiencing loneliness and depression, particularly as they move into different types of care communities,” Cotten said. “Information- and communication-technology usage has been shown to help older adults maintain contact with social ties.”

Residents in both assisted- and independent-living facilities were surveyed to examine how Internet use affects perceived social isolation and loneliness, as well as the perceptions of how Internet use affects communication and social interaction.

The data revealed that using the Internet made it easier for seniors to reach people, contributed to their ability to stay in touch, made it easier for them to meet new people, increased the quantity and quality of communication with others, made them feel less isolated and helped them feel more connected to friends and family.

“For those who move into those types of communities, loneliness can be a big issue,” Cotten said. “It is hard to stay connected as they make the transition, moving from their home. We need to encourage older adults to go online to find information and to communicate with their friends and family members. For them, using the Internet can decrease loneliness.”   ..Source.. by Marie Sutton

Silver Alert: A Proposed Bill To Help Vulnerable Adults

1-26-2013 Alaska:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Silver Alert - it’s like Amber Alert, but for vulnerable adults.

A new bill introduced Friday in Juneau aims to create a similar notification system to Amber Alert but for vulnerable elderly Alaskans.

According to Sen. Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage, SB-36 was designed to promote senior safety. Ellis said the bill would increase the chances of finding a missing adult with mental or physical disability before they're harmed by notifying the public.

“More senior citizens are retiring in Alaska so we have a growing senior population,” said Sen. Ellis. “We have more people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia.”

The Alaska Department of Military and Veteran Affairs would work in conjunction with Alaska Department of Public Safety and local media outlets, to spread the word about a missing or endangered vulnerable adult.

Shannon Clem, with Homewell Senior Care, said he would support the bill. He knows firsthand that elderly adults with dementia or Alzheimer’s can be at high risk when not under supervision.

“There’s facilities that have lock down units for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients and people still get out of there so no matter what kind of safeguards. You have you know it's just one of those things you're never going to avoid," said Clem.

"They certainly don't know what kind of danger they're in and a lot of times they don't [know] they've been walking for fifteen miles and they haven't had any water and they haven't had any food," said Clem.

Sen. Ellis said the bill shouldn't come at a high cost since the infrastructure is already in Alaska, with Amber Alert being in place, and also said that 30 other states have similar alert systems.

"It's not the biggest issue, it's not oil taxes or cruise ship rules but its an important issue that could save some lives," said Ellis. "That should be something Republicans and Democrats can agree on." ..Source.. by Mallory Peebles & Phil Walczak

Two Kentucky bills to protect seniors from abuse and exploitation

3-24-2011 Kentucky:

LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB Fox 41) -- Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear on Wednesday signed two bills to protect seniors from abuse and exploitation.

The bill keeps people who abuse or neglect seniors or other "vulnerable" adults from benefiting after their deaths. Anyone convicted of felony abuse or exploitation would be barred from serving as the victim's guardian, executor, or power of attorney.

It also establishes a trust fund for programs that fight elder abuse.

"House Bill 52 closed a loophole in the current law and will prevent anyone who abuses or neglects an elderly person or vulnerable adult from benefiting financially from those actions," said Rep. Joni Jenkins, of Shively in a news release. "This bill is long overdue and I am proud to be the sponsor of such important legislation."

Rep. Mary Lou Marzian of Louisville, another sponsor of the legislation, said, "This will allow financial matters to be handled in a more timely and prudent manner. It will also permit discussion of personal matters with the appointed state guardian so that the wards' needs are adequately met."

The governor also wanted funding for an adult abuse registry in the 2012 budget, but the legislature did not approve it. Gov. Beshear says he will continue his efforts for that registry. ..Source.. by FOX41.com

Administration Move Jeopardizes Hospice Care

8-25-2008 National:

Hospice providers and terminally ill patients prepare for worst, Congress
urged to act quickly

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) announced today that it will cut Medicare reimbursement rates for hospice, forcing many hospice providers across the country to either significantly scale back the care they provide to terminally ill patients or to shut their doors altogether. The final rule, published in The Federal Register, is effective October 1, 2008.

"Let's be clear, the Administration's cuts will seriously hurt the most vulnerable -- the terminally ill," said J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), which represents 4,000 hospices nationwide. "By issuing this rule, CMS is taking an end run around Congress and its longstanding role protecting hospice."

"The government's reason for its decision that would effectively cut rates -- the need to save money -- simply isn't true," noted Jonathan Keyserling, executive director of the Alliance for Care at the End of Life, an affiliate organization of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. "Research has shown that hospice saves the Medicare system money, is highly rated by family members of hospice patients, and enables the patient to die at home in most cases," says Keyserling. "This rule defies logic, and will have a direct, negative impact on care at the bedside."

According to an independent 2007 Duke University study, hospice saves Medicare an average of $2,300 per patient, amounting to a total savings of about $2 billion a year.

Considered to be the model for high-quality care for terminally ill patients, hospice focuses on caring, not curing, and, in most cases, is provided in the patient's home. Hospice professionals are experts in providing pain and symptom management to the dying. Additional services include emotional and spiritual support to patients and their family caregivers as well as caregiver training. More than 1.3 million dying Americans received care from the nation's hospice providers last year, a number that continues to rise.

A Gallup poll found that nine out of 10 Americans, if faced with a terminal illness, would want to remain in their homes and receive the services that hospice provides. In fact, more than 80 percent of hospice care in the U.S. is provided in the home. And patient satisfaction with hospice approaches 100 percent as shown by data collected from family caregivers.

Congress Should Preserve Hospice

Congress has historically rejected Administration requests to reduce the level of hospice reimbursement, realizing the harmful impact such cuts would have on care at the bedside. "And this time is no different," says Keyserling. "Congress should intervene to stop the Administration's cut to hospice care, before the rule goes into effect."

Today, sentiment on Capitol Hill largely remains the same -- a bicameral and bipartisan group of more than 90 members of Congress has sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt in opposition to the proposed rule.

"It is in our nation's fiscal and moral interest that high-quality hospice care remains an option for all who need these unique services and support," said Keyserling.

NHPCO is the oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States. NHPCO's mission is to lead and mobilize social change for improved care at the end of life, www.nhpco.org.

The Alliance for Care at the End of Life is a 501(c) 4 organization created by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) to provide a more aggressive and comprehensive advocacy voice to serve the entire field and, ultimately, one of America's most vulnerable populations -- those nearing the end of life, www.afceol.org. ..News Source.. by National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization