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A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Wait
Back to school is a frequent destination for new retirees. Whether it's a new career or just curiosity, retirees appreciate the sheer joy of learning something new and exciting. But, if learning feels so good, why wait until you retire. A mind is a terrible thing to wait. Everyone knows if you don't use it, you lose it ... right? Besides, you don't have to wait until retirement to start developing your mind.
If you've ever wished you could go back to school, here's some good news. The 11th annual "Self-University Week", September 1-7, offers a chance to focus on that goal. Charles D. Hayes, author of "Beyond the American Dream:Lifelong Learning and the Search for Meaning", established "Self-University Week" in 1989 to emphasize that learning is a lifelong occupation that gives us the chance not just to acquire knowledge but also to shape the world in which we live.
In order for the world to be a better place, Hayes, a self-educated philosopher, is convinced that citizens must study what's gone before. Critical thinking, says Hayes, is the key to opening every closed door. His "Self-University Week" offers 52 ways to incorporate lifelong learning.
- Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine.
- Give up television for a week and read books instead.
- Create a photo montage of ten things (places, objects, people) symbolizing who you are.
- Become an expert on a prominent figure in history, science, politics, or art by studying that person's works.
- Outline the key events of your life as if they were acts in a play.
Hayes dropped out of high school at the age of 17 and joined the U.S. Marines. Later, after serving as a police officer, he worked in the Alaskan oil industry for 20 years. In 1987, he founded Autodidactic Press. From fighting racism to championing democracy, Hayes' books advocate that lifelong learning has the capacity to transform our society and our individual lives.
For more ways to celebrate "Self-University Week" and lifelong learning, readers can pick up a copy of "Beyond the American Dream", 384 pages, $26.95, 1998, Autodidactic Press, Wasilla, AK.
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Gray Panthers Sue Federal Government
They're mad as hell, and they aren't going to take it any more. America's most vulnerable elders, the poor and disabled, are being ignored by the very government that's supposed to help them. As a result, one senior advocacy group has decided to make a federal case out of it. The Texas Gray Panthers, assisted by the National Senior Citizens Law Center, is suing the federal administration for not trying hard enough to reach out to poor elders.
Here's what it's all about. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) offers special programs intended to help low-income Medicare participants cover their out-of-pocket costs. "Nice try", say seniors, "but no cigar". "Close" only counts when you're playing horseshoes. Translation, the USDHHS initiative fails to reach over half of potential eligible individuals nationwide. As a result, about 4.5 million elderly and disabled individuals who are not enrolled in the special programs frequently must choose between paying for Medicare and paying for food, drugs or other necessities. The Gray Panthers have responded with a class action lawsuit in federal court. The lawsuit is titled "Texas Gray Panthers, et al. versus Donna Shalala and Kenneth Apfel", CN: 1:99CV01557 (D.D.C. June 16, 1999).
Medicare is available to people at age 65 and to those with disabilities. It requires participants to pay
monthly premiums of $45.50 plus costs of deductibles and coinsurance. The General Accounting Office
reports that the average older Medicare beneficiary spends 19 percent of income on health care costs;
among those living in poverty, out-of-pocket spending averages 35 percent of income.
To address these high costs, Congress enacted special “buy-in” programs in which a state Medicaid
program pays Medicare Part B costs for individuals whose income is less than 100 percent of poverty but
who do not qualify for regular Medicaid coverage (the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program) and
certain costs of individuals with incomes under 120 percent of poverty (the Special Low Income Medicare
Beneficiary program). Enrollment in the special programs is not automatic, however. Federal law requires
HCFA and Social Security to inform eligible individuals about the buy-in program and assist them to enroll
in it at the state Medicaid office.
The system breaks down, according to plaintiffs, because federal agencies do not properly tell individuals
about the program and how to apply. The agencies provide only general printed information for mass
distribution, but do not target such information to eligible Medicare participants, do not present it in a way
that can be understood, and do not supply information about eligible individuals to every state as required
by law.
Plaintiffs are Texas Gray Panthers, Action Alliance of Senior Citizens of Greater Philadelphia,
Massachusetts Association of Older Americans and New York Statewide Senior Action Council. They are
suing on behalf of themselves, their members and a nationwide class of other low-income Medicare
beneficiaries. Plaintiffs ask the court to order defendants to help low-income Medicare beneficiaries to
understand the buy-in program and how to participate in it.
Plaintiffs are represented by the National Senior Citizens Law Center, the Center for Medicare Advocacy
and the private law firm of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker.
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Dose Encounters with Elder Medications
I guess you can lead a patient to medication, but you can't make them take it. Or at least when elders don't take their medications, we need to understand why. That's because lack of treatment leads to reduced functioning. And reduced functioning leads to social isolation. And social isolation can lead to premature institutionalization. A recent study identifies attempts to understand, and hopefully preempt this vicious cycle.
