From emily at tcaging.org Mon Apr 6 06:47:40 2009 From: emily at tcaging.org (Emily Farah-Miller) Date: Mon, 6 Apr 2009 06:47:40 -0500 Subject: [Fallsprevention] MN Falls Prevention Listserv - April 6 Message-ID: <80B2A7179839464CB92F45D5F4BC8FB02ABDFAF955@exch.tcaging.org> Vitamin D Pills May Prevent Fractures in Older Adults Vitamin D supplements may help prevent fractures in people over 65, provided they take enough of the right kind. A new review of clinical trials appears to show a strong dose-dependent effect for vitamin D in lowering the risk for nonvertebral fractures in the elderly. The lead author of the analysis, Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, a professor of medicine at the University of Zurich, said that "vitamin D in a high enough dose is not only beneficial in the frail older population, but it also works in those still living at home and able to take care of themselves." The researchers, writing in the March 23 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine, reviewed 12 randomized trials that together included more than 65,000 subjects. Doses under 400 international units a day had no discernible effect, but for doses larger than that, the pooled data showed a 20 percent reduction in the risk for all nonvertebral fractures, and an 18 percent reduction for broken hips. The type of vitamin D made a difference. The effect of vitamin D3 was significant, with a 23 percent risk reduction, but there was no significant reduction with vitamin D2. The authors suggest that D3 is more effective in maintaining blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the active form that the supplement takes in the body. For more information, please visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/health/research/31aging.html ------------------------ Transforming Care at the Bedside How-to Guide: Reducing Patient Injuries from Falls This guide can help staff learn to identify the patients at the highest risk for sustaining a serious injury from a fall and implement interventions to prevent or mitigate these injuries. Both physical injury (such as hip fracture) and emotional harm (such as subsequent fear of falling) can occur as a result of a fall. While acknowledging the emotional harm that may result from repeated falls or from falls with no apparent injury, this guide focuses on approaches to reduce physical injury associated with patient falls that occur on inpatient units. For more information, please visit: http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Topics/MedicalSurgicalCare/MedicalSurgicalCareGeneral/Tools/TCABHowToGuideReducingPatientInjuriesfromFalls.htm ------------------------ FALLS and FALLING - Problems and Solutions for the Individual with Alzheimer's Disease Many caregivers report falls as a frequent concern. Whether the concern stems from need for extra help in the home, education to reduce risk of falls, or recovering both physically and psychologically after a fall the need to prevent harm to self and loved one is clear in all of our minds. Read three perspectives at: http://www.alzpossible.org/newsletter/june07.html ------------------------ May is Older Americans Month Each year the Administration on Aging (AoA) issues a theme for Older Americans. This year's theme is "Living Today for a Better Tomorrow." The theme reflects AoA's continued focus on prevention efforts and programs throughout the country that are helping older adults have better health as they age and avoid the risks of chronic disease, disability and injury. For more information, please visit: http://www.aoa.gov/AoAroot/Press_Room/Observances/oam/oam.aspx ------------------------ 2009 MN Gerontological Society Conference Register now to join the MN Gerontological Society and practitioners, academics, and students from throughout Minnesota to welcome keynote Dr. Susan Hughes, Co-Director, Center for Research on Health and Aging, Institute for Health Research & Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago who will explore the roles of research and evidence based practice. Speakers from organizations such as the Minnesota Board on Aging, University of Minnesota, Evercare, and Wilder Foundation will highlight a wide variety of successful programs and research in aging through a series of professional tracks. The MGS conference is Friday, April 24 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center, MN. For more information, please visit: http://www.mngero.org/conference/index.html ------------------------ The Minnesota Falls Prevention Listserv is a vehicle for sharing information related to the Minnesota Falls Prevention Initiative, led by the MN Board on Aging in partnership with the MN Department of Human Services, MN Department of Health and numerous public and private organizations. The Minnesota Falls Prevention Listserv is comprised of 320+ individuals throughout Minnesota, please use this resource to share information and access the expertise of those professionals subscribed to the listserv. To post to the listserv, send your message to: fallsprevention at mailman.stpaul.visi.com To subscribe (or unsubscribe) to the listserv, please visit: http://mailman.stpaul.visi.com/mailman/listinfo/fallsprevention Keep Minnesotans Right Side Up! Learn the easy ways we can reduce falls for Minnesotans, please visit the Minnesota Falls Prevention website at: http://www.mnfallsprevention.org/ Emily Farah-Miller Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging 2365 N McKnight Rd North Saint Paul, MN 55109 Phone: 651-245-2927 Fax: 651-641-8618 emily at tcaging.org www.tcaging.org www.mnfallsprevention.org Caution: This e-mail and attached documents, if any, may contain information that is protected by state or federal law. E-mail containing private or protected information should not be sent over a public (nonsecure) Internet unless it is encrypted pursuant to Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging, Inc. standards. This e-mail should be forwarded only on a strictly need-to-know basis. If you are not the intended recipient, please: (1) notify the sender immediately, (2) do not forward the message, (3) do not print the message and (4) erase the message from your system. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.stpaul.visi.com/pipermail/fallsprevention/attachments/20090406/f31b7dca/attachment-0001.htm From emily at tcaging.org Mon Apr 13 07:39:41 2009 From: emily at tcaging.org (Emily Farah-Miller) Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:39:41 -0500 Subject: [Fallsprevention] MN Falls Prevention Listserv - April 13 Message-ID: <80B2A7179839464CB92F45D5F4BC8FB02ABDFAF9BB@exch.tcaging.org> Home Modifications: Use, Cost, and Interactions with Functioning Among Near-Elderly and Older Adults This report analyzes new data from an experimental module to the 2006 Health and Retirement Study on assistive home features for near-elderly and older adults. In 2006, two-thirds of the population born in 1953 or earlier (ages 52 and older) had one or more assistive home features, about one-third added at least one of these features, and 40% used at least one feature in the last 30 days. The most common assistive home features included railings at the home entrance (36.2%), followed by grab bars in shower/tub (30.3%) and a seat for the shower/tub (27.3%). Among those who added features, roughly 9% reported no out-of-pocket payments, one-third less than $100, another third from $100 up to $500, 10% from $500 up to $1000 and the remaining 10% over $1000. Only 6% of respondents who added features could not reported an amount in broad brackets. A very low percentage--about 6%--reported that insurance or government programs paid some of the cost. In logistic regression models that included demographic, economic, health, and housing-related factors, significant predictors (direction of association by outcome shown parenthetically) included: age (+existence, +addition, +use), having another adult in the household (-use), home ownership (+addition), Medicare disability insurance (DI) (+existence, +addition, +use), and long-term care insurance (+existence). Few health-related factors predicted the existence or addition of assistive home features; however, respondents with high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and lower body limitations were more likely to use such features. One in four near-elderly and older adults is at risk for a home modification, that is, has a mobility limitation and an unmodified barrier at the entry to their home, inside their home, or in the bathroom (either shower/bath area or toilet area). Adults receiving Medicare through the DI program have elevated chances of being at risk for a home modification. Findings offer policy makers several new insights into the role of assistive home features in the daily lives of near-elderly and older adults. For more information, please visit: http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/reports/2008/homemod.htm ------------------------ Home-Based Program Extends Seniors' Lives A home-based program for seniors that includes occupational and physical therapy, as well as some minor home modifications, can help people live longer, new research found. In fact, people who received this intervention gained an average 3.5 years of lifespan compared to those who didn't, according to researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. For more information, please visit: http://health.yahoo.com/news/healthday/homebasedprogramextendsseniorslives.html More information at: http://www.jefferson.edu/jchp/carah/ ------------------------ Encore Opportunity Awards Civic Ventures and the MetLife Foundation have teamed up to offer the Encore Opportunity Awards. They will honor nonprofit and public sector organizations that hire individuals over age 50 in encore careers that combine continued income with work that has personal meaning and social impact. Winners will receive $2,500 and Civic Ventures will promote their promising practices widely. Nominations may be submitted through June 1. Letters of intent are requested by May 1. For more information, please visit: http://www.civicventures.org/encoreopportunity/ ------------------------ The Minnesota Falls Prevention Listserv is a vehicle for sharing information related to the Minnesota Falls Prevention Initiative, led by the MN Board on Aging in partnership with the MN Department of Human Services, MN Department of Health and numerous public and private organizations. The Minnesota Falls Prevention Listserv is comprised of 320+ individuals throughout Minnesota, please use this resource to share information and access the expertise of those professionals subscribed to the listserv. To post to the listserv, send your message to: fallsprevention at mailman.stpaul.visi.com To subscribe (or unsubscribe) to the listserv, please visit: