December 2005  

   Welcome to the December 2005 Edition of Issues in Aging.

   Exercise Studies

         
 
 

Exercise Can Increase Life Expectancy

Archives of Internal Medicine (November 14, 2005)

Exercise can add three years to your life, and your heart can reap benefits from something as simple as brisk walking for a half-hour. Researchers analyzed more than four decades of data from the Framingham Heart Study, a long-running health analysis of suburban Boston residents. The researchers grouped 4,121 persons into three levels of physical activity: low, medium, and high. The volunteers, who kept track of how long they spent doing various activities each day, received scores based on the estimated oxygen consumed for their activities. Life expectancy at age 50 for the medium activity group was one and one-half years longer than for the low activity group. The high activity group lived three and one-half years longer. The extra years were lived mostly free from heart disease.

 
     

Risk of Falls Decreases with Increased Exercise

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (October 2005)

This study reported that a regular exercise program can lower an older woman’s risk of falling and might even offer long-lasting effects. Researchers studied 98 women between the ages of 75 and 85 who participated in a six-month exercise program. The researchers found that the risk of suffering a fall was still lower one year after the program ended. One year later, women who had done strength training, including lifting light weights and doing exercises like squats and lunges, were 43 percent less likely to fall than they were at the study’s outset.

  
       
     

Misconceptions About Strength Training

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity (October 2005)

Strength training has many benefits for older adults, but do they know how to properly strength train? Researchers used Exercise: A Guide from the National Institute of Aging as a reference to develop a questionnaire asking about older adults’ beliefs and knowledge about strength exercise. The survey was completed by 129 people, including 62 who did not participate in strength training and 67 who did strength train at least one day per week. The researchers pointed out that while many respondents were accurate in their knowledge of strength training, many were inaccurate, including those who did strength train. They concluded that “more effort needs to be put forth to expand the

current recommendations and knowledge of strength-exercise benefits in older adults.”

 
       
     

Group Exercise Improves Balance

American Journal of Public Health (November 2005)

Group exercise classes given at local community centers can help older adults improve their balance, which could translate into fewer falls and injuries. The new study found that group classes given in community centers, along with home exercises, did help older adults improve their balance and stability. The study included 177 older adults who underwent balance tests at the outset and again three months later. In the interim, about half of the men and women attended exercises classes at one of 10 community centers for older adults. The classes focused on balance training, which included strength conditioning for the legs and exercises based on the Chinese martial art Tai Chi. Participants also were given exercises they could do at home. After three months, men and women who took the classes showed small gains in balance and mobility, compared with peers who did not take the classes.

  
         
     

Live Long, Live Well

American Society on Aging (November 25, 2005)

The American Society on Aging (ASA) created strategies and materials to enhance the capacity of national, state, and local organizations in serving the health promotion and disease prevention needs of older adults. Funded through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these strategies and materials are designed to increase understanding of the changing health and social service needs of an aging and more diverse population. The Live Long, Live Well program for professionals has six, stand-alone modules and is available free at http://www.asaging.org/cdc.

  
         

   Long-Term Care

         
 
  Get Ready for PREPARE                 

Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging (November 1, 2005)

Mather LifeWays received a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to prepare long-term care health providers with the core competencies to address the medical and psychological consequences of bioterrorism and other public health emergency preparedness and response concerns.  Mather LifeWays will partner with numerous organizations, including the Institute for the Future of Aging Services; the Bioterrorism Educational Program in Aging Collaboratory; Midwestern University’s Geriatric Education Center; Rush University College of Nursing; the National League for Nursing; and several national and state associations. For more information about PREPARE, visit http://www.matherlifeways.com/re_prepare.asp or contact Dr. Linda Hollinger-Smith at lhollingersmith@matherlifeways.com.

 
     

Older Workers Want to Work In Direct Care

American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging

(November 7, 2005)

This survey revealed that older workers are interested in direct care positions in long-term care and employers are interested in recruiting them. A total of 43 percent of lower-income job seekers aged 55 and older reported an interest in direct care work, and 60 percent wanted to work at least 30 hours a week. Researchers conducted telephone interviews with 615 nursing home representatives, 410 home health agencies, and 696 lower-income jobseekers for the study. The majority of nursing homes and home health agencies said that older workers are more loyal and independent, better problem-solvers, and they more easily gain the trust of residents/clients than younger workers do. To see an executive summary of Older Workers in Direct Care: A Labor Force Expansion Study, go to http://www.aahsa.org/newsroom/.

  
         
     

Training Online and In Groups

Alzheimer’s Association (November 20, 2005)

Foundations of Dementia Care is a comprehensive training program developed by the Alzheimer’s Association to help staff of assisted living residences and nursing homes improve the quality of care for residents with dementia. The innovative training takes the latest and best evidence and research and applies it to help staff make better connections with residents and their families.  In addition to group training conducted by local chapters of the Association, Web-based training for supervisors and direct care staff is available at http://www.alz.org/health/qcc/overview.asp.

