GERONTOLOGY TOPICS

OCTOBER 2008

                     Eugene E.Tillock, Ed.D., LNHA Executive Director

comply with these new requirements for providing greater transparency!

the New England States.   More details:  Dr. Tillock  603-868-5757.******

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SINCERE APOLOGIES:TO PENACOOK PLACE, HAVERHILL:

 

          It is with deepest regret that we call to attention our gross

error in publicizing one of our long term NEGA supporters and

one of the first to Co-Sponsor our 50^th Anniversary Conference.

We failed to recognize PENACOOK PLACE, a 160 bed top rated

nursing home facility at 150 Water Street in Haverhill, MA 01830

(978-374-0707),  having incorrectly referred to it as Pentucket Place.

Julian Rich, PENACOOK PLACE CEO has contributed to NEGA

in countless ways which are appreciated!

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STAIRMASTER FOR THE BRAIN!?!

 

With a great deal of attention being given to the physical status of

long term care patients, a new emphasis is now being projected for brain

health of all individuals.  For decades, physicians and scientists asserted

that declining mental performance is an immutable fact of aging.  Brain

cells inexorably are lost with age and wear-and-tear, they believed.  And

unlike most other organs capable of self-repair, lost rain cells cannot

be replaced, they said!  However, in the past 15 years a revolution in

thinking about the brain—not only its ability to generate replacement

cells but to respond at any age to a stimulating environment through

strengthening and developing new connections between cells and among

different regions of the brain.

 

This raises question as to whether training programs may effect changes

in the human brain, so that with better mental performance in old age,

an effect that appears to be even powerful enough  to delay the symptoms

of a devastating brain disease like Alzheimer’s.  Ekion Goldberg,

an NYU School of Medicine neuroscientist, who provides scientific advice

on his website, says there is no compelling evidence to suggest that

someone who improves his or her performance on a formal brain fitness

program may see improvement in everyday function

(see www.Sharpbrains.com).  He suggest that such evidence might be

attained through a matter of conducting appropriate studies.  Readers

with an interest in pursuing this area with a practical trial may visit

www.lumosity.con/login to gain personal experience in testing their own

cognitive functions.  They may then have conviction that to introduce

such a program for the residents of their own facilities may be a desirable activity.

 

EXPLANATION OF JUSTIFICATION FOR TREASURY “BAILOUT”

 

          For those (and this includes most of us) who are wondering what

happened to the economy to virtually reduce their 401 K’s to 201 K’s,

a very informative and detailed explanation may be gained through

accessing the following link:  http://thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?

sched=1263.  This link brings you to The American Life 10/3/08 “365.

Another Frightening Show About the Economy”.  This recording of

the radio show by Alex Blumberg and National Public Radio’s Adam

Davidson gives a priceless insight into the default background causes

of our current near national economic disaster.  There will certainly

be profound implications for long term care financing and a possible

adverse effect on “entitlement programs” into the distant future!

An insight into the roles played by credit agencies, banks, insurance

companies and others, that contributed to the near total collapse of

the American economic system is projected, in clear understandable

terms!

 

PRESIDENTAL ELECTION: FINCANCIAL CHALLENGES

 

          Some interesting comments are offered by Anne Zieger, Editor

of Fierce Health Finance.  She suggests that whether you’re on board

for Obama or marching for McCain, you can expect to see some

significant changes to the U.S. healthcare system, regardless of who’s

elected.  While neither may be proposing revolutionary changes, both

have put forth ideas that could hit healthcare providers in the bankroll.

          McCain’s plan, for example, would do much to increase the use

of high-deductible plans.  Putting aside the issue of whether they

actually reduce health costs by encouraging smart shopping, it seems

likely that they will impose a financial hit on providers.  We’re already

seeing this happen today, as providers struggle to collect on large bills

incurred by patients with such plans.  Any federal initiative that may

encourage such plans is likely to make the self-pay collection problem

worse.

          Obama, on the other hand—who seems to have something like

Massachusetts-ish in mind—might extend coverage to a larger number

of patients, but the coverage they would have is unlikely to be very

robust, if the Bay State’s experience is any indication.  That leaves

providers in the position of having to cope on small reimbursements

for high volumes of patients, a trick that has already started to wear

out on the Medicaid and Medicare populations.  This experience has

existed for long term care facilities in their dealings with Federal

and State reimbursement policies for many recent decades.  In either

case, one may expect to see shortages of key specialists who will take

the low-paying-state-or consumer-chosen insurance, which increases

the costs of finding and keeping the ones you’ve got. 

          Finally, in McCain’s plan, it may be that lots of people who

simply can’t qualify for coverage at all, due to pre-existing conditions,

will leave providers pretty much where they were financially.  Along

with contemplated budgetary cutbacks by the federal government and

by states, the future funding prospects are glum.  Now is the time to

prepare budgetary contingencies to accommodate to this downturn!!