May has been designated as Older Americans Month. 

This year’s theme is ”Never Too Old to Play,”  which highlights the importance of staying active, both mentally and physically. We have all seen the articles about the importance of exercise, and of socializing, to maintaining our mental health. (A recent article also said that housework and gardening might be as beneficial as golfing and playing bridge, but what fun is that?!)  

As with any exercise program, for any reason, what is most important is finding something your enjoy so that you will stick with it.  I have previously reported in this blog about my own experience as a competitive power lifter, a sport to which I was introduced through Senior Olympics. (Go to www.seniorgames.org to learn about that organization in Arizona, and for links to the Senior Olympics site for your state.)  Senior olympics invites people over 50 to engage in friendly competition in the sport they enjoy, as a way to maintain physical and mental health.  Once I got my feet wet through Senior Olympics, I learned that I can compete against my own age group in all sorts of competitions, which opened the door for me to compete, and make new friends, in competition events throughout the Mountain West.

What will you do to play this month?  I would love to hear your stories!

 

 

For many years, individuals seeking rehabilitative services, either in a care facility or at home, have struggled against the very common misconception that Medicare will only cover medical services and rehabilitation therapies if the patient is continuing to improve. 

New regulations from The Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), which became effective in January, 2011,  clarified that Medicare will cover such therapies that are necessary to maintain an individual’s condition.  In other words, if the therapy is necessary to prevent the patient’s condition from declining, they do not need to demonstrate that they are improving. 

As reported in the Spring issue of the NAELA (National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys) News, those of us who advocate for  seniors must continue to advise our clients, and their service providers, that Medicare cannot legitimately deny coverage for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and the like for lack of “restoration potential.”

Yesterday, I attended the funeral of one of my weight-lifting friends, who had suddenly died of heart failure while sitting at the breakfast table.  This gentleman, only a year older than I, was a PhD Physical Therapist, and the go-to person on our team for any strains or injuries we thought we had incurred during a training session.  He was also a loving husband and father who cared for his wife and their children during both of his wife’s bouts with cancer.

But like the cobbler’s children who have no shoes, my friend never bothered to get checked out himself – in fact, it had been more than six years since he visited the doctor.  My friend had put on some weight over the years, and he enjoyed an occasional cocktail – did he stay away from the doctor because he didn’t want to be scolded for these lifestyle choices?  Was he afraid to get a definitive answer about something he suspected?  Or, as a partner in a busy practice with multiple family obligations, was it just something that continually moved to the bottom of a long to-do list?  Unfortunately, we will never know.

What we do know is that the choice to stay away from the doctor not only affected my friend, but also his family, his business partners, his patients and all of us who care about him. 

As part of the Affordable Care Act, both Medicare and private health insurers are required to provide many preventative services, including an annual physical and screening mammograms and colonoscopies, at no cost to the patient.  The purpose of this law is to give you the opportunity to learn whether you have a potentially dangerous health condition when it can still be effectively treated.  It can also prevent a much deeper pain for those who can’t imagine going forward without you.

Despite recent advancements in coverage for preventative care, Medicare still does not not cover dental care that is primarily related to the health of your teeth. For example, Medicare will not cover routine checkups, cleanings or pay for fillings or dentures, even if Medicare has paid to have a teeth pulled (extracted) as preparation for a medical procedure. Read the rest of this entry »

A VA study indicates that the use of nasal insulin spray can improve memory, thinking skills and functional ability for people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Researchers in previous studies had found that low insulin levels in the brain might be a contributor to Alzheimer’s.  The nasal spray quickly delivered the insulin directly to the brain, with no apparent side effects.

104 adults participated in the study, with some receiving the insulin and others receiving a saline placebo.  The results were sufficiently encouraging to support broader trials to study the use of this therapy to either prevent Alzheimer’s or slow its progression.

The Study was conducted by a team at the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center at the VA Puget Sound Health care Center, and led by that National Institute on Aging, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  Results were reported in the Archives of Neurology, published on September 12, 2011.