Want to see the future of adult day programs for the frail elderly and adults with disabilities? Just watch what is happening in California, where 26,000 participants and the centers that care for them are struggling to manage state budget cuts and huge uncertainty. Adult day programs can be a key support for the frail […]
Continue ReadingEighty-give percent of physicians say that unmet social needs lead to worse health outcomes, according to a new survey sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. But only 20 percent are confident in their ability to help patients and their families meet those needs. Talk about good news and bad news! The survey asked about […]
Continue ReadingCongress is slowly starving senior services programs. In the 2012 budget it passed as it was leaving town last weekend, Congress froze or cut spending for a broad range of government programs aimed at seniors and their caregivers–everything from Meals on Wheels to long-term care ombudsman training to information and referral services. Most of these cuts were not […]
Continue ReadingGovernment funding for programs to support aging in place was still growing through 2008, but much more slowly than in the past. At the same time, states were making it harder to enroll, limiting benefits, and forcing people to wait longer before they could participate in these programs. And all that was happening before Medicaid home care faced major […]
Continue ReadingToday’s episode of WHYY’s morning live call-in show Radio Times is focused on the idea of “aging-in-place” and the movement away from large traditional nursing homes. Joining host Marty Moss-Coane is Dr. Bill Thomas, founder of The Green House Project.
Continue ReadingFrail seniors, as well as adults with disabilities, often need help with routine medical care such as taking pills, receiving injections, getting oxygen, or managing catheters. Traditionally, this assistance has been provided only by nurses. But, especially for people living at home or even in assisted living facilities, having a nurse provide this routine care is prohibitively expensive and can […]
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The Bucksbaum Foundation has donated $42 million to the University of Chicago to create an institute that concentrates on clinical excellence with a focus on partnering with patients. What a common-sense, and timely idea. Disclosure: I have a graduate…
Continue ReadingMy dad, who had congestive heart failure, lived on the second floor of a garden apartment building that had no elevator. As the disease made him weaker, he could no long walk down the stairs. And for the last year of his life, he was trapped in his own apartment. An “outing” was a slow walk, and eventually, a wheelchair ride […]
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