ASCOG Advocate: January 31, 2014

The building in which the 3M company was founded,
Two Harbors, MN.

On this date, in 1930, 3M began marketing a new brand of tape, known in some parts of the world as Sellotape.  The American brand name was a pejorative from the 1920s meaning "stingy."  

What is the common American brand name of this tape?

In the News:

A Blanchard nursing home resident was found dead in a van just outside the nursing home.  Her son spoke on the loss of his mother and her quality of care.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin proposed a new income tax cut.

More Obamacare fears based on the unlikely; the death debt.

Maryland hospitals encouraged to reduce healthcare costs through community partnerships.

A toxin known more commonly for causing foodborne illnesses is linked to multiple sclerosis.

Testosterone treatments linked to heart attacks.

DDT exposure may increase risk of Alzheimer's.

The Oklahoma chapter of the Alzheimer's Association opens a Lawton office.

Registration is now open for the 2014 Senior Day at the Capitol.

Oklahoma Legislature:

The Oklahoma Policy Institute has released the 2014 Oklahoma Legislative Primer.

Disabilities:

Disabilities will not stop two Florida marathoners.

The Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals decided to put beneficiary appeals on the front burner.

A Syracuse disabilities agency was sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Dementia and Alzheimer's:

Students provide innovative designs to help dementia patients.

A documentary chronicles the efforts of one social worker to get iPods to every Alzheimer's patient in America.

Medicare/Medicaid Fraud:

An Illinois hospice owner allegedly bilked Medicare out of millions of dollars.

The DHHS Inspector General released a report showing Medicaid overpays millions for diapers.

CMS is cracking down on doctors who habitually overbill Medicare.

Florida hospital chain accused of endemic Medicare fraud.

Caregivers:

Debra Whitman:  The cost of being a caregiver.

Safety is a constant concern for many caregivers.

Nursing Homes and LTC Facilities:

The Fed fined an Iowa nursing home for evicting an ailing veteran with unpaid bills.

New Oklahoma legislation requires nursing home to use more stringent screening for certain patient care positions.

David Satterfield, Jr., admitted to dosing a nursing home patient with lethal amount of insulin in 2007.

Senior Living:

Sex and the single senior; concern about rising rate of STDs.

Four fitness tests that can estimate your life expectancy.

A $250 prize is being offered for the winning theme for the 2014 National Senior Health and Fitness Day.

ASCOG Advocate, January 24, 2014

Shōichi Yokoi

On this date, in 1972, Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi was discovered hiding in isolation since the end of this war.

What was the war in which Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi fought?

A Missouri senator files a Medicaid overhaul; bill that would require adults and children to choose from HMO type providers, but would exclude older persons and persons with disabilities from the HMO plan.

CMS updated their fact sheet on Medicare and the Health Insurance Marketplace.

NYC doormen are being trained in how to spot elder abuse.

Social Security announced new compassionate allowance conditions to expedite disability decisions.

High-tech devices can help Boomers age in place.

Mark your calendars for the 2014 Oklahoma Conference on Aging, May 20-22.  

ASCOG Advocate: January 17, 2014

Captain James Crook

On this date, in 1773, Captain James Crook and his crew became the first Europeans to sail beyond this latitudinal circle in search of a continent they failed to find.

What was the name of the latitudinal circle they crossed?

A new bi-partisan bill could reform Medicare from fee-for-service to coordinated chronic care.

The insurance industry launched a seven-figure advertising campaign to convince Congress to not change Medicare Advantage programs.

FTC and Florida Attorney General sue to halt operations of Medical Alert robocalls.

A former director of a Virginia area agency on aging was convicted of embezzling more than $10,000.

A Georgia nursing home optometrist received a 33-month sentence for over-billing Medicare over $500,000.

Several West Virginia nursing homes were in emergency response mode following a large chemical spill.

The Obama administration is considering a new Medicare rule that would remove protected status from antidepressants, antipsychotics and immunosuppresant drugs.

Oklahoma's Medicaid program had the lowest payment error rate among 17 states.

Oklahoma is already listed in the low-moderate range of health care spending without changing to the HMO-type managed care model.

A new Medicaid rule requires person-centered care for home and community-based services.

Two words that cost Medicare patients thousands of dollars.

Brain training can have a long-term positive impact for the elderly.

Men who drink more than 2.5 servings of alcohol per day show mental decline in next decade.

ASCOG Advocate: January 10, 2014

On January 8, 1867, African American men were granted the right to vote in U.S. city.

Ford's Theatre, 1867.

What is the name of the city?

Registration is now open for the 2014 Senior Day at the Capitol.

Alzheimer's researchers hope to find earlier forms of detection.

Feelings of depression and signs of dementia masked the underlying problem for a 73-year-old woman.

A VA program has significantly reduced the number of MRSA infections in VA long-term care centers.

A former prosecutor and a former law enforcement officer will have to answer to charges of disability fraud.

Documents show how NORCE addresses abuse and neglect of their residents with developmental disabilities.

Oklahoma City has the most hospitals with lower than average Medicare readmission rates.

More cuts are in store for Medicare Advantage plans.

Funding for Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) programs was extended for another year.

A new study suggests Medigap plans "substantially" increase health care costs for Medicare patients.

PBS Newshour gives seven tips for successful aging.

Medicare recipients are not affected by the ACA.

Dementia linked to heart disease.

COEDD's Mordell Trammell, formerly from the ASCOG area, was featured on page 21 of the Shawnee Outlook.

Dentistry from the Heart to host a free dental clinic in Oklahoma City.

Wes Bledsoe continues his unfounded rant against DHS and state Health Department officials and calls for "sweeping reform" of Oklahoma nursing homes.