ProAging Information Network

The study “Symptom Recognition in Elders with Heart Failure” divided 29 people who had been diagnosed with chronic heart failure for at least six months into two groups: those who were younger than 73 year, and those who were 73 and older. Researchers measured each group’s ability to detect and interpret their heart failure symptoms.

Using a six-minute walk test, researchers measured the ability of heart failure patients to detect shortness of breath. Findings confirmed that older patients had more difficulty in detecting and interpreting shortness of breath than younger patients.

The recommended next step: Family members, nurses and physicians must explore older patients’ statements about how they feel. “I feel fine” or “I’m a little tired” can’t be enough for older patients with heart failure.

Full study: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123308284/abstract

 The AARP Housing and Mobility Options Team will present a free webinar on home design, “Creating a Comfortable, Safe, and Attractive Home for Lifelong Living,” on Aug. 31, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EST. The webinar will cover:

• Universal design and how it benefits everyone.


• Little to no-cost home updates that make it easier to go about daily activities.


• Certified Aging-in-Place Specialists (CAPS), how they can help with home updates, and how to find one.


• Home features and products that can increase access and functionality.


• Presenters include Bill Slease (CAPS), an award-winning second generation builder and remodeler, and Jennifer Thompson (Allied Member, ASID), an interior designer who focuses on creating living environments that are safe, functional, and beautiful for residents of all ages.

For more information and to register, go to www.aarp.org/homewebinars. Registration is required to participate.

We are pleased to announce the sponsorship levels for the 2010 DC Senior Resource Group Big Event which will be held on Monday, November 1, 2010, at the Georgetown University Conference Center.  We invite you to review the three sponsorship levels detailed below and we welcome your inquiries.  Please contact Rita Fagan at 703-963-6468 or rfagan@mtb.com for information.

Friendship Terrace Retirement Community has secured financing to undertake a $5.2 million capital improvement and renovation project.  The project is a result of HUD insured refinancing of the 40-year-old Tenleytown, NW property initially financed by HUD in the mid-1960s. Berkadia Commercial Mortgage, LLC, is the new lender.

The renovation which will take place over the next 12-15 months will improve energy efficiency, add safety features, and modernize the public spaces and lounges.  Improvements include installing new heating, cooling, and hot water systems; replacing windows; creating handicapped accessible units; installing a sprinkler system throughout the building; and replacing emergency call systems, furniture, carpeting, wall coverings and window treatments. Construction will be done by Hamel Builders, Elkridge, MD, design by EDG Architects of Bethesda, MD, and project management by McNichols and Associates, Roanoke, VA.  The legal services of Klein Hornig were instrumental in completing the transaction.

Friendship Terrace offers 180 units of affordable, independent living in upper Northwest Washington for older adults, and this refinancing will preserve this project for another 40 plus years.  Friendship Terrace is a community of Seabury Resources for Aging, an 86-year old non-profit which provides personalized, affordable services and housing options to help older adults in the greater Washington, DC area live with independence and dignity. Seabury provides 355 units of affordable senior living in the metro Washington area and serves more than 3,000 elderly clients and families through its community services.

“We are pleased to get started on this project which will greatly enhance resident safety and comfort and will assure the long term viability of this important affordable housing resource in Ward 3,” says Seabury Board President Joe Howell. “It has also been a long time coming. A special thanks goes out to the Baltimore HUD office which helped us identify a strategy for refinancing and supported us during some trying times.”

Guide to Retirement Living SourceBook consultant, Mirca E. Liberti passed away after a brief illness Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010, at Aria Health Bucks County. She was 83.

Born and raised in New York City, Mirca was a graduate of Queens College and obtained her M.A. from New York University.

She was a resident of Levittown for 48 years, where she served as an educator within Neshaminy School District.

Her life was dedicated to community service advocacy for those with special needs, especially the mentally and physically handicapped and the elderly. In recognition of her work in eldercare, she received the 2002 Rosalyn Carter Caregiving Award from the Rosalyn Carter Institute for Human Development. She was the co-founder of Children of Aging Parents, an eldercare advocacy group that received nationwide recognition for its pioneering work in this field.

Mirca was recognized on numerous occasions by the Bucks County Commissioners and the Pennsylvania State Legislature for her dedicated service to the community.

She was a long-standing board member of the Archangel Academy for Children with special needs, formerly the Queen of the Universe Day Center.

Beloved wife of 60 years to Carlo Liberti, Mirca is survived by her loving and devoted children, Lawrence and his wife, Geraldine, and their children, Matthew, Gabriel and Nora, and Laura (Liberti) Klimitas and her husband, Paul. She also will be sadly missed by many cousins and other relatives throughout the United States and Italy.

Family and friends are invited to call from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday at Queen of the Universe Church, 2443 Trenton Road, Levittown, where her funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Burial will be private.

Donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to the Mirca Liberti Scholarship Fund, c/o BCCID, 1226 Veterans Highway, P.O. Box 820 F-14, Bristol, PA 19007.

Condolences to the family may be made at Web site listed below. James J. Dougherty Funeral Home, Levittown, PA

www.doughertyfuneralhome.com

From Bucks County Courier Times

 

 Increased antibiotic use by American seniors appears to be associated with improved Medicare drug coverage, a new study suggests.

Broad-spectrum, newer and more expensive antibiotics had the largest increases in use since the introduction of the Medicare Part D drug plan, said the University of Pittsburgh researchers.

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New York Times article features a report that a spinal fluid test can be 100 percent accurate in identifying patients with significant memory loss who are on their way to developing Alzheimer’s disease.

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The Philadephia Inquirer writes about a nursing center, that "caters to the language and lifestyle needs of Korean Americans"

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The Baltimore Sun asks readers how they would fix the social program that recently celebrated its 75th anniversary.

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An Iowa care facility run by one of the nation’s largest senior living companies could face criminal charges for falsely claiming to be a state-licensed assisted living center.

Emeritus at Silver Pines is a Cedar Rapids home licensed as a residential care facility that can provide personal assistance and supervision, but no nursing care.

Over the past 2½ years, however, the owners of the 72-bed facility have allegedly promoted the home as an assisted living center that is authorized, equipped and staffed to provide residents with a relatively high level of medical assistance and care.

According to the state, disabled Iowans - some near death and in need of constant supervision or skilled nursing care - signed contracts with the home that specifically described the facility as "licensed by the state of Iowa as an assisted-living facility." In some cases, residents were referred to Emeritus by physicians who mistakenly believed the home was licensed to provide skilled nursing care

 

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