ChangingAging Weekly Blogstream Roundup May 5, 2012

A patient-centered nursing home movement that’s taken hold in other parts of the country is now making its way to California. It’s called the “green house project” and it promotes smaller, home-like facilities of 10 or fewer residents.

Full Story »

Below is the overview statement from The Commonwealth Fund report released today describing how the U.S. health care system measures up to other industrialized nations in terms of supply, utilization, price, and quality. While we spend about twice as much per capita for health care and use 17% of or GDP versus 12% or less for other nations, this has not translated to better quality or outcomes. In fact in several areas, complications from asthma or diabetes for example, the U.S. is ranked at the highest level among all nations measured, suggesting a failure to manage these chronic diseases.

Full Story »

As boomers care for their parents, or at least watch their friends in the throes, those with no children often wonder, “who will be there for me when I need help?”

With one in three boomers never married and some wed without kids, that’s a big question. Typically, it’s the spouse who does much of the caregiving, but with the growing rate of late-life divorce-saying “see ya, partner” after 20+ years of marriage-and women outliving men, that source of support may not be available.

Full Story »

I know my answer. The quality of my final days is more important to me than the number of days remaining. And I’ve emphasized that point in conversations with my primary care providers – my internist, my urologist who treats my prostate cancer, and my neurologist who deals with my Parkinson’s. This week’s “Health & Science” section of The Washington Post features the well-written, moving account by a young woman, Amy Berman, of her fight for quality of life since being diagnosed with a rare and terminal form of breast cancer 18 months ago.

Full Story »

It takes a variety of homes to make up a neighborhood-so why not build Green House homes in existing communities? There are those who would question whether it’s possible…but in upstate New York it’s proving to be a wonderful addition to the neighborhood and a shining example of skilled nursing home care.

Full Story »

With responsible advocacy, we have the ability to influence leaders, educate officials and build a strong base of supporters with personal impact stories and educational campaigns about the daily life challenges faced by people with intellectual and physical disabilities. Responsible advocacy should always empower people as opposed to invoking pity, or far worse, skepticism. Progress for people with developmental disabilities rests on the “integrity of what we do, what we say, and what we say we do.”

Full Story »