What’s the Word?
Week ending 06/16/2008

Announcements

University of North Texas (UNT) Resilient Grandparent Caregiver Project Dr. Bert Hayslip of the UNT Psychology Department, and Ms. Shanna Davis, a student in the UNT Psychology Department, are conducting a survey exploring the role of personal hardiness, resilience, or inner strength as a resource among grandparents who are raising their grandchildren on a full-time basis.

This survey will ask questions about the grandparents, their caregiving situation, and about their relationship to the grandchild they are caring for. It will take approximately an hour to complete, and can be done at home. It costs nothing to participate.

If you know of someone who would be interested in participating, UNT will mail them the survey, and will supply them with a self addressed stamped envelope in which to return the completed survey. All information will be strictly confidential.

In this respect, each grandparent will be assigned a code number that will uniquely identify them only to Dr. Hayslip and Ms. Davis; no names will appear on the survey. Moreover, grandparent caregivers are under no obligation to complete the survey even if they have begun the project. 

It is expected that the project will end in August, 2008. In order to qualify for the project, grandparents must be primarily responsible for the full-time care of their grandchildren, and the grandchild must be under the age of 18 and residing with the grandparent.

Interested grandparent caregivers who wish to participate or need more information about the project can contact Dr. Hayslip at 940-565-2675 or e-mail him at hayslipb@unt.edu  

 

EPA Offers Active Aging Awards

The Environmental Protection Agency's Aging Initiative is spearheading the multi-agency Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Award. The goal is to raise awareness about healthy synergies that can be achieved by communities combining smart growth and active aging concepts. Awards will be presented to communities that demonstrate the best and most inclusive overall approach to implementing smart growth and active aging at the neighborhood, tribe, municipality, county, and regional levels. Applicants must be public sector entities and coordinate with their local area agency on aging. Applications are due Sept. 12.

NCOA Week June 3, 2008

• Learn more.        

 

Aging Fact

Misconception: Aging means loneliness and depression.

Fact: Unfortunately, this was indeed the fate of many previous generations of older Americans, mostly because society had no role for them. Today's seniors increasingly are finding alternatives to being alone, such as house-sharing or moving to senior living communities, where they can maintain social connections, continue to learn, and contribute to the larger community through employment or volunteerism.

Recent research has smashed the stereotypes of aging. Growing older can be rewarding and fun. Seniors who take charge of their health, stay engaged in life, and use, rather than lose, their physical and mental capabilities, can enjoy later years filled with vitality and joy. As former Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham once put it, "No one can avoid aging, but aging productively is something else."

Courtesy of ARA Content,  www.ARAcontent.com  

Legislation

The Senate Finance Chairman, Max Baucus, introduced a Medicare improvement bill on Friday. It does contain improvements to the benefit for beneficiaries. A summary of the bill is located at:

www.finance.senate.gov/press/Bpress/2008press/prb060608a.pdf

John Coburn
Health & Disability Advocates 

Summary of HB 4449:

Illinois Cares Rx helps Medicare beneficiaries pay for the drugs covered under their Medicare Part D plans.  Currently, only seniors with incomes at or below approximately $23,000 per year receive assistance in paying for the full formulary of drugs in their Medicare Part D plan (Illinois Cares Rx Plus).  All other Medicare beneficiaries with Illinois Cares Rx only receive assistance with 11 categories of drugs (Illinois Cares Rx Basic). HB 4449 allows all Medicare beneficiaries, eligible for Illinois Care Rx Basic, to receive Illinois Cares Rx Plus – providing more seniors and individuals with disabilities assistance with all drugs on their Medicare Part D plans. The expansion of Illinois Cares Rx would benefit approximately 36,831 seniors and 52,981 persons with disabilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note:
You may be asked by the office staff member to give your name and possibly your address or phone number. Please give that information if asked. Staffers are often required to send official letters in response to phone calls to their offices.

Training Opportunities

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' New Freedom Initiative Subcommittee on Caregiving and The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will present the next in a series of Satellite Broadcasts on Family Caregiving on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 from 1:00 - 2:00 PM (Eastern). Entitled "Health Implications of Caregiving," this broadcast will provide viewers with information on how caregiving impacts the health and well-being of caregivers. The program is designed to appeal to a broad audience, including case managers, social workers, employers, health care providers, and the aging network in general.

Illinois AIRS 25^th Annual Conference – “Moving Forward with I&R”
July 9 – 11, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Springfield, IL
Website: www.illinoisairs.org and click on “Conference 2008”

 12^th Annual Illinois TRIAD Conference – Quality Inn and Suites Bradley, IL September 25^th and 26^th For Registration Packet call 815-802-7144

Note: Contact Sonya at the WIAAA offices (309-793-6800 or sweber@wiaaa.org) for additional information about these offerings or others that may be available.

