CAREGIVERS USA NEWS

Vol. I, No. 35
July 7, 2003

STUDY DOCUMENTS DAMAGE TO CAREGIVERS' IMMUNE SYSTEMS
It's no secret that taking care of chronically ill loved ones over long periods of time stresses caregivers. A new study provides strong evidence that such continuing stress boosts the risk of age-related diseases by prematurely aging caregivers' immune systems. The damaging effects continue for years after the loved one has died, the study found.

PRESSURES ON MEDICARE CONFEREES MOUNT
Members of a House-Senate conference committee face the difficult task of reconciling two very different Medicare drug prescription bills while dealing with increasingly clamorous criticism from seniors, insurers, health-care providers and just about everyone else. Despite political pressure to pass a final bill next month, the process is far from complete.

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EXTENDED ONCE AGAIN -- THE NEWSLETTER SPECIAL

Because of continued interest and inquiries, our special sale of two exciting and inspirational titles from the Caregivers Resource Library has been extended once again. Many of you have told us you had trouble with our PayPal online ordering system so we have added instructions on how to pay by check.

Get "Spiritual Caregiving" and "The Aging Game" for less than the regular price of the "Aging Game" alone. The overwhelming response to this special offer -- for readers of this newsletter only -- has not extremely gratifying and we are happy to extend it so no one misses out.
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GUIDANT SETTLES DEFECTIVE STENT CHARGES
Medical device manufacturer Guidant has signed a "corporate integrity agreement" as the last step of a $92.4 million settlement with the Justice Department. The company has admitted hiding 2,600 cases in which its stent-graft device malfunctioned. Many of the cases led to death or serious injury. The devices are used to correct aortic aneurysms.

NEW ST. LOUIS PROGRAMS HELP CAREGIVERS
A program in St. Louis is putting caregivers in touch with programs they may not know about despite their desperate need for them. St. Andrew's At-Home Services puts caregivers in touch with useful resources such as independent living facilities and elderlaw attorneys, and also offers counseling services and basically assists caregivers in any capacity they need.

GRAY WAVE WASHES OVER EUROPE
The median age is climbing rapidly in Europe, putting pressure on pension plans and the healthcare system. Compounding the problem: Europeans are retiring well before the official retirement age of 65. The United States is faring much better, thanks in part to economic pressures that keep older workers on the job and the continuing wave of immigration that keeps the median age from rising too rapidly.

"ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE" GURU GOES TO PRISON
Beverly Vigil and her ex-husband made a good living peddling a substance they called neuralyn to paraplegics and quadraplegics, claiming it could cure paralysis. Patients desperate to regain the use of their limbs paid $10,000 to be "treated" with the substance, which in fact is a mild topical anesthetic that made patients feel better temporarily. Vigil was sentenced to 33 months in prison and ordered to repay $795,000 to her victims.

FDA WARNS AGAINST USING STAMINA Rx
An over-the-counter dietary supplement that's touted as providing more sexual stamina in fact contains an ingredient that can cause a drastic drop in blood pressure if combined with common prescription drugs. The Food and Drug Administration has opened a criminal investigation into the sale of the substance.

EPHEDRA PEDDLERS FEEL SIDE EFFECTS
Promoters of weight-loss drugs containing ephedra like to claim they are "perfectly safe" and "have no side effects." They forget to mention death and disability, an oversight that has landed three more ephedra pushers in court. They're charged with overstating the benefits and understating the risks of their products.

FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE
Consumer rip-offs are everywhere these days. It's hard to know who to trust. Even organizations that seem to be charities should be approached with care, as Vickie learned when a group called Little Heroes offered to help with the funeral arrangements for her son.

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IN FULL BLOOM
The Caregivers-USA.org "Family Tree of Elder Caregiving" elevates community awareness of caregiving and caregiving service providers. Our expanded Web directory makes it easier for caregivers and families to find you! Advertised on our affiliated sites and through the Google AdWords program, more than 150,000 hits per day lead to Caregivers-USA.org. Proceeds help cover the cost of building, maintaining and advertising the database.
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EARN $2 PER ENVELOPE!
The envelope-stuffing scheme has been around just about forever. It preys on family caregivers, stay-at-home moms, the disabled and others desperate to earn money working at home. Without exception, as far as we know, these are fraudulent. There are so many out there that no one can keep up with all of them but the Federal Trade Commission recently caught up with a venture known variously as stuffingforcash.com, cashforstuffing.com and Mailmax, Inc. The company will pay $200,000 in consumer redress and promises to behave itself in the future.