Stories by Week

(MYTH-BUSTING) Concern Continues to Grow about Seniors Being Duped in the Healthcare Debate There is growing concern among policymakers and care providers alike about the amount of misinformation being heaped upon the nation's seniors regarding the ongoing effort to reform the healthcare system. "We're hearing a lot of horror stories," says Gordon Walker, CEO of the Charlottesville, VA-based Jefferson Area Board of Aging (JABA). "Many of the seniors we see are asking us about Medicare and whether the reform efforts will somehow limit their access to health care. Of course, we're telling them that we don't see anything in the legislation that leads us to believe that's the case." Login to see complete story
08/12/2009 5:18 PM

(SOCIAL SECURITY) Obama's Next Big Thing: Social Security Reform Once it gets past the debate on healthcare reform, the Obama administration likely will take up what many pundits refer to as "the third rail in national politics" -- Social Security. This point was underscored Wednesday (Aug. 12) during a question and answer session with National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers during a conference on retirement sponsored by the Social Security Administration. Login to see complete story
08/13/2009 06:01 AM

Federal Agencies

(NCD) Council Urges Sweeping Emergency Management Changes Affecting Frail Elderly, People with Disabilities The National Council on Disability's (NCD) just-released report -- "Effective Emergency Management: Making Improvements for Communities and People with Disabilities" -- calls on federal, state, and local authorities to make sweeping changes in emergency management practices for people with disabilities. The recommendations, if adopted, would have a significant impact on the way nursing homes, geriatric care centers and other facilities serving disabled elderly people prepare for and execute plans for dealing with natural disasters. Login to see complete story
08/12/2009 2:38 PM

Fitness & Health

(HEARING) 'Woodstock Generation' Now Facing Hearing Loss As Woodstock, the iconic rock concert that defined an era, marks its 40th anniversary, those who first made loud music a cultural mainstay are overdue for a hearing exam. Roughly 36 million Americans -- about one in 10 -- have some form of hearing loss; but for those people between 55- and 65-years old -- the so-called "Woodstock Generation" -- the number is closer to one in three, say experts at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Login to see complete story
08/14/2009 5:06 PM

Funding Opportunities

(STUDENT LOANS) HHS to Release $13.4 Million in Financial Assistance to Support Nurse Education The Department of Health & Human Service is releasing $13.4 million for loan repayments to nurses who agree to practice in facilities with critical shortages -- especially in geriatric care centers -- and for schools of nursing to provide loans to students who will become nurse faculty Login to see complete story
08/12/2009 2:05 PM

Healthcare Reform

(ONLINE TOOL) Website Separates Healthcare Reform Fact from Fiction; Helps Seniors Consumers Union's editorial arm, Consumer Reports magazine, has launched a new blog dedicated to separating the fact from fiction in TV ads about healthcare reform that are flooding the airwaves during Congress' August recess. The new online service should prove particularly helpful to seniors inasmuch it is seniors and the organizations that serve them who appear most vulnerable to misleading advertising. Login to see complete story
08/14/2009 11:23 AM

(TOWN HALL) Obama Takes His Myth-Busting Mission to Montana President Barack Obama on Friday (Aug. 14) took his message of healthcare reform to a large, friendly audience in Belgrade, MT, once again refuting claims made by his critics who say the reform effort is an attempt by Obama to socialize the nation's healthcare delivery system. The leveling of such charges has been particularly troubling for America's seniors, many of whom have reacted by joining protest movements apparently organized by special interest groups bent on shutting down the reform effort. Login to see complete story
08/14/2009 5:43 PM

Medicare/Medicaid

(PART D) Drug Plan Premiums Rising; Beneficiaries May Need to Enroll in New Plans The majority of Medicare beneficiaries currently enrolled in Medicare drug plans will not see significant changes in their premiums in 2010, but some may need to take steps to ensure they have the coverage they need when open enrollment begins later this year, officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said Thursday (Aug. 13). Login to see complete story
08/13/2009 4:27 PM

Research and Reports

(ALZHEIMER'S) UCLA Researchers' Findings Offer Hope for Development of Drug Treatment Developing the ability to make amyloid B-protein clusters in a very pure and precise way as to duplicate what forms in Alzheimer's diseased brains will make development of future therapeutic drugs much easier and likely more successful. Login to see complete story
08/11/2009 3:05 PM

Social Security

(SURVEY) Economic Crisis Seen Driving Support for Social Security Reform On the eve of the 74th anniversary of Social Security, nearly nine in 10 (88%) Americans say Social Security is more important than ever as a result of today's economic crisis, and three-quarters of Americans say it is critical to preserve Social Security even if it means that working Americans have to pay higher taxes to do so. Login to see complete story
08/14/2009 12:09 PM

Workforce

(EMPLOYMENT) July Not as Bad as It Has Been for Some Older Workers Nearly 2 million unemployed people in the United States (or 13.6% of the total number of unemployed) were at least 55 years old, a decrease of 83,000 in the number of unemployed in the 55-plus age group since June. Older men experienced a slight decline in the number of unemployed; the number of unemployed older women increased. Login to see complete story
08/10/2009 12:46 PM

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