ASCOG Advocate: September 30, 2013

Early Brooklyn logo

On this date, in 1947, the World Series was televised for the first time, featuring the New York Yankees and this Brooklyn club.

What was the name of the Brooklyn team?

Duncan seniors celebrate life through the senior games.

How to choose the right Medicare plan.  What Boomers need to know.

Medicare delays controversial rule on observation care.

Older folk scored better or the same as younger fold at decision-making skills.

ASCOG Advocate: September 27, 2013

On this date, in 1930, this Georgian finished the Grand Slam of golf when he won the U.S. Amateur Championship.

What was his name?

The aging in place market is expected to exceed $30 billion in revenues by 2017.

Mental health is a leading cause of hospital stays for military personnel.

Medicare per-patient costs for heart attack patients rose 17 percent in the last decade.

In wake of new health care law, Medicare Advantage online health exchanges are confusing seniors.

ASCOG Advocate: September 26, 2013

On this date, in 1960, the first televised presidential debate took place between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy.  








In what city did the debate take place?

Arizona Medicaid agency is seeking less funding.

Aging population feeling poorer since recession.  

Michael J. Fox charts new course for Americans with disabilities.  

NRA and others successful in laying blame for mass killings on mental health industry.

ASCOG Advocate: September 25, 2013

Lt. Col. Doolittle wires a medal on a bomb
intended for Japan.

On this date, in 1929, this military aviation pioneer performed the first "blind flight" from Mitchel field, proving that one could fly from take-off to landing using only instruments.  As a Lieutenant Colonel, this aviator lead the top-secret attack of 16 B-25 bombers from the USS Hornet on Tokyo, for which he received the Medal of Honor.

What was the name of this pioneer?

Ohio State University's Dance Dance Revolution keeps patients with multiple sclerosis on their feet.

A retired physician blogs about his battle with Alzheimer's.

World War II code talkers honored at Comanche Nation Fair.

ASCOG Advocate: September 24, 2013

The "at sign."

On this date, in 1979, CompuServe launched the first consumer internet service.  It featured a new service which was the first of its kind.  

What was the new service?


Minnesota goalie does not let multiple sclerosis diagnosis slow him down.

Study:  Mental health of heart patients influences re-admission rates.

Hiring help for your aging parents could pose some risk if you do not understand the Department of Labor rules.

The number of people with dementia is expected to triple by 2050.

ASCOG Advocate: September 23, 2013

Hanafuda playing cards.

On this date, in 1889, Fusajiro Yumauchi opened up this business to make a playing card game.  In the 20th century, the company became one of the largest video game makers in the world  

What is the name of the company?

California Medicaid patients are finding it difficult to find primary care physicians; reporting to emergency rooms.

Even the National Rifle Association agrees on this form of gun control.

Shares of many managed care providers slipped as Walgreen Co. announced plans to shift workers to private health exchanges.

As patients with AIDS get older, challenges arise in America's healthcare system.

ASCOG Advocate: September 20, 2013

Billie Jean King

On this date, in 1973, Billie Jean King defeated this man in a tennis "battle of the sexes." 

What was the name of her esteemed opponent?

U.S. House leaders threaten government shutdown over Obamacare.

Congress focuses on mental health legislation following Navy Yard shooting.

Mental health and substance abuse coverage are required under the "essential health benefits" standard for health insurance exchanges.

New Hampshire rolls out new Medicaid managed care programs.

Forbes:  9 out of 10 Medicare recipients satisfied with Medicare Part D.

Mothers (still) prefer daughters as caregivers.

ASCOG Advocate: September 19, 2013

The 20th President of the United States.

On this date, in 1881, the 20th President of the United States died from an assassin's bullet.  This president advocated for agricultural technology, an educated electorate and civil rights for African Americans.  He only served 200 days in office.

What was the name of this president?

About 17% of seniors think the Affordable Care Act replaces Medicare.

Aging population expected to change trend in cancer deaths.

Researchers are trying their best to market to the elusive Boomers.

The Federal Trade Commission cracked down on a bogus scheme offering discounts on medications in the name of Medicare and Social Security.

