“In the lexicon of fatal diseases, Alzheimer’s is among the least understood and the most devastating, robbing its victims of memory, bodily functions and, ultimately, identity itself. But as researchers discover more about the genetic causes of this scourge, there is a greater chance of treating and preventing it—and even more hope for a cure. In ‘The Inheritance,’ Niki Kapsambelis skillfully interweaves the quest to conquer Alzheimer’s with the saga of a few families at the center of the latest research. The genetic contribution to Alzheimer’s, she makes clear, may vary widely, but the families in Ms. Kapsambelis’s chronicle are
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“There are currently 2.2 million home health aides and personal care aides in the U.S., with another 630,000 needed by 2024 as the Baby Boomer generation ages, according to the nonprofit research and consulting group PHI. New York state employs about 326,000 home health workers but is predicted to need another 125,000 by 2024. For now, home health aides in New York state earn an average of about $11 an hour, though wages are lower in upstate regions. Advocates say the system needs a complete overhaul that focuses on higher pay, worker retention and finding methods of compensation beyond what
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“It’s time to take control of Medicaid before it takes control of us. Unless we act — and there is little evidence that we will — Medicaid increasingly becomes another mechanism by which government skews spending toward the old and away from the young. In the raging debate over the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), this is a subject that neither Republicans nor Democrats dare touch. It’s an ominous omission that obscures the overhaul Medicaid really needs.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Excellent column except for his recommendation that the feds take over the
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“Existing evidence on feasible options for financing LTC are sparse. Many states have implemented “Long-Term Care Partnerships,” which enable individuals to qualify for Medicaid coverage as soon as they have exhausted their private LTC insurance policy. Other current options include combined life insurance and LTC insurance policies, which reduce life insurance payouts depending on LTC utilization, or life settlements, which allow individuals to sell their life insurance policy once they reach a certain age. State and national policies to support family caregivers are limited in scope and often underutilized.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care
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“Elderly people are suffering concussions and other brain injuries from falls at what appear to be unprecedented rates, according to a new report from U.S. government researchers. The reason for the increase isn’t clear, the report’s authors said. But one likely factor is that a growing number of elderly people are living at home and taking repeated tumbles, said one expert.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): The panacea of home and community-based care, promoted for so long by academics as preferred by the elderly and costing less, does have certain downsides such as
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