From emily at tcaging.org Mon Nov 2 06:15:26 2009 From: emily at tcaging.org (Emily Farah-Miller) Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 06:15:26 -0600 Subject: [Fallsprevention] MNFP Listserv - Nov 2 Message-ID: <80B2A7179839464CB92F45D5F4BC8FB033C42545F2@exch.tcaging.org> Elder Care Costs Keep Climbing A survey from the health insurance industry shows the cost of all sorts of care--from nursing homes to assisted living communities--continues to climb. Care in some states costs more than others. The Mature Market Institute, the research arm of insurer MetLife, just released a survey that shows North Dakota's assisted living costs are the lowest in the nation -- about $2,000 a month, in 2009. The same care in Wilmington, Delaware, averages $5,219 a month. For more information, please visit: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2009/10/nursing_home_dollars_go_farthe.html To read Market Survey of Long-Term Care Costs, please visit: http://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/mmi/publications/studies/mmi-market-survey-nursing-home-assisted-living.pdf ------------------------ Chronic Health Conditions: Changing Prevalence in an Aging Population and Some Implications for the Delivery of Health Care Services Since the prevalence of many chronic health conditions increases with age we might anticipate that as the population ages the proportion with one or more such conditions would rise, as would the cost of treatment. We ask three questions: How much would the overall prevalence of chronic conditions increase in a quarter century if age-specific rates of prevalence did not change? How much would the requirements for health care resources increase in those circumstances? How much difference would it make to those requirements if people had fewer chronic conditions? We conclude that the overall prevalence rates for almost all conditions associated mostly with old age would rise by more than 25 percent and that health care requirements would grow more rapidly than the population - more than twice as rapidly in the case of hospital stays - if the rates for each age group remained constant. We conclude also that even modest reductions in the average number of conditions at each age could result in substantial savings. For more information, please visit: http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/sedap/p/sedap259.pdf ------------------------ Research shows Tai Chi exercise reduces knee osteoarthritis pain in the elderly For more information, please visit: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/w-rst102709.php ------------------------ Home Depot Building Healthy Communities Grant Program, Deadline: December 15 The Home Depot will make grants up to $2,500 in the form of Home Depot gift cards for the purchase or tools or materials that are going to be used to improve the physical health of their community. For more information, please visit: http://corporate.homedepot.com/wps/portal/Grants ------------------------ 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 350+ 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/20091102/85ce2ff8/attachment.htm From emily at tcaging.org Tue Nov 10 08:25:54 2009 From: emily at tcaging.org (Emily Farah-Miller) Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:25:54 -0600 Subject: [Fallsprevention] MNFP Listserv - Nov 10 Message-ID: <80B2A7179839464CB92F45D5F4BC8FB033C9AFA4E9@exch.tcaging.org> Watch the Walk and Prevent a Fall Falls are so harmful to the elderly and so costly to society that if falling were a disease, it would be deemed an epidemic. More than one-third of people ages 65 or older fall each year. About one fall in 10 results in a serious injury, like a hip fracture. Roughly 20 percent of older people who suffer a hip fracture die within a year. The estimated economic cost of falls ranges widely, up to $75 billion a year in the United States, if fall-related home care and assisted-living costs are added to medical expenses. For more information, please visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/business/08unboxed.html ------------------------ Practical Approaches to Smart Growth & Community Design Tuesday, November 17, 2009 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM EST The next Injury and Violence Prevention Webcast Series presentation focuses on the relationship between injury and chronic disease prevention, Smart Growth, and community design. During this webcast, participants will learn practical strategies they can use to better collaborate with transportation/land-use planners to implement Smart Growth and community design initiatives. For more information, please visit: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/688051170 ------------------------ Nation's hip fracture rate could drop 25 percent with aggressive osteoporosis prevention Aggressively managing patients at risk for osteoporosis could reduce the hip fracture rate in the United States by 25 percent, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the November issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The first step must be a more active role by orthopedic surgeons in osteoporosis disease management, researchers say. For more information, please visit: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/kp-nhf103009.php ------------------------ Aerobic Exercise No Big Stretch for Older Adults but Helps Elasticity of Arteries Just three months of physical activity reaps heart health benefits for older adults with type 2 diabetes by improving the elasticity in their arteries - reducing risk of heart disease and stroke. For more information, please visit: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/hasf-aen102109.php ------------------------ Research Shows Tai Chi Exercise Reduces Knee Osteoarthritis Pain in the Elderly Researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine have determined that patients over 65 years of age with knee osteoarthritis (OA) who engage in regular Tai Chi exercise improve physical function and experience less pain. Tai Chi (Chuan) is a traditional style of Chinese martial arts that features slow, rhythmic movements to induce mental relaxation and enhance balance, strength, flexibility, and self-efficacy. Full findings of the study are published in the November issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology. For more information, please visit: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/w-rst102709.php ------------------------ Tai Chi has major benefits for arthritic knees People suffering from creaky knees may want to give Tai Chi a try. In a study, researchers found that practicing the Chinese mind-body exercise led to improvements in pain, function and even mental health for people with osteoarthritis of the knee. Some of these benefits persisted for a full year after the study began -- months after people had stopped doing the exercises. For more information, please visit: http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/11/05/eline/links/20091105elin004.html ------------------------ Control Your Diabetes. For Life. This campaign contains new messages that communicate the seriousness of diabetes, the importance of managing the disease to prevent or delay complications, the idea that managing diabetes is not easy but it is worth it, and the importance of making a plan. The print public service announcement and poster series feature people from around the country living with diabetes who reflect a diversity of ethnicity and age. For more information, please visit: http://ndep.nih.gov/partners-community-organization/campaigns/CydflManagingDiabetes.aspx ------------------------ Prescription for Better Health Competition This award recognizes senior centers who are promoting innovative and promising practices in the health-programming arena. Each year, the programs and practices of the award winner and selected honorable mentions are highlighted and shared with senior centers across the country. For more information, please visit: http://www.ncoa.org/content.cfm?sectionID=387 https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=mwdQ_2bywyCYyaaAq50hz1jA_3d_3d ------------------------ FDA Launches New Website About Hearing Aids The FDA launched a new website containing basic information about hearing aids and hearing loss, the different types and styles of hearing aids, benefits and safety issues, hearing aids and cell phones, how to obtain hearing aids, other products and devices to improve hearing, a checklist of steps to remember and consider before purchasing one, and other resources. For more information, please visit: http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/HomeHealthandConsumer/ConsumerProducts/HearingAids/default.htm ------------------------ 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 370+ 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/20091110/4b472f51/attachment-0001.htm From emily at tcaging.org Mon Nov 16 07:16:29 2009 From: emily at tcaging.org (Emily Farah-Miller) Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:16:29 -0600 Subject: [Fallsprevention] MNFP Listserv - Nov. 16 Message-ID: <80B2A7179839464CB92F45D5F4BC8FB033D0A314CC@exch.tcaging.org> Risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women rises steeply with age Among postmenopausal women, the risk of hip fractures increases steeply with age and is seven times higher in 70-year olds than in 50- year olds. For more information, please visit: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/plos-roh110409.php ------------------------ Collaborating for Fall Prevention, EMS1.com It would be great if every community possessed the resources and staff to start a falls prevention program from scratch. However, very rarely does this actually happen. If you find that your area could benefit from such an idea ? but can't afford making it an independent, free-standing operation ? consider collaborating with other health organizations to get the same effects. For more information, please visit: http://www.ems1.com/Columnists/greg-friese/tips/603396-Collaboration-and-Teamwork-in-Fall-Prevention/ ------------------------ US CENSUS BUREAU REPORT: Selected Characteristics of Baby Boomers 42 to 60 Years Old in 2006 For more information, please visit: http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/age/general-age.html#bb ------------------------ Join the Minnesota Active Living Network The Minnesota Active Living Network is a free listserv maintained by the Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to support idea exchange and distribute helpful tools among professionals tackling active living issues in Minnesota