New York is building low-cost housing for Medicaid patients.

SNAP recipients should expect changes.

The Social Security Administration provides and online retirement program.

ASCOG Advocate: September 18, 2013

On this date, in 1945, General Douglas MacArthur moved his command headquarters to this city.

The city burning in 1945.

What is the name of the city?

States are reluctant to pull the plug on bad managed care organizations for fear of leaving Medicaid patients in a bind.

Retirees are being steered toward private health insurance exchanges.

Caregivers deal with the aging crisis as care receivers seek a "dignified death."

At a glance:  Nursing care vs. in-home-care rates.

Lawton:  Alicia Mitchell retires as the coordinator for the Patterson Community Center.

ASCOG Advocate: September 17, 2013

Artist's rendering of the
Battle of Fort McHenry.

On this date, in 1814, Francis Scott Key finished his poem Defense of Fort McHenry.  

By what name is the poem known today?

The Scooter Store is closing out amid fraud allegations.

Administration officials warn selling health insurance marketplace plans to Medicare recipients will be illegal.

A new test may show early signs of multiple sclerosis in the spinal fluid.

Long-term care panel releases bi-partisan recommendations but comes short of resolving the anticipated long-term care crisis.

Tight budgets are blamed as predominately black nursing homes provide poorer care.

Relatively small changes and daily strategies can keep seniors out of nursing homes longer.

Brain training can enhance brain health for older adults.

ASCOG Advocate: September 16, 2013

Painting by William Halsall

On this date, in 1620, this Dutch cargo ship left Southampton for the new world.

What was the name of the ship?

Stephens County:  Gerald Franklin (68) found a new hobby in retirement, blacksmithing.

Lawton:  Claudine Marroquin (36) was found dead, believed murdered by her 63-year-old husband.

Well known for his fitness, George Bush's recent treatment for heart disease raises the issue of other risk factors.


New Mexico mental health services remain in turmoil amid criminal investigations.

Arizona lawmakers go to court claiming the Medicaid expansion law signed by the Governor violated the new tax requirements of the state constitution. 

A new study tries to explain the varied impact of Alzheimer's.

Caregivers are getting younger.

ASCOG Advocate: September 13, 2013

Christy's Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States.

On this date, in 1787, the delegates to the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention set the date for the first presidential election.  They also named this city as the country's capitol.

What was the name of the city that became the capitol?

New patients under Medicaid expansion are younger than predicted.

Federal health officials try to assure Medicare recipients that their benefits will not change under Obamacare.

Lawton man claims to be a victim of Oklahoma politics.  

Caregivers can't handle dementia patients alone.

Oklahoma Senate Health and Human Services committee studies the impact of Alzheimer's.

ASCOG Advocate: September 12, 2013

Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright.

On this date, in 1959, Bonanza premiered as the first regularly scheduled television program presented in color.  It would go on to be the second-longest running western (behind Gunsmoke).  The central figures of the show were the Cartwright family who lived on a fictional ranch in the Utah Territory.

What was the name of the ranch?

California: State elder abuse investigators are opening and closing cases without leaving their desks.

Stem cell treatments on rise as science tries to catch up.

Honor flight takes 80 Oklahoma WWII veterans to Washington, D.C.

Aging population is slowing economic growth.

Sixty-one-year-old educator sentenced in neglect death of her father.

IBM drops benefits to retirees on Medicare.

Health providers advocate long term care support for cancer survivors.

ASCOG Advocate: September 11, 2013

The temporary Flight 93 National Memorial.

On this date, in 2001, Flight 93 crashed in a Pennsylvania field just north of Shanksville, PA.  The crash was the result of a struggle between passengers and terrorists who had taken over the plane.

What is the name of the township in Pennsylvania where Flight 93 crashed?

If you are covered by Medicare, the new Health Insurance Marketplace is not the place for you.

Poor denied health insurance as 21 states forego Medicaid expansion, fearing rising costs of healthcare.

Sylvi MacCormac works on her fifth album as she battles multiple sclerosis.

