CAREGIVERS USA NEWS

Vol. I, No. 3
November 18, 2002

TOWN HALL MEETING TOUR TO OPEN IN BOSTON & TRENTON
Boston and Trenton, New Jersey have been picked as the first stops for the series of 20 "And Thou Shalt Honor" Town Hall Meetings over the next two years. The events are intended to heighten public awareness of the elder care and caregiving crisis in America and to facilitate future public policy debate, leading to action on the state and federal levels. Each event will be videotaped and offered as a one-hour program to local PBS stations.

-- More about the Town Hall "Road Show"
atsh.org/about/town_hall.html

-- Tentative list of venues
atsh.org/about/tour.html

NEW INITIATIVE TO UPGRADE QUALITY OF CARE
An ambitious four-year program seeks to upgrade the quality of frontline long-term care by attracting and retaining better workers. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson and Atlantic Philanthropies foundations, the $15 million program is an effort to improve the care delivered by nursing assistants, home health aides and personal care attendants, among others.
atsh.org/news/longterm.html

REPORT FINDS CARE OF DYING "MEDIOCRE"
America does only a mediocre job of caring for its most seriously ill and dying patients, according to a state-by-state "report card" on end-of-life care released today. Last Acts, a coalition that works end-of-life care. The report grades all 50 states and the District of Columbia on eight key elements of end-of-life care. Most states earned C's, D's and even E's on the majority of the criteria.

Last Acts also released a national survey showing that a significant number of Americans, including those who have recently lost a loved one, are dissatisfied with the way the country's health care system provides care to the dying. The survey found that 93 percent of Americans believe improving end-of-life care is important.
www.rwjf.org/newsEvents/means.jhtml

WEB-BASED ELDER CARE SYSTEM
Families are often ill-prepared to take on the caregiver's role when the need presents itself and must frantically try to catch up to a situation that may be rapidly spiraling out of their control. A new Web site developed by a veteran geriatric care manager helps potential caregivers collect and organize the data they will need to be an effective caregiver.
www.elderissues.com/demo

STUDY: DOCS MUST HELP ALZHEIMER'S FAMILIES PLAN AHEAD
Alzheimer's patients and their families must be better prepared for the disease's relentless progression. A new study says physicians must play a more active role in helping patients and families make early decisions about what to do when the patient is in the final stages.
atsh.org/news/alz_study.html

RECOMMENDED DOSAGES OF NEW DRUGS OFTEN TOO HIGH
Of 354 drugs introduced in the United States from 1980 to 1999, 20 percent of recommended dosages were too high. A study by the Georgetown University Center for Drug Development Science in Washington showed that 79 percent of dosage changes for the drugs were made for safety reasons; others were made because of risks to certain groups such as pregnant women.

"Avoiding needless overdosing could reduce both [adverse] side effects and costs of prescription drugs," says lead author James Cross. Researchers found dosage changes were more frequent for drugs approved from 1994 to 1999 than for those introduced earlier.

OLDER & BETTER
A majority of women age 50 and over believe getting older is better than they expected, according to a poll by The National Center on Women and Aging (NCWA) at Brandeis University. But it's not all wine and roses. Older women are very concerned about the cost of prescription drugs, the threat of cancer and the spotty availability of child and elder care. atsh.org/news/aging_women.html

A CAREGIVER'S HOLIDAY
Caregivers need support, understanding … and time off. Our Caregiver's Holiday Package doesn't provide the time off but we hope it offers the rest. It includes the full two-hour "And Thou Shalt Honor" broadcast on VHS, the companion book and a t-shirt with the ATSH logo. Order now to ensure delivery in time for holiday giving.
atsh.org/books/

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Caregivers USA news is published by the Thou Shalt Honor Foundation. The editor is James R. Hood, who can be reached at jhood@oaktonpress.com

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Copyright © 2002, Thou Shalt Honor Foundation