Welcome to the Legislative Update for the Week Ending July 4, 2008
This e-mail is provided as a courtesy of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging. The Legislative Update is non-partisan in nature and intended to give you the information you need to participate in the legislative process. Please share the Update; our goal is to help as many people as possible remain informed about legislative action and be included in helping shape Arizona’s future. Thank you for your interest!
Note: Given the adjournment of the Legislature for 2008, it is our intent to provide this email on a monthly rather than weekly basis.
STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IN REVIEW
Adjournment of this legislation session or “sine die” officially occurred at 10:09 p.m. Friday evening, 6/27/08. As we reported last week, Read more »
A nice short video on Assisted Living and what it is that makes it so special. When my mother and father moved into assisted living I was envious of the gentle care and attention they were given. It may not always feel good to leave a home we have lived in our entire lives but given the right assisted living center or assisted living home, our changing needs will be met with compassion and support.
This weekly e-mail is provided as a courtesy of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging. The Legislative Update is non-partisan in nature and intended to give you the information you need to participate in the legislative process. Please share the Update; our goal is to help as many people as possible remain informed about legislative action and be included in helping shape Arizona’s future. Thank you for your interest!
THIS WEEK IN REVIEW
We are nearing the end of a very long legislative session. You can guess what we’re going to say. Read more »
Welcome to the Legislative Update for the Week Ending 06/06/2008
This weekly e-mail is provided as a courtesy of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging. The Legislative Update is non-partisan in nature and intended to give you the information you need to participate in the legislative process. Please share the Update; our goal is to help as many people as possible remain informed about legislative action and be included in helping shape Arizona’s future. Thank you for your interest!
As a CSA, Certified Senior Advisor, I receive many emails detailing cutting edge technologies/concepts which all have to do with our senior population. The article below was in a newsletter I received today from the Society of Certified Senior Advisors. The information is relevant to all of us.
ICE: In Case of Emergency - A simple and effective way of providing emergency responders with a direct line to you. Read more »
AOL had this great article today on different retirement spots in the US. The article was written by freelance writer Carol Vinzant. Enjoy all of the good information.
14 Retirement Spots Worth Considering
Today’s seniors want something better if they are going to bother moving out of their home and Read more »
Here’s another very sad but apparently very true tidbit about how far pharmaceutical companies will go to market their products. An article that is about to be published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) claims that research studies published by Merck citing authorship by various medical experts, including a paper claiming that the popular pain killer Vioxx may also be a deterrent to the progression of Alzheimer’s may have actually been written by Merck itself. Upon investigation, the article claims that there appears to be scant evidence that the supposed authors of the study made any significant contribution to the study. There are also questions as to whether the clinical trials cited in this and other reports actually took place at all.
April 17, 2008 (NY TImes) - The drug maker Merck drafted dozens of research studies for a best-selling drug, then lined up prestigious doctors to put their names on the reports before publication, according to an article to be published Wednesday in a leading medical journal. Read more »
Tuesday, April 15 (NY Times) - Few products are hated as much as hearing aids.
The devices can squeal with feedback and overamplify background noises like the click of a turn signal or whir of a ceiling fan. They must be removed for showering or sleeping, and their batteries die frequently. Many users, out of exasperation, decide they’d rather live with hearing loss.
But now scientists have come up with a different kind of hearing aid. While the device, called the Lyric, is being used in only 500 patients, it appears to have overcome many of the problems associated with traditional hearing aids — without the expense and uncertainty of surgery and anesthesia. Read more »
TUESDAY, April 15 (HealthDay News) — Alzheimer’s patients who consume very high levels of vitamin E seem to live longer than those who do not, new research suggests. Read more »
(photo courtesy of Felix42_contra_la_censura and flickr)
It’s Monday so let’s get our week off with a good laugh!
DRIVING
> Two elderly women were out driving in a large car - both could barely see
> over the dashboard. As they were cruising along, they came to an
> intersection. The stoplight was red, but they just went on through The
> woman in the passenger seat thought to herself ‘I must be losing it. I
> could have sworn we just went through a red light.’ After a few more
> minutes, they came to another intersection and the light was red again.
