Study Gauges Seniors' Calorie Burn Playing Active Video Games

According to a study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine's 57th Annual Meeting in Baltimore some types of video games may help older adults become more physically active.

Researchers found that playing Nintendo's Wii can help healthy, overweight seniors burn calories. A study team led by Elizabeth Orsega-Smith, Ph.D., placed ACTICAL accelerometers on the wrists of 24 participants with a body mass index of 26 to 39 (a BMI of 25-29.9 marks overweight; 30+ indicates obesity). The accelerometers measured caloric expenditure during 30-minute bouts of Wii baseball, tennis and team and individual bowling. The gamers, who ranged in age from 66 to 78, burned significantly more calories (20-176 calories) playing individual bowling compared with team bowling (18-89 calories). Those playing baseball burned from 22 to 144 calories, while tennis resulted in 17-72 calories expended.

"Few studies have investigated the use of active video games in aging populations or individuals with disabilities," Orsega-Smith said. "Given that 40 percent of older-adult females and 30 of males ages 70 and above do not participate in any significant physical activity, this population faces growing health challenges. For otherwise sedentary people, games like the Wii offer an enjoyable way to become more active and more healthy."

Orsega-Smith noted that playing games such as Wii generally burns fewer calories than playing the real-life game or sport. However, they offer an option for those who face challenges to becoming physically active. In addition, the social atmosphere and enjoyment may contribute to adherence to this type of activity.

"Wii playing may be a vehicle for physical activity participation, especially for those older adults who do not have access to a fitness facility or who may have physical limitations to their mobility," She said. Participants in this study were independent, lived in communities and visited senior centers.

Source: American College of Sports Medicine

Medicare Rebate Checks

Medicare Rebate Checks Closing Prescription Drug Doughnut Hole Mailed Early - AARP Bulletin

Press Release from AAHSA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lauren Shaham, (202) 508-1219, lshaham@aahsa.org

AAHSA To Co-Sponsor Presidential Tele-Town Hall Meeting on Health Reform
Residents to Attend in Person While Numerous Members Hold “Watch Parties”

Washington - On Tuesday, June, 8, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) will co-sponsor a national tele-town hall meeting with President Barack Obama discussing with senior citizens to discuss the Affordable Care Act. The conversation will focus on efforts to combat senior scams and fraud in advance of the first mailing of the $250 “donut hole” rebate checks.

President Barack Obama will join HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at 11:25 a.m. Eastern time at the Holiday Park Multipurpose Senior Center in Wheaton, Md., to take questions on health reform. Two residents of AAHSA member facilities will attend in person. About 10 AAHSA members will hold “watch parties” to watch the town hall online and call in with questions. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services representatives will attend AAHSA member events in Denver, Cleveland and Philadelphia.

“AAHSA members serve more than two million elders and family members every day and we are proud to help bring information and explanations to these elders,” said Larry Minnix, AAHSA’s president and CEO. “There is much in health reform that can help seniors with transitions, technology, quality and long-term care. It is important for all seniors and their caregivers to understand health reform, and this tele-town hall meeting is part of our effort to help educate people.”

The tele-town hall will be streamed online through both www.whitehouse.gov/live and www.healthreform.gov. Viewers can call (800) 837-1935 and use pass code: 80272058 to ask questions of President Obama and Secretary Sebelius. Interested parties are encouraged to dial in at 11:15 a.m, Eastern time to secure a line. The town hall meeting is expected to last about an hour.

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About AAHSA

The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (www.aahsa.org) is a national network of community-based nonprofit organizations that provide services and supports to people as they age.  These 5,400 organizations connect with millions of older persons and their families every day. They provide home health care, adult day services, hospice, senior housing, nursing care, assisted living, continuing care and a broad range of related services. AAHSA is the most trusted advocate for aging whose spirit of transformational stewardship and close collaboration with its members consistently improves lives.

'The Care Connection - June'

'The Care Connection - June'

National Safety Month

Older Adults and Medication

A new study by the University of Michigan reports that it is common for patients 65 and older to receive potentially inappropriate medications during an emergency department visit. An estimated 19.5 million patients 65 and older received one or more potentially inappropriate medications from 2000 to 2006, according to the study, published in Academic Emergency Medicine (Vol. 17, No. 3).

The study showed medical residents and interns, who were newer to the medical field, were less likely to order inappropriate medications, most likely due to their recent training. Dr. William J. Meurer, lead author of the study, believes further efforts are needed to educate doctors about how different medications can affect older adults.

To help ensure your safety:

Always carry a list of the medications and dosages you take.
Upon admission to the emergency department, confirm your primary care physician has been notified.
Ask your emergency department doctor how long the medications you are treated with will affect you.
Upon discharge, request a list of medications and dosages you received while in the emergency department and details about any potential side effects.
Learn more about your medications from your pharmacist.