http://mailman.stpaul.visi.com/mailman/listinfo/fallsprevention Keep Minnesotans Right Side Up! Learn the easy ways we can reduce falls for Minnesotans, please visit the Minnesota Falls Prevention website at: http://www.mnfallsprevention.org/ Emily Farah-Miller Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging 2365 N McKnight Rd North Saint Paul, MN 55109 Phone: 651-245-2927 Fax: 651-641-8618 emily at tcaging.org www.tcaging.org www.mnfallsprevention.org Caution: This e-mail and attached documents, if any, may contain information that is protected by state or federal law. E-mail containing private or protected information should not be sent over a public (nonsecure) Internet unless it is encrypted pursuant to Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging, Inc. standards. This e-mail should be forwarded only on a strictly need-to-know basis. If you are not the intended recipient, please: (1) notify the sender immediately, (2) do not forward the message, (3) do not print the message and (4) erase the message from your system. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.stpaul.visi.com/pipermail/fallsprevention/attachments/20090413/516cd261/attachment.htm From emily at tcaging.org Mon Apr 20 07:13:28 2009 From: emily at tcaging.org (Emily Farah-Miller) Date: Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:13:28 -0500 Subject: [Fallsprevention] MN Falls Prevention Listserv - April 20 Message-ID: <80B2A7179839464CB92F45D5F4BC8FB02ACA6971F3@exch.tcaging.org> Health worries may keep aging adults on the couch Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, March 2009 Older adults who worry about their health often opt out of physical activity -- and as a result, they may have greater trouble walking and getting around as they age, new research suggests. "Our research shows that a key component to avoid walking difficulty in older adults is to resolve health worry issues earlier in life," Bradley Cardinal, of the department of nutrition and exercise science at Oregon State University in Corvallis, who was involved in the study, noted in a university-issued statement. Some studies have suggested that "health worry" may motivate people to exercise regularly and engage in other healthy behaviors. The current study, however, suggests that's not always the case. Among a representative sample of 7,527 adults aged 70 and older participating in the Longitudinal Study of Aging, people with a high degree of health worry engaged in less physical activity than those who worried less about their health. Furthermore, people who participated in less physical activity were more likely than their more active counterparts to report having trouble walking 6 years later. "Because physical function decreases with age and safety concerns arise, older adults may not choose physical activity as a response to health worry," the researchers suggest in the current issue of Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, where their research is published. They also note that health professionals, the media, fitness instructors and family and friends may use warnings of illness or premature death to try to motivate aging couch potatoes to exercise or at least become more physically active. However, the current study suggests that this may be counterproductive; aging adults may become so fearful of their health that they will avoid physical activity. "Using threats and fear-tactics to encourage physical activity in older adults will not work," Cardinal said. A more productive approach in dealing with health concerns in the aging population, suggest Cardinal and colleagues, is to provide health-related information and screening tools prior to beginning a physical activity routine to help cope with health worries. This might ease health concerns and promote participation in physical activity. "I think the simple message from this study is that people should be encouraged to walk," Cardinal noted in comments to Reuters Health. "To encourage walking, people should avoid fear-raising tactics. Rather, the emphasis should be on walking for fun, for health, for transportation." "Fear-inducing strategies often cause older adults to worry about things like falling and that diminishes their desire to walk, which in turn diminishes their ability to walk. It is a vicious cycle," Cardinal warned. ------------------------ AARP Releases Chronic Care: A Call to Action on Health Reform A new AARP Public Policy Institute report, the ninth volume of its Beyond 50 series, paints a portrait of chronic illness from the perspective of chronically ill patients and their caregivers. More than 70 million Americans age 50 and older have at least one chronic condition. The study's focus groups and surveys revealed consumer and caregiver concerns about quality problems with the health care system and coordinating care. Two problems that caregivers noted were poor communication among clinicians and unnecessary tests. About two in five caregivers provide care to more than one person simultaneously. The authors offer recommendations for improving care, aimed at providers, family caregivers and patients, including "supporting family caregivers and engaging caregivers as partners with professionals." For more information, visit: http://www.aarp.org/research/health/carequality/beyond_50_hcr.html ------------------------ May is Older Americans Month Each year, the U.S. Census Bureau pulls together facts and figures related to older adults. Here are a few data sources and statistics for the U.S and the world related to older adults. 