communities. To join, click: http://www.preventionminnesota.com/active_living.cfm ------------------------ Stroke Awareness and Education Resource Toolkit Summarizes the free and fee-based materials available on the web and in print, and provides ideas for starting a stroke education campaign in your community. The toolkit includes direct links to websites with further information and materials, including those in other languages. Access the toolkit at: http://www.mnstrokepartnership.org/documents/StrokeToolkitV1Sep2009.pdf For more information, please visit: http://www.mnstrokepartnership.org/mnstrokeresources.html ------------------------ Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging 2009 Policy Summit, Dec. 8 The Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging presents its 4th annual policy summit in an extended session designed to provide critical information about: Perspectives of announced gubernatorial candidates on issues affecting seniors. Implementation of the Communities for a Lifetime legislation passed last session. The current and future policy environment Long-term care reform as a focus of civic duty Twin Cities Compass The Leadership Council on Aging is working to elevate issues of aging and of long term services and supports. The 2009 Policy Summit features a forum for gubernatorial candidates to present their responses to key issues facing seniors and family caregivers. For more information and to register, please visit: http://www.mnlcoa.org/events-summit ------------------------ Help us make a healthier Nation. Be part of the national dialogue. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services invites you to comment on the DRAFT set of objectives for Healthy People 2020. For three decades, Healthy People has provided a set of national 10-year health promotion and disease prevention objectives aimed at improving the health of all Americans. Visit www.healthypeople.gov/hp2020/comments to: View proposed draft objectives for Healthy People 2020; Comment on the proposed objectives; Comment on the topic areas; Suggest additional objectives ------------------------ Hennepin County nonprofits eligible for paid senior workers If your nonprofit is located in Hennepin County, your organization can apply to be a host for the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) that matches adults, 55 and older, with community service job training. Each participant's training wage is paid through a grant from the Department of Labor. As a host, your organizations provides the trainee with a position that will teach them valuable employment skills. Current host organizations include: Sabathani Community Center, Higher Education Childcare, Pillsbury United Communities , Hennepin County Libraries , Volunteers of America and Minneapolis Public Schools. For more information on this program: e-mail Mary Bahneman, SCSEP Program Manager at mbahneman at jvsmn.org or call her at 952-417-2117. ------------------------ 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 370+ 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/20091116/9f361d8d/attachment-0001.htm From emily at tcaging.org Tue Nov 17 07:23:39 2009 From: emily at tcaging.org (Emily Farah-Miller) Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:23:39 -0600 Subject: [Fallsprevention] MNFP Listserv - Nov. 17 Message-ID: <80B2A7179839464CB92F45D5F4BC8FB033D0A314FC@exch.tcaging.org> Star Tribune Series On Falls The Minneapolis Star Tribune published the first two installments of its three-part series regarding falls in nursing homes in the Sunday and Monday editions. The third installment is scheduled to run in Tuesday's paper. Each installment of the series is only available in the print editions of the newspaper. Concurrent to this installment, the Star Tribune published a commentary on the piece entitled When Death Comes Without Dignity. To read that article, please http: //www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/70009322.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU To read the first two articles in this series, visit http://www.agingservicesmn.org/inc/data/STFalls11-15-09.pdf and http://www.agingservicesmn.org/inc/data/STFalls11-16-09.pdf ------------------------ Slow walkers more likely to die of heart disease Slow walking may not only mean getting to your destination later, according to a new study by French scientists: Older people who walk slowly are almost three times more likely to causes than older people who walk faster. "The main message for the general population is that maintaining fitness at older age may have important consequences and help preserve life and (muscle) function," one of the study's authors, Dr. Alexis Elbaz, director of research at the Paris-based medical research institute Inserm, told Reuters Health by email. Previous studies had linked slow walking speed with increased risk of death over a given period, as well as with falls and other bad health outcomes, but hadn't shown whether it was heart disease or another cause that accounted for that higher risk. For more information, please visit: http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/11/16/eline/links/20091116elin003.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 370+ 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/20091117/b06a0482/attachment.htm