FLORIDA FIRST SENIOR HOME CARE
Weekly Senior News Blog
by Bernard Block, Editor
>>> Senior Alerts Pair With Lottery Terminals
In Florida and countless other areas, the state now provides a way home for missing persons, especially those seniors with Alzheimer’s. Silver Alerts, a 6-year-old program, have been publicized on highway message boards, but now they reach 13,000 retail lottery locations. One clerk said it’s a great program and if I was missing, I’d want somebody to care. An estimated 480,000 Floridians have the disease or a related disorder reports the Alzheimer’s Association.
>>> Latest Statistics on Longevity
Nearly 40% of men and 50% of women will live to age 90; 70% of 65-year-olds will need long-term care at some point in their lives;almost $750 billion is spent on long-term care each year in the U.S.
>>> Home Health Aides Use Will Rise into the Billions
In 2012 there were 875,000 people working as home health aides; by 2022 hiring is projected to grow 48% as the baby boomers start to kick in, according to the Bureau of Statistics
>>> Five New Companies Focus on Technology to Help Older Adults
Offer new ways to deliver benefits. Companies are:
1) Careinnovations.com latest telehealth system. Health Harmony simplifies remote client monitoring by providing intuitive and easy-to-use technology that enables clients, clinicians, care providers and family caregivers to collaborate for better care in the home and within normal daily routines.
2) Grandcare.com better CARE with a new “hospital-to-home” transition program which helps professional care providers, healthcare providers and clients to effectively coordinate care and safely remain at home.
3) Healthsense.com introduced its eNeighbor Dashboard which utilizes proprietary analytics to help providers make more informed care decisions.
4) Independa.com launched its mobile app solution on Apple iPhones and iPads, including integration with Apple Watch and the Apple HealthKit.
5) Mylivelyh.com announced its new safety watch which redefines what people should expect of a personal emergency response wearable.
>>> Florida Council on Aging Calls for Presentations
Share your knowledge and experience by submitting a proposal for consideration for the August 10-12, 2015 Florida Conference on Aging in Orlando. Presentations will be conducted Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of t he conference week
>>> Pharmacist Makes House Calls To Help Older Patients
Here’s an idea released by the American Pharmacist Association that reports how a visiting pharmacist helped make life easier; he worked on the side of his full-time practice as a consultant. The group says “One of the principal tenets of geriatric care is that any symptom in the elderly should be considered a drug side effect until proven otherwise..
>>> Can Arts Help the Elderly and Cognitively Disabled?
The federal government, universities and health-care institutions are seeking to determine whether the arts have a quantifiably therapeutic effect on people with Alzheimer’s or related disabilities. We are awaiting this report with baited breath!
>>> New Book, “The Widow or Widower Next Door” Now Available in Paperback
According to author Mary Lee Robinson, 50% of happily married couples will become one. Most everyone losing a mate is a painful experience…and the author asks, “Is Grief More Taboo Than Sex?” Book, from Amazon.com, is a collection of stories revealing the unexpected reactions that occur
>>> Researchers Now Taking ‘First Baby Steps’ Toward Anti-Aging Drug
Experimental med may help immune system fight elderly-related diseases. This experimental medication, a version of the drug rapamycin, improved seniors’immune response to a flu vaccine by 20%, researchers reported in the Science Translational Medicine and showed that the drug belongs to a class of known as mTOR inhibitors which counteract aging and aging-related diseases.
