A Reuters article by Mark Miller expects insignificant increases in next year’s Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA) and most of that will be eaten up by higher Medicare Part B premiums. The report which anticipates the Bureau of Labor and Statistics release on Oct. 16 predicts that the Part B premium will rise…
There’s good news and bad news in the world of prescription drugs according to the FDA. The good news is that seniors, a group that used to be a prime target for online pharmacy scams have been displaced thanks in part to the fact that the Medicare drug program has made them less attractive. The…
“Home Alone,” a report by the AARP Public Poly Institute and the United Hospital Fund found that the role of family caregivers has dramatically expanded to include roles previously only provided in hospitals. The estimated economic value of these caregivers was approximately $450 million in 2009. While caregivers still perform fundamental caregiving tasks such as…
Both the New York Times and the Houston Chronicle reported this week that the latest figures by the Census Bureau show Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 visited doctors less frequently than they did in the previous 10 years. The Census Bureau reported declines for insured and uninsured, in excellent health and poor…
Forty-seven percent of older Americans still haven’t joined the digital age and of all the people most likely to benefit from the technological age it’s seniors. From a health perspective, digital access can help make seniors an integral part of their own health care, from being able to access medical records and physicians, becoming actively…
Whether using Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan, Medicare Open Enrollment impacts over a million Medicare beneficiaries in Washington state. This year Open Enrollment starts Oct. 15 and extends through Dec. 7. During Open Enrollment, consumers can make changes to their health and drug coverage. Shopping for insurance plans is a complicated process that…
Eli Lilly and Company announced Oct. 8 that a second look at an experimental drug therapy called solanezumab that targets mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, found the cognitive decline in study participants slowed by 34 percent. A full report and study results can be found here. http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Alzheimers/2012/20121009-Alzheimers_Patients.htm
A new report in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds that almost one-third of Medicare senior citizens received care in a skilled nursing facility in the last six months of their lives under the Medicare post-hospitalization benefit despite the fact that that kind of care may not be available. The authors of the study suggest…
The term sandwich generation has been around since the 80s to refer to the segment of the middle aged population acting as caregiver for both younger and older generations. There are now 10 million individuals 50 and over caring for one or more of their parents. The financial impact to retired baby boomers on fixed…
Looking to avoid Alzheimer’s disease? Step away from the hot dog and for that matter the bacon cheeseburger, the sugary donuts, and yes, even the pizza. At least that’s one suggestion by a neuropathologist at Brown University. Dr. Suzanne de La Monte said there’s growing evidence that eating foods with high nitrate levels or excess…
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