Nearly two-thirds of older, disabled women report significant pain in their back, knees, hips, and feet, and have considerable difficulty controlling it, according to new findings from the National Institute on Aging's (NIA) Women's Health & Aging Study.
The analysis, one of the first to look at doses of medication in relation to pain, found that almost half of women with severe pain took very small amounts of medication or no medication at all. In a smaller percentage of cases, they took too much. This mismatch of pain to effective medication, the researchers said, suggests a need for more effective strategies for managing pain in older people.
"Joint pain in the lower extremities is very common among older women and has a powerful impact on their function and overall quality of life," says Dr. Jack M. Guralnik, chief of the NIA's Epidemiology and Demography Office. "The high prevalence of pain found in this study, coupled with the finding that many women with severe pain are getting little relief, is certainly cause for concern."
While 87 percent of women with severe pain took at least some medication, researchers were surprised by the large proportion of women with severe pain who used very little medication. Some 41 percent took less than 20 percent of the maximum recommended analgesic dose or used no pain reliever at all. In contrast, some 9 percent of the group overall used more medication than is recommended.
The researchers suggest that the cost of the drugs or lack of contact with physicians may be important factors in the use of low doses, and they cited data in their study showing that the people taking little or no medication had lower income and had not seen a doctor in the past six months. The NIA plans to continue conducting research in this area in order to help older women maintain independence.
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Beating Summer's Heat Is No Sweat for Elders
Well-read seniors are the one's who can avoid the sun's punishing rays this summer. Yes, surviving the extreme heat and high humidity is just a matter of reading the summer heat tips offered by the Illinois Department on Aging (IDA).
"Health problems and isolation are factors that make older people particularly susceptible to heat stress," says the IDA's Director, Margo E. Schreiber. "It's important for older persons to follow some common sense tips to beat the heat." And here's a list of those tips that should be required reading for older persons, as well as family and friends who might share these tips when they drop in to check up of their elders.
- drink lots of water and natural juices,
- avoid going out into the blazing heat, if possible,
- keep shades drawn and blinds closed, but windows slightly open,
- keep electric lights off or turned down,
- take cool baths or showers,
- wear loose, light cotton clothing,
- avoid alcoholic beverages, coffee and cola soft drinks,
- eat sensibly, do not over-eat or eat heavy meals,
- minimize physical exertion,
- make it a point to check in on elders during hot spells.
During heat emergencies, many communities are involved in door-to-door outreach. In addition, locations like senior centers, adult day care sites, and other community buildings serve as cooling centers. For further information on staying cool during the summer, check with your local area agency on aging.
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Scientists Test New Self-Cleaning Blood Vessel
Researchers have moved a step closer to creating "self-cleaning" blood vessels by using a new technique to transplant a gene that breaks down blood clots in arteries, according to a study presented here today at the 24th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Cardiovascular &
Interventional Radiology (SCVIR).
"Although this approach is still under investigation, we feel it has great potential," said Michael Kuo, M.D., Radiology Resident, Stanford University Medical Center, and researcher at Stanford Institute for Bioengineering and Molecular Medicine, Stanford, Calif. "It may be beneficial in combating blood clots in the heart and leg vessels, atherosclerosis (plaque build-up) and, eventually, may even be used in cancer therapy, as well as many other diseases."
Researchers used the human tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) gene to break down blood clots created in the leg arteries of rabbits. A drug derived from the tPA gene currently is used as an emergency heart attack and stroke treatment. The technique has potential to combat the problem of peripheral vascular disease (PVD), in which plaque builds up in leg arteries, just as it does in heart vessels, and which causes leg pain and a subsequent decrease in activity. As many as 5 percent of men and 2½ percent of
women age 60 and older have symptoms of PVD.
The technique involves a several-step process. After which researchers found that the clot occupied only 7 to 20 percent of the artery in the research subjects. Previous attempts at the same procedure had failed. However, this new approach appears to alter the physiology of the vein so that it takes on the characteristics of an artery, which is larger and can more easily handle the circulatory pressures.
This new procedure overcomes two current problems with blood vessel grafting. Although arteries are preferable for grafting, only two are commonly used. While there are more veins available for grafting, they often fail because they tend to develop blood clots or plaque after being grafted.
SCVIR is a professional society based in Fairfax, Virginia, for physicians who specialize in minimally invasive interventional procedures. An interventional radiologist is a physician who has special training to diagnose and treat illness using miniature tools and imaging guidance. Typically, the interventional radiologist performs procedures through a very small nick in the skin, about the size of a pencil tip. Interventional radiology treatments are generally easier for the patient than surgery because they involve no surgical incision, less pain and shorter hospital stays.
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