Fewer than half of people with hypertension, the leading contributor of death, know they have it.

Don't fall for fraudulent Medicare calls.

Television embraces disabilities in the new fall lineup.

Iowans with visual impairment receive permits to carry guns in public. 

Centenarian shot and killed in shootout with police.

Occupational therapists offer fresh perspective on Alzheimer's and dementia.

Regional planning, curbing unneeded hospital expansions and tech upgrades kept the Medicare spending rate low in Rochester, NY.

ASCOG Advocate: September 10, 2013

Home of the Dying in Kolkata.

On this date, in 1946, Sister Bojaxhiu of the Loreto Sisters' Covenant heard the call of God "to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them."

What was the name by which she was better known?

Making treatment easier can help patients lower their blood pressure.


Oklahomans rally at the Capitol to address low nursing home ranking.

Caregivers are "survivors."

Lessons in dementia management are available in an online course.

NPR:  Sailors with disabilities find freedom in the water.

ASCOG Advocate: September 9, 2013

The former Jerusalem
headquarters of the group.

On this date, in 1993, Israel was officially recognized as a legitimate state by a group who's mission is to create an independent state of Palestine.

What was the name of the group who recognized Israel?

Oklahoma citizens seek solution to low nursing home rating.

Observation care presents a confusing problem for Medicare recipients.

NPR:  Are cops properly trained to deal with people with disabilities?

"Capable" program seeks to address "demographic tsunami of seniors."

The number of farmers who are 65 or older grew by 22 percent nationwide.

ASCOG Advocate: September 6, 2013

On this date, in 1955, this Baltimore Oriole played his 2,131st consecutive Major League Baseball game, breaking the previous record. 

What is his name?


Caregivers:  An endangered species.

"More than a fifth of grandparents who care for grandchildren live under the poverty line."

The worst advice for caregivers.

Jack Osbourne: new father, Dancing with the Stars competitor, and his new battle with MS.

A new video game keeps aging brains sharper.

ASCOG Advocate: September 5, 2013

Begin, Carter and Sadat.

On this date, in 1978, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat met with U.S. President Jimmy Carter.  They met at Naval Support Facility Thurmont, which was nicknamed this, after the father and grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. 

What was the name given to Thurmont by Eisenhower?

China is facing their own aging population boom in very western ways.

The number of doctors accepting new Medicare patients rose to 90.7%.

Medicaid managed care set to expand in Florida.

Over 200,000 heart disease deaths every year are preventable.

Using music as an insurance policy to stave off dementia.

Wife of Seth Rogen uses comedy to attract young people to Alzheimer's cause.

Caregiver:  Alzheimer's is 100 percent fatal.

Elizabeth Dole extends an arm of her foundation to caregivers for military families.

WSJ:  Spotting elder financial abuse.

ASCOG Advocate: September 4, 2013

Larry Page and Sergey Brin, 2003.

On this date, in 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, students at Stanford University, founded this internet company.

What is the name of the company they founded?


Holiday retirement homes accused of inducing veterans and their spouses into high-cost housing.

Boomers' future uncertain as number of caregivers expected to drop by 43%.

The IRS and Medicare will now recognize same-sex marriages.

A Medicare Summit was held in Lawton to help guide seniors through open enrollment.

The faces of Alzheimer's as families reflect on the disease that tore their lives apart.

"You are never too old," according to Diana Nyad who swam from Cuba to Florida at the age of 64.

ASCOG Advocate: September 3, 2013

Betsy Ross Flag

On this date, in 1777, during the Battle of Cooch's Bridge, the Flag of the United States was flown in battle for the first time.  The battle was the only significant military action in this state during the war.

What was the name of the state in which this battle was fought?

The largest Medicaid program in the nation is pushing patients into managed care.

Researchers in Austria used stem cells to grow what they call "cerebral organoids," or miniature brains.

The forgetfulness gene may have been found by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center.
The average caregiver is a 49-year-old woman who spends 20 hours a week providing unpaid care to their loved one.

One of the most painful times for a family caregiver is when their loved one accuses them falsely of exploitation, neglect or abuse.