Source: National Safety Council

Summer Vacations Are a 'Must' for Caregiver Well-Being

With the traditional summer vacation season soon upon us, caregivers -- much in need of time away and relaxation -- should count themselves "in" on planning for and genuinely enjoying a family vacation.

Despite (or perhaps in light of) life's great challenge of caring for a chronically ill loved one, caregivers need and deserve a break with the rest of their family. This often occurs in the shadow of guilty feelings about trying to carry on and have a normal life. But without exception, medical and mental health professionals agree that caregivers need this break to stay healthy in every respect.

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Employer Support for Care Giving Employees

“There are only four kinds of people in this world. Those who have been caregivers, those who are caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.” Rosalynn Carter, Former First Lady

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that in the year 2010, 54% of workforce employees will provide eldercare for a parent or parents and that nearly two-thirds of caregivers will experience conflict between demands at home and demands from employers.

Today’s employed Baby Boomers are the caregiver generation for their parents. They are finding themselves juggling care responsibilities around their employment obligations. Sometimes employees find they have no option but to take leave from work or use sick time to meet their caregiving demands.

Employers also feel the toll it is taking on their employees. A report by the AARP describes the cost to employers:

“Companies are also seeing the emotional and physical toll that caregiving takes on their workers. In one study, 75% of employees caring for adults reported negative health consequences, including depression, stress, panic attacks, headaches, loss of energy and sleep, weight loss, and physical pain. Businesses suffer, too, by having to pay high health insurance costs and in lost productivity. That doesn’t count the promotions or assignments workers turn down that require travel or relocation away from aging relatives."

Businesses that don’t offer benefits or address eldercare wind up paying for them. A recent study by the MetLife Market Mature Institute and the National Alliance for Caregiving states that U.S. companies pay between $17.1 billion and $33.6 billion annually, depending on the level of caregiving involved, on lost productivity. That equals $2,110 for every full-time worker who cares for an adult.

Eldercare cost businesses:

$6.6 billion to replace employees (9% left work either to take early retirement or quit)
Nearly $7 billion in workday interruptions (coming in late, leaving early, taking time off during the day, or spending work time on eldercare matters)
$4.3 billion in absenteeism" AARP
Typically, human resource departments work with employees on many issues that may affect their work productivity.  There are programs for drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, illness, absenteeism and child care; but, help with eldercare issues is not normally provided.

The AARP report follows several companies who are providing help with eldercare issues and what they are doing for their employees.

“Freddie Mac has a free eldercare consultant and access to subsidized aides for a relative up to 20 days.
Verizon Wireless offers seminars on eldercare issues and allows full-time workers 80 hours a year in back-up care, 40 hours for part-time, and $4/hour for in-home help.
At the Atlanta law firm Alston & Bird LLP, workers can donate vacation time to colleagues who have used up theirs to care for family members. “ AARP
A growing number of companies nationwide are directing their HR departments to provide resources, education and group help for caregiving issues by:

Providing materials from community resources such as phone numbers to their local Senior Centers or Area Agencies on Aging.
Making available brochures and booklets on specific programs and services by eldercare experts
Providing speakers to educate employees on caregiving options
Allowing options to use paid sick leave, employee job sharingand flexible hours
Allowing employee caregivers to use business computers for caregiving research
Contracting with companies who provide eldercare services to help employees
Eldercare service providers are also reaching out to help employee caregivers by providing informational presentations at the work place during lunch time or other times set up by employers. One such presentation provided information on reverse mortgages. Jason, who had been trying to help his parents pay for home care, learned at a work site presentation that a reverse mortgage was one way to cover caregiver expenses.

The HR Department of a local business in Utah, invited the Salt Lake Eldercare Planning Council to present a “Brown bag, Lunch and Learn” during their employees' lunch hour. In 30 minutes time, those who attended learned how the services of a Care Manger, Home Care Provider, Elder Attorney, Medicaid Planner and Financial Consultant can help with caregiving decisions. Problems were discussed, questions answered and employees left armed with information and the names of professional people they knew could help them.

“This was the most productive lunch I have ever attended”, related Mary, one of the attendees.

“I had been very hesitant to contact an attorney to discuss my parents' estate, because of the cost involved.  The attorney at our 'lunch and learn' answered my few basic questions which will allow me to prepare what I need before I meet with him to finalize my parents' estate planning.”

Besides workplace help for employers and employees dealing with caregiving, the internet is also a great research tool.  The National Care Planning Council website at www.longtermcarelink.net is a comprehensive resource for eldercare, senior care and long term care planning.  It contains hundreds of articles on all aspects of eldercare.  Professional providers list their services on the NCPC website.  Each of their listings provides unique information on specific eldercare services and how to obtain help.

Employers, employees and eldercare service providers working together can make parent or senior caregiving a workable solution for all.

From National Care Planning Council