“Why the pharmaceutical industry is giving up the search for an Alzheimer’s cure,” by Katherine Ellen Foley, Quartz Quote: “In the meantime, scientists say the best use of research funds is to keep digging into the promising field of lifestyle-intervention. Last year, the National Academies of Sciences published what it calls an ‘inconclusive but encouraging’ report on the merits of diet, exercise, and social interaction when it comes to Alzheimer’s prevention. For example, small studies in humans and mice have shown that exercise can reduce the risk for developing Alzheimer’s. Other longitudinal studies have suggested that social interaction can stave
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“Survival for the Sandwich Generation: Navigating the hidden costs for working caregivers,” by Jody Gastfriend, Salon Quote: “Well-heeled caregivers are fortunate enough to have financial resources to pay for care. Others will rely on state and federal funds to supplement their efforts. But almost all of us — rich or poor — are simply unprepared for the emotional and financial challenges of being a family caregiver.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, Administrative Coordinator, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Another sad story of people who failed to plan for long-term care despite decades of warnings in the media, not to mention LTCI producers’
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“Improving Long-Term Care Insurance Rate Increase Communications,” by Claude Thau, ThinkAdvisor Quote: “Rate increases are traumatic for everyone involved and consumers may make unwise decisions, particularly if explanations inadvertently present options in an unbalanced fashion. Therefore, I believe that the LTCI industry would do well to improve premium rate increase communications and to make better educational resources available to financial advisors and clients when rate increases occur. Hopefully, this article will inspire improvements so that consumers are less likely to misunderstand. If readers have seen particularly good or weak wording and/or educational services, I’d be interested in those examples.” LTC
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“The Hidden Costs Of Caregiving,” Securian Financial Quote: “Securian Financial recently conducted a survey of more than 800 people currently providing, or who have provided, unpaid care to a parent, in-law or spouse who is aging, or has a disability or chronic disease. The survey found the majority of caregivers (60 percent) spend more than 10 hours per week caring for a family member, and about one in four (29 percent) spend more than 20 hours per week. Women (32 percent) are more likely than men (26 percent) to spend more than 20 hours each week on caregiver duties.” LTC Comment
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“National summit leads to 700 dementia recommendations,” by Kimberly Marselas, McKnight’s LTC News Quote: “Participants in a national research summit have recommended nearly 700 new strategies for understanding dementia, working toward a cure and supporting people who have it. … The findings, updated online Wednesday, summarize last year’s National Research Summit on Care, Services, and Supports for Persons with Dementia and their Caregivers held at the National Institutes of Health. … Specific ideas to accelerate the development, evaluation, translation, implementation, and scaling up of comprehensive care and supports were broken out into 12 themes ranging from disease stages to settings
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“How to Protect Yourself and Your Family From Long-Term Care Insurance Scams,” by Brian O’Connell, The Street Quote: “Long-term care insurance consumers — usually upper-middle age and older Americans — face enough hurdles in finding the best policies. Complicated contracts, high fees and charges, and booming premiums await any long-term care insurance buyer. On top of that lurks another, more sinister issue for buyers, and it’s one of the worst forms of elder fraud — long-term care insurance fraud. It’s a big problem, given the skyrocketing costs of long-term care services these days, and the burgeoning need for long-term care
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“AP-NORC Poll: Young adults feel stress of long-term care,” by Emily Swanson, Sacramento Bee Quote: “Most young adults haven’t given much thought to their own needs as they get older, but a significant number are already providing long-term care for older loved ones, according to a new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. … According to the poll, a third of American adults under age 40 have already provided care for an older relative or friend, and another third expect to be called upon to do so within the next five years. … Only 16 percent
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“‘Simple test’ improves dementia prediction rates,” Healio Quote: “Among patients with declining Mini-Mental State Examination scores, administration of the Visual Association Test may help identify those at higher risk for dementia, according to findings that were just published in Annals of Family Medicine.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, Administrative Coordinator, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Early identification of dementia risk is more important than ever now that research like Dr. Dale Bredesen’s in The End of Alzheimer’s suggests dietary, exercise and other interventions can delay and even reverse its progression. See “LTC Bullet: The End of Alzheimer’s,” Friday, April
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“Fewer Americans Are Delaying Major Life Events Because of Money Worries,” Advisor Magazine Quote: “A new survey found that the number of American adults that have postponed at least one important life decision in the last year for financial reasons has fallen to 35 percent. This is an improvement from the 51 percent in a similar 2015 survey when Americans were still recovering from the recession.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, Administrative Coordinator, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Maybe now is a good time to redouble efforts to encourage the important life decision of planning for long-term care. Fewer Americans
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“Why Yelp Could be Superior to Five-Star Ratings for Nursing Homes,” by Maggie Flynn, Skilled Nursing News Quote: “Researchers at the University of Southern California believe Yelp nursing home reviews are a useful tool in helping prospective residents or their family members make decisions about facilities, The New York Times reported Friday. Though reviews posted on Yelp and other online platforms such as Google or the recently acquired Caring.com are not perfect, the issue is Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare website, Dr. Anna Rahman of the University of Southern California told the Times. ‘After 20 years and all the money spent
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