MATURE MARKET HEADLINES updated 11/18/99
Harvard Creates Ageless Medical Guide
The written word is the most power force on the face of the earth. Think about it. Newly discovered medical miracles would be useless without the written word to communicate the findings to the millions in need of that knowledge. But this ability to communicate medical knowledge is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, publishing health-enhancing knowledge allows for individuals to be informed and make the appropriate applications for better living. On the other hand, by the time new medical knowledge is published, it's already out of date. Harvard Medical School has changed all that with a new family health guide that is virtually "ageless". It never goes out of date.
The Harvard Medical School and Simon & Schuster have launched a special Internet website that will continuously update the recently published "Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide" (1,192 pages, 1999, $40, Simon & Schuster). It's the first family health guide to offer continuing updates that are keyed right to the pages of the book. The Internet website address is www.health.harvard.edu/fhg. That's not all the good news. Access to this timeless website is free.
"With Harvard Medical School, we are working to change the very nature of how we publish family health guides," says Carolyn Reidy, President of Simon & Schuster. "As medical information changes constantly, it was critical we find a way to update the book continuously. The combination of book and website will bring the latest knowledge of 7,000 of the world's best doctors and researchers from every field of medicine into the American home. It is the perfect project to combine traditional publishing and the latest technology to create a powerful tool for health consumers."
Each chapter of the book will be reviewed and updated constantly by the Harvard Medical School Editorial Advisory Board. Updates will include breaking information about the causes of illness, new research about how to stay healthy and prevent disease, new diagnostic tests, new treatments recently approved by the FDA, new information about drug interactions, and more. There are also Q&A checklists to help consumers prepare for their next doctor's appointment.
"The best consumer health initiative in decades. Read it and reap" AgeVenture News Service.
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Fat Chance for Premature Death in U.S.
A growing obesity epidemic is threatening the health of millions of
Americans in the United States, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). "Obesity is an epidemic and should be taken as seriously as any infectious disease epidemic" says
Jeffrey P. Koplan, director of the CDC. Obesity is defined as being over 30 percent above ideal body weight.
According to Koplan, the American lifestyle of convenience and inactivity has had a devastating toll on every segment of society. "Overweight and physical inactivity account for more than 300,000 premature deaths each year in the U.S., second only to tobacco-related deaths."
"While obese individuals need to reduce their caloric intake and
increase their physical activity, many others must play a role to
help these individuals and to prevent a further increase in obesity,"
Koplan says.
- health care providers must counsel their obese patients;
- workplaces must offer healthy food choices in their cafeterias;
- employees must be physically active at their worksite;
- schools must encourage lifelong physical activity;
- urban policymakers must provide alternatives to cars such as bike paths.
According to CDC research, more than two-thirds of American adults are trying to lose weight or keep from gaining weight but many do not follow guidelines recommending a combination of fewer calories and 30 minutes of daily physical activity. "In general", says Koplan, "restoring physical activity to our daily routines is critical."
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Boomer Work-place Depression on Rise
Work-place depression is on the rise, says Reg A. Williams, associate professor of nursing at the University of Michigan. In the United States, over 17 million people will have an episode of depression each year. Until depression became the focus of research, occupational health programs primarily focused on common physical illnesses, but not depression, which is known to be one of the most expensive costs for business.
"Occupational health nurses are seeing more people who suffer from depression in the work place and they don't feel prepared to manage it because up until recently, depression in the work place hasn't been a focus of work-place health," Williams said. "The indirect and direct cost of depression in the work place is immense. Consider the
loss of employee productivity. Productivity and absenteeism losses associated with depression cost U.S. companies $24 billion annually, or about $3,000 a year per depressed employee," he said. The total cost of depression at work is estimated to be as high as $44 billion.
Symptoms of depression in the work place include:
- employee is off work longer than the company allows for disability;
- loss of concentration;
- reduced productivity;
- loss of interest in work;
- withdrawn from colleagues;
- irritability;
- excessively late to work;
- high absenteeism;
- cannot reach employee by phone.
Williams cites a study in which depression is the most expensive medical cost of all behavioral health conditions accounting for 52 percent of all claims of one major company. It was the most common diagnoses of those who sought help from the company's employee assistance program; it resulted in more days of disability and 12 month recidivism than employees who suffered from common chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes and back pain.
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New Effort Improves Nursing Home Care
Despite best efforts, physical abuse and neglect occur in America’s nursing homes. Although there are many contributing factors, a large part of unintended weight loss, dehydration, and abuse can be avoided when the warning signs can be easily identified and the nursing home industry, as well as the general public, are better informed and aware.
In response to this need, the Administration on Aging (AoA) and the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) have joined forces to improve the quality of care in nursing homes. With the support of
$450,000 in grants, AoA and HCFA will educate communities and families to improve nutrition and hydration, and prevent abuse of
nursing home residents.
In awarding the grants, Jeanette C. Takamura, head of the AoA said, "Education and empowerment are needed to help staff, residents, family members, and others fully understand nursing home requirements and standards so that every member of the nursing home community can play a role in providing quality care."
In support of the reform effort, HFCA’s Nursing Home Compare Web site (http://www.medicare.gov) allows consumers to compare inspection reports and other data about nursing homes, and a free new Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home is available by contacting 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). "The grants will help create safer, healthier and happier residents", says HCFA administrator Nancy-Ann DeParle.
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