NEW YORK (Reuters) – A survey of complaints against more than 16,000 U.S. nursing homes found that care often deteriorates after being acquired by large private investment firms, The New York Times reported in its September 23 edition. The Times compared the number of complaints received against 1,200 nursing homes acquired by these for-profit firms against those of 14,000 other nursing homes. It found that, on average, residents of private equity-owned homes received worse care than before the takeover, according [...]

Thu Sep 20, 2007 6:26am EDT TOKYO (Reuters) – Ifbot, the resident robot at a Japanese nursing home, can converse, sing, express emotions and give trivia quizzes to seniors to help with their mental agility. Yet the pale-green gizmo has spent much of the past two years languishing in a corner alone. “The residents liked ifbot for about a month before they lost interest,” said Yasuko Sawada, director of the facility in Kyoto, western Japan, shaking her head as she [...]

The Baltimore County Consortium for Professional Education in the Field of Aging presents its annual Advocacy Conference on December 6, 2007, from 8:00 – 4:00 at the Sheppard Pratt Conference Center, 6501 North Charles Street, Towson, MD. This year’s theme is “Long Term Care for Today and Tomorrow: Creating a Place to Call Home.” The conference offers workshops on Alternatives to Long-Term Care, Level of Care Issues, The Changing Face of Long Term Care: Serving Younger Residents, Workforce Challenges in [...]

by Eric Baron, MD http://www.retirement-living.com/article.asp?aid=249 For every individual in a nursing home, there are three more people equally fragile and infirm living at home, according to the American Academy of Home Care Physicians (AAHCP). Physicians and medical groups specializing in house calls have become increasingly available to such patients. This growth in Medicare benefits was a result of four years of volunteer effort led by the AAHCP, which, since 1988, has served the needs of thousands of physicians and related [...]

http://www.retirement-living.com/article.asp?aid=250 Forget the annual sales or that pair of shoes you noticed in the window. There are individuals making frequent trips to the mall for a purpose that does not involve lugging around recent purchases or dodging the weekend crowds. These individuals are part of a mall walking program, a trend that is expanding as more people recognize its potential health and social benefits. Spotlight on Ballston Commonwalk: Twenty years ago, Virginia Hospital Center and Ballston Common Mall joined to [...]

http://www.retirement-living.com/article.asp?aid=248 Nearly 90 percent of Baby Boomers say they want to stay in their homes and close to family and friends as long as possible, according to a recent survey by AARP. The challenge these individuals face, however, is that if they do nothing to prepare for future needs, they may not be able to continue living in their homes as long as they’d like. Many are responding by joining their neighbors to take control over where and how they’ll [...]

If you are a subscriber you will receive your copies before the end of the week. If you need more copies, call 1-800-394-9990 ext. 1126 or click here. COVER STORY A Mother’s Love by Lauren Searson There is something truly wonderful about the relationship Carmella Cultraro shares with her daughter, Dr. Conny Cultraro. It goes beyond their similar way of speaking and how easily they feed off of each other’s witty comments. When taking a more in-depth look at these [...]

By Michelle Rizzo Fri Sep 14, 6:17 PM ET NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Although hip and knee replacements are rarely performed in centenarians, such very elderly patients should not be denied the option of this surgery, according to a new report. if(window.yzq_d==null)window.yzq_d=new Object(); window.yzq_d['_skDM0LEYrM-']=’&U=13bhnv79g%2fN%3d_skDM0LEYrM-%2fC%3d593673.10656113.11947682.6052652%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d4890602′; Dr. Eswar Krishnan, of the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and colleagues examined statistics on joint replacement procedures among centenarians and nonagenarians, using data from the Health-care Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample for the [...]

Area Officials Plan for a Generation That Won’t Call Itself Old And Opts to Stay Put Far From Transit and Health Services By Annie Gowen Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, September 16, 2007; Page A01 The first of two articles Marshall Mundy was retired from his teaching job barely a week when he got bored with “the judge shows” on TV, found a part-time job and started lifting weights at the new community center near Glenwood. The 59-year-old was there [...]