Method of Action Video

States Continue Push For Extension Of Extra Medicaid Funds
News outlets report on state budget gaps and lobbying for extra Medicaid funds from the federal government. Bloomberg: "U.S. state governments project revenue will climb in the current fiscal year after they raised taxes and cut spending to close budget gaps of $84 billion, a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures found...

Senate Subcommittee Approves HHS Funding Bill, Other Health Care Bills Readied
CongressDaily: The Senate Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee approved a draft funding bill Tuesday for HHS, "moving a bill that would provide $170 billion in discretionary spending to related federal agencies, nearly $1 billion under the president's request...

Alzheimer's Foundation Of America And Second Wind Dreams Forge Strategic Partnership
The Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA), New York, NY, and Second Wind Dreams (SWD), Marietta, GA, announced that they have forged a strategic partnership that will utilize their combined expertise, program strengths and local membership bases to further raise the bar on care for the increasing number of individuals nationwide with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias...

Health Care Industry And Professionals Respond To Seniors' Growing Health Needs
USA Today: "The explosive growth of the USA's older population is fueling a grass-roots 'village' movement in neighborhoods across the country to help people age in their own homes. More than 50 villages in a neighbor-helping-neighbor system have sprouted in the past decade from California and Colorado to Nebraska and Massachusetts...

HHS Awards States $88M For Home Visits Programs
HHS recently announced $88 million in grants for programs that provide visits from nurses, social workers and other health professionals to the homes of at-risk families, HealthLeaders Media reports...

ACLU Says Some Nursing Homes Use 'Scare Tactics' To Keep Psychiatric Patients
Chicago Tribune: The American Civil Liberties Union says in court papers that some for-profit nursing home operators are using "scare tactics" to persuade psychiatric patients to stay in their facilities...

The Importance Of Relationships In Spiritual Care
Relationships hold the key to giving terminally ill patients the spiritual care they need. However, researchers have pinpointed a mismatch between patients' expectations and understanding when it comes to spirituality, and what medical and family caregivers offer. New recommendations to improve this situation appear in the journal Palliative Medicine, published by SAGE...

Six Key Tips For Caregivers Navigating The System On Behalf Of Their Parents, Grandparents And Others
According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, more than 65 million people in the United States serve as informal caregivers, typically for family members, which equates to more than one out of every four people serving as unpaid caregivers. A caregiver is someone who provides assistance to another person who is ill, disabled or needs help with daily activities...

Senate Panel To Focus On Problems At Continuing Care Retirement Communities With Large Fees
The Wall Street Journal: A Senate Committee will hold hearings Wednesday about "continuing-care retirement communities," which charge large up-front fees to care for seniors for life. "CCRCs offer a range of care - from independent-living apartments to skilled nursing facilities - that allows seniors to 'age in place...

Nearly 60 Homecare And Patient Advocacy Groups Urge Congress To Repeal Medicare's "Competitive" Bidding For Home Medical Equipment And Services
In a letter signed by 58 patient advocacy groups and home medical equipment associations, the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) urged Congress to pass H.R. 3790, a bill to repeal the Medicare competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment in a budget-neutral manner. The bill currently has 252 cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives. View the letter here...

Independent Living Systems Partners With The National Council On Aging, Expands Benefits Screening Service To Thousands Of Seniors
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) today announced the addition of Independent Living Systems (ILS) as the newest partner to sponsor a Private Label version of BenefitsCheckUp, NCOA's online screening service for senior benefits...

Alzheimer's Caregivers Display A Diversity Of Grieving
New research from the University of Michigan reveals racial and ethnic differences in the emotional attitudes of caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients...

Electronic Health Records Prime Clinicians To Provide Progressive Care To Older Adults
In 20 years, approximately 72 million older adults will reside in the United States, almost double the current number, according to the U.S. Administration on Aging. Potential issues are compounded by the projected shortage of health care workers needed to provide elder care...

Compassionate Health Care And Better Teamwork Encouraged By Schwartz Center Rounds
Caregivers who participated in a program where attendees discuss medical cases that were complex for psychosocial and emotional reasons were more likely to be attentive to the psychosocial and emotional aspects of patient care. The program also enhanced their beliefs about the importance of empathy...

Home Care Equivalent To Hospital Care For Some Patients With Cystic Fibrosis
Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) recover from exacerbations equally well if they are treated at home or in a hospital, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University. Furthermore, longer treatment with antibiotics does not appear to offer any additional benefit over shorter courses...