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MATURE MARKET HEADLINES POSTED 6/04/99
Telehealth Enhances Prescription Drug TreatmentThe new "TeleMed Program" enhances prescription drug treatment by making drugs more easily affordable, and by utilizing telehealth supervision to assure that the drugs are properly taken. Subscribers get a "smart" medicine box and membership in a prescription benefits plan which provides cost savings of up to 50%.The new program is beneficial for elderly outpatients and their health care providers because in order for prescription drugs to be affective, the drugs must be taken as prescribed. However, many seniors are notoriously noncompliant. The TeleMed Program addresses these senior-specific concerns to promote health and well-being. Here's how it all works. The "smart" medicine box assures that medication is consistently removed within uniquely defined dosage time windows. Monitoring is accomplished via 800-numbers, which add no cost to subscriber phone bills. A central station promptly phones subscribers if the box is not opened during a dosage time window, if the "smart" box is left open too long, or if a built-in help-button is pressed. Most noncompliance can be blocked as it's about to happen. There's also fail-safe emergency response protection, in that no emergency of any kind can go undetected longer then the time for the next dosage. If there is no answer at a subscriber's home, the central station quickly phones a pre-specified responder list. Prescription benefits are administered by CareQuest Inc which provides health care savings programs for government agencies, private sector business, families, and individuals. According to the Target Microsystems, the maker of the 'smart" medicine box, 47,000 pharmacies currently participate in the CareQuest Prescription Drug Plan. The TeleMed subscription program is available throughout the USA. Readers who would like additional information, should check with their doctor, local pharmacy, or contact Target Microsystems at: 1-800-735-5776. See related articles in the AgeVenture archives. Drug Price Controls Bad Medicine for Elders Med Experts Say No Deal To Wallet ID Cards Monitoring Medicines Makes You Unforgettable Getting the Most from Your Medicines AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com BACK TO TOP Elder Sexuality Keeps Going and Going and GoingHere's a pleasant surprise. Much of what we believe about the inevitability of declining sexuality in late life simply isn't true. According to a new study, many elders are like that battery bunny. They just keep going and going and going.As a case in point, researchers from Stanford University, University of California and Honolulu report that sexual activity and sexual satisfaction among aging males has been underestimated. The three researchers led by Walter M. Bortz II of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Stanford University found that many older men show persistently active sexual lifestyles. Drs. Bortz, Douglas H. Wallace and Diana Wiley administered a 63-item questionnaire to 1,202 elderly men between the ages of 59 and 94. The questions related to present and past, actual and desired sexual practices and attitudes. The study is presented in the May 1999 issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences. This study is the largest to date on the sexuality of older men. The study group was divided into three groups. The males in the Exemplar group (those with no reported medical conditions, living with a sexual partner, and had a positive perception of her) "exhibited more active levels of sexual functioning across the age relative to their peers." The study also showed that "age alone does not account for the reported levels of sexual function and sexual satisfaction in the aging male," Bortz and his colleague noted. Results of indicate that chronological age alone is not a good predictor of sexual function. Instead, factors such as illness, drug interactions, or negative perceptions about latelife sexuality are usually the culprit when sexual activity does decline. Elders themselves can create a self-fulfilling prophecy of declining sexual activity based on low expectations, boredom with one's partner, or the false assumption that decline in performance is a normal part of the aging process. In support of this point, the researchers believe that a robust sexuality is possible into the tenth decade. So the next time you place a call to the old folks, and no one answers the phone ... don't panic. Gramps may indeed be laying on the floor ... but chances are ... he ain't alone down there. And you thought gramps and granny sat around all day baking cookies. See related articles in the AgeVenture archives. Depression May Lower Sex Hormone Levels Husband Says Home Chores Lead to Sex Boomer Couples Cling to Role Stereotypes Mature Couples Find Spouses Demanding AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com BACK TO TOP Aging Boomers Focus of New AGS FoundationTwelve percent of Americans are currently aged 65 or older, but this number will swell by 2030 to 20% of the population as "baby boomers" become eligible for Medicare. To meet the unique health care challenges posed by this unprecedented "senior boom", the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) officially