Current Resource Roundup
Aging and Health
The Food and Drug Administration has created a
Drug Safety Information for Patients and
Providers webpage at
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drugSafety.htm. Consumers and health care
professionals can find a wide variety of safety information about prescription
drugs. The webpage includes links to information on: drug labeling; drugs that
have Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) to ensure that their
benefits outweigh their risks; searchable databases of post market studies and
of clinical trials; drug-specific safety information; reports that list certain
drugs being evaluated for potential safety issues; warning letters, import
alerts, recalls, market withdrawals, and safety alerts; and consumer information
about using medications safely. (From
Administration on Aging E-News,
Parkinson's Disease
Information has been added to the NIHSeniorHealth Website at
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/parkinsonsdisease/toc.html. Topics include: what
is Parkinson's; what causes Parkinson's; symptoms and diagnosis; treatment and
research; and frequently asked questions. A link to MedlinePlus provides
additional information. Parkinson's is the latest addition to the list of health
topics offered on NIHSeniorHealth, which features research-based, easily
accessible information on a range of health issues of interest to older people.
Other topics include ways to exercise properly, safe use of medicines, and
management of diseases such as stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's
disease. (From NIA Listserv,
Caregiving
The Alzheimer's Association has introduced a new online
resource for caregivers at
http://www.alz.org/stresscheck/. The
Caregiver Stress Check is an interactive quiz that helps caregivers identify
their symptoms of stress and provides them with a tailored list of helpful
referrals and resources. When caregivers answer "yes" to stress symptoms, they
are led to Alzheimer's Association resources designed to alleviate their
specific issues. (From Caregiving Listserv,
The MetLife Mature Market Institute offers free caregiving
publications at
http://www.maturemarketinstitute.com. These
Helpful Hints are six two-page
informational bulletins taken from studies done by the MetLife Mature Market
Institute and National Alliance for Caregiving. They contain tips and advice for
older Americans and for those caring for aging friends and relatives. Topics
include: choosing an assisted living facility; if care is needed at home;
caregiving from a distance; advocating for a family member; choosing an adult
day service; and caregiving and Alzheimer’s disease.
(From Caregiving Listserv,
Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) offers LGBT Caregiving: Frequently Asked Questions at http://caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=409. This webpage, which focuses on the needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) older adults and their caregivers, includes FAQ, readings, and a list of resources.
Dementia
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has released a new edition of
Alzheimer's Disease:
Unraveling the Mystery, an illustrated, 80-page book written
for people with Alzheimer's disease (AD), their families, health care
professionals, students, and others with an interest in the disease. This update
to the 2003 edition helps readers understand AD, its impact on individuals and
society, and research advances to prevent or diminish the effects of the
disease. View, download, or order copies at:
http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/Unraveling, or call NIA's
Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center at 1-800-438-4380.
Order copies in bulk at:
http://www.niapublications.org/adearorder/bulk.asp.
(From NIA Listserv,
The Alzheimer’s Association has released a report,
Voices of Alzheimer’s Disease, based
on a year of listening to the thoughts of more than 300 people diagnosed with
early stage Alzheimer's. People with dementia don’t want to be defined
exclusively in terms of memory loss or functional decline. Instead, they want
people "to continue to treat them with respect and dignity and help them
maintain their personhood and humanity." Visit
http://alzheimersreadingroom.blogspot.com/2008/08/early-stage-alzheimers-patients-get.html
to learn more. (From The Soul of
Bioethics, edited by H.R. Moody,
Long-Term Care
A New Tool for Evaluating Senior Living Environments has been
proposed to assess the impact of various aspects of a senior living community’s
physical layout on residents. This instrument focuses on older adults’
psychosocial needs and ‘affordances’ and considers the question, What does the
environment offer its users? The author hopes to transform the instrument into
an easy-to-use checklist after further refinement. The instrument is described
in Rodiek, S. (2008), A new tool for
evaluating senior living environments, Seniors Housing & Care Journal,
16, 3-9. To obtain a copy of this report, e-mail Scott King at
sking@matherlifeways.com.
(From Aging in Action, October 2008)
Medicare
Go to
http://www.medicare.gov/Updates.asp to find which
Medicare search tools have been
recently updated. Examples include: nursing home compare, hospital compare,
Medicare options compare, Medicare prescription drug plan finder, and home
health compare. (From CAAR Report #457,
October 2, 2008)
Last updated 6/26/09; contact wheatonj@lcc.edu with any questions.
