A Caregiver That’s a Robot?

Engineers have been developing a robot designed to assist with activities of daily living. This robot has a grip soft and strong enough to assist older adults getting in and out of chairs or beds and has the ability to serve food. Technical difficulties (e.g., battery and overheating problems), however, suggest that this form of caregiving is still years away. For more information, read the article at http://today.reuters.com.

The Costs & Sacrifices of Caregiving

This paper reports on a mixed-methods study that outlined the caregiving costs of unpaid care. Respondents were recruited to produce caregiving diaries for a period of one month. The average caregiver spent $5,531 on caregiving activities in the previous year on a salary of $43,026, and more than one-third of respondents had to use their savings to cover caregiving costs. Long-distance caregivers had the highest expenses, nearly double that of caregivers who lived nearby. For more information, read the report at http://www.evercarehealthplans.com.

Proposal to Improve Caregiver Resources

MIT seeks to increase public awareness of problems associated with caregiving and to promote the improvement of caregiver resources. In its report, researchers make recommendations for improving caregiver resources (e.g., encouraging expansion of employer-sponsored programs), share information about its associated research project, and provide a transcript of an expert panel discussing the challenges and opportunities facing caregivers. For more information, read the report at http://web.mit.edu.

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A State-by-State Look at Medicaid Long-Term Care

This report tracks the decade-long shift in distributing Medicaid long-term care funding toward community- and home-based care and outlines the impact that this shift has had on long-term care practices state by state. Specifically, this report outlines how states use their money for long-term care, how many states have special needs plans in place, and the implementation of the Family Opportunity Act. For more information, read the report at http://www.nasmd.org.

Improving the Quality of Long-Term Care

The National Commission for Quality Long-Term Care issued its final report recommending a pathway toward building a stronger national long-term care system. Recommendations range from long-term care financing, support for family caregiving, adopting new technologies, and workforce development. For more information, read the report at http://www.qualitylongtermcarecommission.org.

Disaster Planning in Senior Living

This article details the impact of a continuing education program designed to enhance the emergency preparedness of senior living and long-term care residences. Information about program content, participation, and support is presented alongside the results of an evaluation study that examines the integration of program content into the disaster plans and daily practices of senior living and long-term care residences. These results indicate that the program increases disaster awareness and the interconnections among residences and local disaster relief agencies, such as the American Red Cross. To obtain this report, e-mail sking@matherlifeways.com.

Improvements in Heart Attack Outcomes

Experimental research suggests that transplanted genetically engineered embryonic heart cells decrease the risk of suffering further abnormal heart rhythms after an initial heart attack. This research was conducted on mice, suggesting the preliminary nature of these findings; however, researchers are optimistic because abnormal heart rhythms were shown to be reduced by 60%. For more information, read the abstract at http://www.nature.com.

Mortality Rates & Regular Physical Activity

A longitudinal study found that fitness levels were a primary predictor of dying, which holds true for overweight or obese men and women who performed regular physical fitness activities. The study speaks to the important role that fitness activities plays in mitigating the risks associated with obesity. For more information, read the abstract at http://jama.ama-assn.org.

Researchers Able to Slow the Aging of Skin

Researchers were able to stall the aging process in the skin of mice by halting the actions of a protein important to the aging process. If this study can be replicated in humans, these findings hold promise for the development of anti-aging dermatology therapies. The authors suggest that the most likely benefits will come in the form of short-term therapies for older adults. For more information, read the article at http://www.genesdev.org.

Retiring Happy

Data from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study indicate that the sequence of retirement does not impact satisfaction with retirement. Rather, autonomy, meaningful social relationships, good health, and pension type are better predictors of happiness in retirement. For more information, read the report at http://crr.bc.edu.

Older Adults Face a Changing Workplace

A new report examines the impact of changing job demands on the employment opportunities for older adults. The authors find that relatively few workers held jobs with high physical demands; however, cognitive demands and job-related stress are widespread within the workplace. This has been a growing trend since at least 1971, when physically demanding jobs began to decline. The authors suggest that such changes in the nature of work will increase the employment opportunities for older adults well into the future. For more information, read the report at http://assets.aarp.org.

Practical Insights for Managing an Aging Workforce

The MetLife Foundation conducted interviews with “leading-edge” employers in order to provide insight into employers’ practical responses to the looming retirement of Baby Boomers. This report addresses employer concerns regarding retaining older workers, knowledge transfer, retirement transitions, recruiting new retirees, and strategies for leveraging a multi-generational workforce. For more information, read the report at http://www.metlife.com.

Emergency Department Visits Increasing

This study reviewed U.S. hospital data and found that the number of older adults, ages 65 to 74, seeking emergency room care had increased 34% between the years 1993 and 2003. This rate is the highest for all age groups and rises even higher among older African-American adults. Researchers suggest that this increase grows out of a larger increase in use of emergency rooms as a source of medical care for common ailments by people who lack health insurance and/or the ability to pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses. For more information, read the abstract at http://www.sciencedirect.com.

Beer & Alzheimer’s

Researchers in Europe determined that moderate beer consumption reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s by slowing the accumulation of aluminum in the body. Beer is a common dietary source of silicone, which works to slow the uptake of aluminum in the digestive tract. For more information, read the abstract at http://www.sciencedirect.com.