launched the Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA).AGS president-elect Joseph Ouslander, MD explains why the 57-year-old organization was reaching beyond its traditional role as a professional medical society to form a foundation that will champion initiatives in public education, clinical research and public policy. "We must ensure that older adults have effective health care, while also finding a way to contain rising health care costs (in order) to maintain equity among the generations." The new FHA foundation will provide information to older adults, their families and other informal caregivers on how to improve their health care experiences and outcomes. FHA public education resources and initiatives will include free forums throughout the country, a comprehensive website (www.healthinaging.org), a toll-free public information and referral service, a newsletter, and self-help brochures. Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society is a nationwide not-for-profit association of geriatrics health care professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence, and quality of life of older people. The general public can contact the American Geriatric Society at: 1-800-247-4779. See related articles in the AgeVenture archives. Boomers Better Prepared for Menopause Science Helps Boomers Battle Premature Aging Boomers on Health Care: We're Mad as Hell Arthritis Prevalence Rises as Boomers Age AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com BACK TO TOP Gillette Launches Women's Cancer ResourceSince an estimated 250,000 women will be diagnosed with breast or gynecological cancers in the United States this year, the majority of them over age 50, The Gillette Company is introducing a new comprehensive program to address many of these problems, and other profound emotional and social issues brought on by women's cancers. The effort, launched in 1999, is called the Gillette Centers for Women's Cancers.According to the nationwide survey, when faced with their wife or mother's cancer diagnosis, both partners and adult children expressed feeling sad, scared and helpless. Yet, an overwhelming majority of women are not getting information about emotional support services to help their families address these feelings. In addition, many are not even getting information about emotional support services for themselves. Many experts say that there is increasing evidence that indicates a strong link between emotional wellness and physical wellness. "Addressing the emotional and social needs of women with breast or gynecological cancer is a movement that is going to one day be part of a comprehensive program for all people with cancer," says Dr. Ross Berkowitz, Co-Director at the Gillette Centers for Women's Cancers. Key elements of the Gillette Women's Cancer effort includes the following components.
See related articles in the AgeVenture archives. Foods Raise Breast Cancer Risk 400% Breast Cancer Researchers Study Tamoxifen Vaccine Helps Immune System Fight Cancer Cyber Solace for Cancer Recovery AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com BACK TO TOP Best Time to Retire Is July 1st says Expert"The best time to retire for both financial and psychological reasons is July 1," says a certified financial planner. Lee Rosenberg of Valley Stream, New York says in the June issue of New Choices magazine, that "if you retire in early summer, your vacation can become a rewarding transition into retirement".However, more people retire at the end of the year than any other time, notes Social Security spokesman John Trollinger. Some people, it seems, believe they will jeopardize their Social Security benefits if they earn a salary for part of the year, when in fact, they won't. Others want to preserve a profit-sharing bonus or simply think that an end-of-the-year exit from employment will be cleaner and neater which isn't necessarily true. Seymour Goldberg, a Garden City, New York attorney and CPA, warns that there is a benefit you can lose by leaving midyear. Some employers give year-end bonuses and profit-sharing payments only to employees who remain until December 31. If that's the case in your organization, you might want to stay until your accumulated vacation time pushes your technical retirement day to the end of the year. The tax issues that can affect a new retiree are so complex that it's difficult to say whether retiring in July would improve or worsen the tax picture, but Rosenberg contends that at least the midyear retiree has the most flexible tax situation. With only half a year's salary, he or she may be in a lower tax bracket. This, in turn, will mean a smaller tax hit in case the retiree takes a distribution from a traditional IRA or sells stock from a tax-deferred, employer-sponsored plan, such as a 410(k). To choose your own best retirement date, suggests New Choices, get professional assistance to help you determine how your pension, and your post-retirement, post-tax income will be affected by a midyear retirement date. See related articles in the AgeVenture archives. Pre-retirees Say Not Working Isn't Working Ready, Aim, Retire ... oops. Back to Work? Top Myths on Retirement Plans: IRAs, 401(k)s Gap Between Retirement Planning and Action AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com BACK TO TOP |
