Aging
‘Foster Grandparent’ Program Lets Generations Help Each Other
Aiken, S.C.’s aging population also presents opportunities. To help older people pass their wisdom along to younger generations, Aiken has adopted the Foster Grandparents program, which pays seniors $2.65 an hour to read with children during the school year and chaperone summer recreation programs. More On Aiken’s Aging Population: — Read: S.C. City’s Aging Population […]
‘Project Lifesaver’ Tracks Wandering Seniors With Dementia
Aiken’s Public Safety Department uses GPS bracelets and anklets from Project Lifesaver International, a nonprofit organization, to track dementia patients who wander. Last winter, an anklet helped police rescue Bill Wall, 86, who had wandered barefoot into the woods in 30-degree weather. More On Aiken’s Aging Population: — Read: S.C. City’s Aging Population Offers A […]
Strapped: Meals on Wheels In Aiken Struggles To Serve Amid Budget Cuts
Significant cuts to Aiken, S.C.’s Council on Aging have diminished its ability to serve the needs of its senior population. Since 2008, the Meals on Wheels budget has been cut by 20 percent each year and the waiting list has doubled to nearly 650 people. More On Aiken’s Aging Population: — Read: S.C. City’s Aging […]
Housing Bust Derails Some Seniors’ Assisted-Living Care
When her 86-year-old mother, a retired nurse with Alzheimer’s disease, started wandering away from her Tallahassee, Fla., home in 2007, LuMarie Polivka-West knew it was time to move her and her 94-year-old father into an assisted-living facility. (Photo by Jeff Turner via Flickr) But because of the collapse in the real estate market, she couldn’t […]
Concern Is Growing That The Elderly Get Too Many Medical Tests
This story was produced in collaboration with Every year like clockwork, Anna Peterson has a mammogram. Peterson, who will turn 80 next year, undergoes screening colonoscopies at three- or five-year intervals as recommended by her doctor, although she has never had cancerous polyps that would warrant such frequent testing. Her 83-year-old husband faithfully gets regular PSA tests to […]
Changes Take Seniors By Surprise
This story comes from our partner Nearly two-thirds of seniors don’t know that the Medicare enrollment period is early this year, a survey shows, and that could cost them. It opens Oct. 15, not a month later, as in the past. Those beneficiaries who don’t enroll in or change plans by Dec. 7 will have to […]
FAQ: What Factors Affect The Future Of CLASS – The Community Living Assistance Services And Supports Act
The future is increasingly uncertain for the CLASS Act, a controversial long-term care insurance program created by the 2010 federal health law and championed by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. The Department of Health and Human Services has promised to release in mid-October a detailed analysis of what can be done to shore up the […]
Medicare Plans See Dollars In The Stars
Three Boston-area health insurers are in a race for a decisive competitive advantage. They’re not seeking the usual industry plaudits, exclusive deals with high-profile medical providers, or splashy marketing campaigns. They’re after the highest mark on Medicare’s quality exam, a one-to-five star rating system that was an afterthought until the 2010 health law tied it […]
Clock Starts Ticking Saturday For Medicare Enrollment
The holiday shopping season seems to start earlier every year. This year, Medicare’s open enrollment season also begins – and ends – earlier than ever. The annual enrollment period for Medicare Advantage and prescription drug benefit plans starts Saturday, rather than in mid-November as in recent years. The deadline for enrollment has also been pushed up, from […]
Viewpoint: CLASS Long-Term Care Insurance Is Dead, But What Comes Next?
Howard Gleckman is a resident fellow at The Urban Institute and author of “Caring for Our Parents.” To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the Obama administration today walked away from the CLASS — Community Living Assistance Services and Supports — Act, the landmark long-term care insurance program included in the 2010 health reform law. But […]