> Again, they went right through. The woman in the passenger seat was almost
> sure that the light had been red but was really concerned that she was
> losing it. She was getting nervous. At the next intersection, sure enough,
> the light was red and they went on through. So, she turned to the other
> woman and said, ‘Mildred, did you know that we just ran through three red
> lights in a row? You could have killed us both!’
> Mildred turned to her and said, ‘Oh, crap, am I driving ?’
This episode features Jan Dougherty, Family and Community Services Director at Arizona’s Banner Alzheimer’s Institute. Jan is responsible for setting new standards of care for patients with dementia and their families through the development of innovative programs. She has developed many pioneering programs being used in Arizona and nationally.
Jan was named “Gerontologist of the Year” in 2003 by the AZ Geriatrics Society and received the “Caring Spirit Award” in 2005 from the Area Agency on Aging, Region One. She was awarded the Vision Award in 2006 from Hospice of the Valley, the Nation’s largest non-profit hospice organization. We were honored to have an opportunity to speak with her about some of the programs she has pioneered.
This video brought me to tears. Happy tears. It is great to see so many different generations of families playing together. We should have local parks and senior centers merged together in every city in America. The level of joy on the faces of the children and our senior adults made me want to drive right down to Apache Junction just to view this incredible multi-generational gathering. I have little doubt that after55.com will create another video at the Generations Unite Center in Apache Junction, Arizona. Enjoy this wonderful concept that has become a reality. It brings hope that the family values in America will continued to be respected and preserved.
As the wave of baby boomers move toward retirement, long-term care is becoming more important. A federal state initiative called, “Own Your Future”, has been launched to urge consumers to focus on their finances. The campaign offers a Long Term Care Planning Kit, downloadable at no cost in English and Spanish. Consumers may order the Long Term Care Planning Kit by phone, (1-866-PLAN-LTC) or view online at www.longtermcare.gov/campaign
This weekly e-mail is provided as a courtesy of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging. The Legislative Update is non-partisan in nature and intended to give you the information you need to participate in the legislative process. Please share the Update freely; our goal is to help as many people as possible remain informed about legislative action and be included in helping shape Arizona’s future. We thank you for your interest!
THIS WEEK IN REVIEW
The first bills of the 2008 legislative session hit the Governor’s desk this week! Read more »
My commentary on why the medical profession is jumping on the bandwagon to develop a medication to help increase an older woman’s sex drive might cause a few heads to spin. I got on this rant when I read an article which you can read at the end of this blog. First of all, viagra is here to stay. With the divorce rate climbing, something better be done so the woman can keep up with her husband’s falsely restored sexual energy. Let’s stop right there and repeat, ”falsely restored sexual energy”. Has anyone stopped to consider Read more »
Smart Genetics, a company located in Philadelphia, is ready to begin testing saliva samples for Alzheimer’s. The test, called the Alzheimer’s Mirror test will cost the consumer $399. The test is due to be released on the market in the spring of 2008. I had to sit and really digest the impact of this test. USA Today wrote an article about the new test which is where I first learned about it. Click Here to read the article. I am not one to stick my head in the sand and not want to know but Read more »
It’s inevitable that our parents will grow older, the roles will reverse and the time will come when taking care of your parent (s) becomes a reality. Make these times as happy for your parents as you can. With rising health costs, more and more families are chipping in to either be their parent’s caregiver in their parent’s home or the parents get moved into the home of their adult child. Let’s take a look at moving your parent (s) into your home. Read more »
This weekly e-mail is provided as a courtesy of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging. The Legislative Update is non-partisan in nature and intended to give you the information you need to participate in the legislative process. Please share the Update freely; our goal is to help as many people as possible remain informed about legislative action and be included in helping shape Arizona’s future. We thank you for your interest! Read more »
I am not sure when that moment comes when, as a family, everyone begins to understand that time together is limited. It drives some families apart while others unite. If there are expectations from siblings usually strife begins. We all love our parents with varying Read more »
Hospice Programs for Dementia Patients [9:21m]: 