For Your Health

Balance Problems

As people grow older, they may have difficulty with their balance. It is estimated that 9 % of adults who are 65 and older report having problems with balance.

About Balance Problems

Having good balance means being able to control and maintain your body's position, whether you are moving or remaining still. An intact sense of balance helps you:

• walk without staggering
• get up from a chair without falling
• climb stairs without tripping

Good balance is important to help you get around, stay independent, and carry out daily activities. Many people experience problems with their sense of balance as they get older. Disturbances of the inner ear are the main cause. People feel unsteady, or as if they were moving, spinning, or floating. Vertigo, the feeling that you or the things around you are spinning, is also a common symptom. Experts believe that more than 40 percent of Americans will experience dizziness that is serious enough to go to a doctor.

Balance disorders are one reason older people fall. Falls and fall-related injuries, such as hip fracture, can have a serious impact on an older person's life. If you fall, it could limit your activities or make it impossible to live independently. Many people often become more isolated after a fall. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of adults ages 65 years and older fall each year. Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths.

There are many ways to treat balance disorders. Treatments will vary depending on the cause. See your doctor if you are experiencing dizziness, vertigo, or other problems with your balance.

National Institute of Health www.nihseniorhealth.gov

Agency Happenings

AIRS Certification Examination - Sixteen WIAAA staff and provider staff underwent testing for the Alliance of Information and Referral System (AIRS) certification on June 4, 2008 here at our office. This strong showing only confirms what WIAAA has known all along – that we have great people working within our Aging Network Services who are seeking ways to improve and upgrade their knowledge and productivity in assisting the seniors in Western Illinois. Congratulations to all!

Living and Learning Series: Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging will be sponsoring an educational seminar on June 25, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. until noon for senior citizens, their caregivers and anyone else who is interested.

Cilla Sluga, Director of Training from “The Illinois Assistive Technology Center” in Springfield, Illinois, will present a program about assistive technology and how it enables people to live more independently.  Come and explore:

• What is assistive technology?
• What is the right technology to meet my needs?
• How can assistive technology enhance my life and independence?

There will be numerous assistive devices on display. Attendees will have a chance to use the devices and to ask questions about the devices from an expert. Learn about the center’s loan program and about low interest loans available to purchase expensive assistive technology. We hope you can join us for this very informative session.

Contact Jan Stille at (309) 793-6800 or jstille@wiaaa.org  for registration and more information.

From the Greta J. Brooks Elderly Learning and Living Facility (ELLF) ~ Contribution of Joan Blaser, Information Coordinator

 

Featured Video:

HOW TO IDENTIFY AND PREVENT PRESSURE ULCERS is a video from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Center on Aging. This video summarizes generally accepted practice guidelines for the identification and prevention of Stage 1 and Stage 2 pressure ulcers. The training targets direct care staff working in long-term care facilities with the belief that it is the direct care staff person who spends more time with an elderly patient/resident than any other member of the care giving team. This video is equally important for the individual who is caring for a loved one at home. The training demonstrates practical ways to check and care for a person’s skin, what to look for, and how to identify who is at greater risk for ulcers.    Running Time: 12 Minutes

Featured Book:

WIDOWS AND DIVORCEES IN LATER LIFE is authored by Carol L. Jenkins, PhD. The book shows women who are on their own again. It examines new perspectives on the problems older women face adjusting to life without a spouse. The book examines the transition from the togetherness of marriage to the solitude of being suddenly single, exploring how older widows and divorcees adapt. A multidisciplinary panel of practitioners, researchers, and academics addresses the challenges facing elderly women after a divorce or death of a spouse, including issues of physical and psychological well-being, economics, social support, and living arrangements.

Featured Book Especially for the Caregiver:

THE GIFTS OF CAREGIVING is authored by Connie Goldman. This book is a collection of stories about caregivers, and the collection helps us to see how hardship can be converted into hope. The magical power of this conversion remains hidden from us, a mystery we have not yet begun to unravel. The magic is hidden in plain sight because the stories themselves are so clear and powerful that they speak immediately to the heart. We read the stories and are moved to tears. We recognize simple goodness, we are inspired by acts of kindness, and we come away even envying the storytellers, these remarkable people who cope with adversity in ways that leave us wondering: “Could I measure up to this challenge?”  

Note: Don’t forget to check the Greta J. Brooks Elderly Learning and Living Facility (ELLF) located in the same building as WIAAA for further information on topics covered here or any others which interest you.  The facility is a special interest gerontology library and is open daily 8 a.m. to 12 noon.

Quote

“Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation.”
-- Kin Hubbard (1868 - 1930)