88.5 million: Projected population of people 65 and older in 2050. People in this age group would comprise 20 percent of the total population at that time. Source: Population projections http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012496.html 518 million. Projected 2009 midyear world population 65 and older. Projections indicate the number will increase to 1.6 billion by 2050. Source: Population projections http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb $28,305: Median 2007 income of households with householders 65 and older, statistically unchanged, in real terms, from the previous year. Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007 http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/012528.html 9 million: Estimated number of people 65 and older who were military veterans in 2007. Source: 2007 American Community Survey http://factfinder.census.gov/ 15%: Percentage of people 65 and older in the labor force in 2007. Source: 2007 American Community Survey http://factfinder.census.gov/ 5.5 million: The number of people 85 and older in the United States on July 1, 2007. Source: Population estimates http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/011910.html 96,548: Estimated number of centenarians in the United States on Nov. 1, 2008. Source: Population estimates http://www.census.gov/popest/national/asrh/2007-nat-res.html 601,000: Projected number of centenarians in the United States in 2050. Source: Population projections http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012496.html 4 million: Number of people 65 and older living in California on July 1, 2007, the highest total of any state. Florida, with 3.1 million, was the runner-up. Source: Population estimates http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/011910.html 17%: Percentage of Florida's population 65 and older in 2007, which led the nation. States with the next-highest percentages of older people included West Virginia (15.5 percent) and Pennsylvania (15.2 percent). Source: Population estimates http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/011910.html For more information, please see: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/013384.html ------------------------ The Minnesota Falls Prevention Listserv is a vehicle for sharing information related to the Minnesota Falls Prevention Initiative, led by the MN Board on Aging in partnership with the MN Department of Human Services, MN Department of Health and numerous public and private organizations. The Minnesota Falls Prevention Listserv is comprised of 320+ individuals throughout Minnesota, please use this resource to share information and access the expertise of those professionals subscribed to the listserv. To post to the listserv, send your message to: fallsprevention at mailman.stpaul.visi.com To subscribe (or unsubscribe) to the listserv, please visit: http://mailman.stpaul.visi.com/mailman/listinfo/fallsprevention Keep Minnesotans Right Side Up! Learn the easy ways we can reduce falls for Minnesotans, please visit the Minnesota Falls Prevention website at: http://www.mnfallsprevention.org/ Emily Farah-Miller Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging 2365 N McKnight Rd North Saint Paul, MN 55109 Phone: 651-245-2927 Fax: 651-641-8618 emily at tcaging.org www.tcaging.org www.mnfallsprevention.org Caution: This e-mail and attached documents, if any, may contain information that is protected by state or federal law. E-mail containing private or protected information should not be sent over a public (nonsecure) Internet unless it is encrypted pursuant to Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging, Inc. standards. This e-mail should be forwarded only on a strictly need-to-know basis. If you are not the intended recipient, please: (1) notify the sender immediately, (2) do not forward the message, (3) do not print the message and (4) erase the message from your system. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.stpaul.visi.com/pipermail/fallsprevention/attachments/20090420/a424aab6/attachment-0001.htm From emily at tcaging.org Mon Apr 27 07:26:50 2009 From: emily at tcaging.org (Emily Farah-Miller) Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:26:50 -0500 Subject: [Fallsprevention] MN Falls Prevention Listserv - April 27 Message-ID: <80B2A7179839464CB92F45D5F4BC8FB02ACA697296@exch.tcaging.org> Introduction to Health Promotion Programs for Older Adults Series Welcome to the Center for Healthy Aging's interactive basic training modules on evidence-based health promotion for older adults. These modules are designed primarily for aging services providers - but - if you work in a public health or human services agency, or you're a volunteer in a health promotion program, or a student in gerontology or a health discipline, these modules can be useful training for you. For more information, please visit: http://www.healthyagingprograms.org/content.asp?sectionid=135 ------------------------ Medica Foundation The Medica Foundation sets funding priorities on an annual basis. Each priority has potential opportunity for focus in the broader community, the delivery system and the worksite setting. Medica will fund initiatives that address one or more of these focus areas and support Medica's mission and giving guidelines. Funding opportunities are