 
         
     

Quality of Life In Assisted Living and Nursing Homes

The Gerontologist (November 2005)

The Alzheimer’s Association sponsored this special issue of The Gerontologist, which features 16 articles exploring quality-of-life issues for persons with dementia in assisted living and nursing homes. The articles highlight several areas of improvement the Association is working to address, with the help of 24 major long-term care groups, chapters, and other stakeholders through its Campaign for Quality Residential Care. The entire journal or individual articles can be viewed or downloaded at http://www.alz.org/health/qcc/gerontologist.asp.

 

   Family Caregiving

 
 

13 Million Baby Boomers Are Parents’ Caregivers

Senior Journal (October 19, 2005)

Thirteen million Baby Boomers care for sick parents and are deeply involved in every facet of their parents’ care, according to a survey from Campbell-Ewald Health. The survey of 815 caregivers, aged 40 to 60, and their parents, aged 60 to 90, examined how both groups interacted when the parents were ill. An equal number of children and parents surveyed agreed that Boomers assist older adults at least once a week. Discrepancies occurred when both groups were asked to recall specific details of that care. In terms of initiating discussions with physicians, obtaining help with physician and pharmacy visits, and reminders to take medication, adult children consistently see their involvement as greater than older adults do. Nearly 25 percent of the Boomers lived together with their parents. For more results, visit http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Boomers/5-10-19BoomersCare4Parents.htm.

 
       
     
Financial Steps for Caregivers

The Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (November 10, 2005)

The Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement, in partnership with the Administration on Aging and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, published a report to enhance caregivers’ financial security and to help them make sound financial decisions. The publication discusses budgeting, medical care costs, reverse mortgages, and dilemmas caregivers may face while active in the workforce. For more information, visit http://www.aoa.gov/prof/aoaprog/caregiver/WISER.pdf.

 
       
     

Scale to Measure Values and Preferences

The Margaret Blenkner Research Institute (November 13, 2005)

In collaboration with the National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance, the Margaret Blenkner Research Institute at Benjamin Rose developed a 24-item Values and Preferences Scale as a tool for researchers and practitioners to use to facilitate the discussion and understanding of care preferences within caregiving families. Using the scale, older adults and their family caregivers can rate the importance of factors to consider when making decisions about daily care, such as keeping the same doctor or keeping in touch with distant family and friends. For a free copy of the scale, go to http://www.benrose.org/.

 

   Other Items of Interest

   
 
  Much Uncertainty About Medicare Drug Plan

Kaiser Family Foundation (November 10, 2005)

Many Medicare beneficiaries remain uncertain about how the new Medicare Part D drug benefit will affect them, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. The results highlighted the importance of ongoing education efforts to successfully implement the program next year. When asked how well they understand the drug benefit, 61 percent said “not too well” or “not at all,” while 35 percent said “very” or “somewhat” well. When asked whether the Medicare drug benefit would help them personally, more people said it would not than said it would. Overall, 43 percent reported that they do not yet know if they will enroll in a Medicare drug plan; 37 percent said they do not plan to enroll; and 20 percent said they plan to enroll. See the report at http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/med111005pkg.cfm.

 
   
      Sleep Survey   

The International Longevity Center-USA (November 2005)

A Gallup survey examining sleeping issues found that almost half of older adults receive fewer than seven hours of sleep each night, and a quarter believe they have a sleep problem. Although 80 percent of older adults recognize the importance of sleep, 53 percent of those who have spoken with their health care providers about a sleep problem are not receiving treatment. The survey also found that worrying is a common factor that interferes with nearly 40 percent of older adults’ ability to fall asleep – a trend that is especially common among primary caregivers, 50 percent of whom report that worrying has interfered with sleeping. For more results, visit http://www.ilcusa.org/media/default.htm.

      Osteoporosis Screening, Therapy Is Cost Effective   

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (October 2005)

Screening all postmenopausal women for osteoporosis and treating women who have this condition is highly cost effective. Researchers investigated the lifetime health benefits and costs, from a societal perspective, of screening all women 65 years of age or older for osteoporosis, followed by treatment with the drug Fosamax for those with hip density scores indicating bone thinning. Not only did this strategy cost less than $50,000 per quality-adjusted life-year gained at all ages, but the cost effectiveness improved with increased age. Additional analyses indicated that there is nearly a 50 percent chance that the screen-and-treat strategy would be cost-saving for 85-year-old women, whereas the probability of cost-saving exceeds 75 percent for 95-year-old women.

Call for Conference Submissions   

Society for the Arts in Dementia Care (November 1, 2005)

The Society for the Arts in Dementia Care will host the Second International Conference on Creative Expression, Communication and Dementia at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, on May 5 and 6, 2006, with a pre-conference on May 4. The deadline for submissions is January 3. For more details, visit http://www.cecd-society.org.

Joint Conference   

National Council of the Aging and the American Society on Aging

(November 1, 2005)

The 2006 NCOA/ASA Joint Conference, which takes place March 16-19, 2006, in Anaheim, California, is titled, Invest in Aging: Strengthening Families, Communities and Ourselves. Conference sessions will cover such topics as family and caregiving issues, long-term care, aging in place, civic engagement, and workforce issues. Four pre-conference sessions will take place on March 15. For more information or to register, visit http://www.agingconference.org.