offered in two giving cycles, generally the spring and summer. Cycle 2: Prevention & Health Care Literacy Reducing Racial, Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Health Care Addressing the Health Care needs of Greater Minnesota Communities Letters of Inquiry will be accepted from May 1 - May 22, 2009 For more information, please visit: http://www.medica.com/C5/C6/MFoundationFundingPriorities/default.aspx ------------------------ Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation The next deadline for Program and Organizational Effectiveness grant proposals is July 15, 2009. All proposals should be submitted online using the online proposal submission process. For more information, please visit: http://www.phillipsfnd.org/index.asp?page_seq=17 http://www.phillipsfnd.org/ ------------------------ Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging 2009 Award Program The principal goal of the Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Award program is to raise awareness across the nation about healthy synergies that can be achieved by communities combining Smart Growth and Active Aging concepts. Awards will be presented to communities that demonstrate the best and most inclusive overall approach to implementing smart growth and active aging at the neighborhood, tribe, municipality, county, and/or regional levels. Two types of awards will be made-the Commitment Award and the Achievement Award. The Commitment Award recognizes communities that have developed and begun to initiate a specific plan to implement smart growth and active aging principles. The Achievement Award will be given for overall excellence in building healthy communities for active aging. Applicants must be public-sector entities in the United States and coordinate with their local Area Agency on Aging. Public-sector entities include all levels of elected governments, from city councils to state legislatures and their subdivisions such as planning departments and other executive branch divisions. Applications are due July 17, 2009. For more information, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/aging/bhc/index.htm ------------------------ Evidence-Based Program Grants The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving and Johnson & Johnson will provide two year funding to four evidence-based programs in five communities. Sites will be chosen after applicants complete a series of technical assistance trainings aimed at increasing agency and community capacity to successfully deliver the program with fidelity. Selected projects will be funded for a total of $100,000 per site. For more information, please visit the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving Web site. Applications are due April 30. For more information, please visit: http://www.rosalynncarter.org/UserFiles/File/2009%20Grant%20Opportunity.pdf ------------------------ 2010 Best Practices in Health Promotion/Wellness and Aging Application The Health Promotion Institute's Best Practice Award recognizes a program, initiative, or service that enhances the health and wellness of older adults. Award-winning entries are evaluated based upon need assessment, innovation, collaborative partnerships, implementation procedures, and outcome evaluation. The winning entries will be recognized at the 2010 annual conference of National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging in Chicago, IL. Application deadline is Friday, July 17th, 2009. For more information, please visit: http://ncoa.org/content.cfm?sectionID=37&detail=2802 ------------------------ The Minnesota Falls Prevention Listserv is a vehicle for sharing information related to the Minnesota Falls Prevention Initiative, led by the MN Board on Aging in partnership with the MN Department of Human Services, MN Department of Health and numerous public and private organizations. The Minnesota Falls Prevention Listserv is comprised of 330+ individuals throughout Minnesota, please use this resource to share information and access the expertise of those professionals subscribed to the listserv. To post to the listserv, send your message to: fallsprevention at mailman.stpaul.visi.com To subscribe (or unsubscribe) to the listserv, please visit: http://mailman.stpaul.visi.com/mailman/listinfo/fallsprevention Keep Minnesotans Right Side Up! Learn the easy ways we can reduce falls for Minnesotans, please visit the Minnesota Falls Prevention website at: http://www.mnfallsprevention.org/ ------------------------ Emily Farah-Miller Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging 2365 N McKnight Rd North Saint Paul, MN 55109 Phone: 651-245-2927 Fax: 651-641-8618 emily at tcaging.org www.tcaging.org www.mnfallsprevention.org Caution: This e-mail and attached documents, if any, may contain information that is protected by state or federal law. E-mail containing private or protected information should not be sent over a public (nonsecure) Internet unless it is encrypted pursuant to Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging, Inc. standards. This e-mail should be forwarded only on a strictly need-to-know basis. If you are not the intended recipient, please: (1) notify the sender immediately, (2) do not forward the message, (3) do not print the message and (4) erase the message from your system. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.stpaul.visi.com/pipermail/fallsprevention/attachments/20090427/3a93f1d5/attachment.htm