CAREGIVERS USA NEWS

Vol. II, No. 14
March 15, 2004

SENATE AGREES TO DRUG IMPORTS
Bowing to grassroots slings and arrows, the demigods of the Senate have agreed to develop a proposal that would allow the importation of prescription drugs from Canada. Democrats extracted the promise from Majority Leader Bill Frist in exchange for approving Mark McClellan to take over Medicare and Medicaid. McClellan has been running the FDA, where he was a vocal critic of drug imports.

MediGate
The chief Medicare auditor says he was muzzled and threatened with dismissal during the debate on the new Medicare bill.

Medicare, Medicare ...
So wide and deep is the Medicare and prescription drug benefit uproar that we have started a new section to keep track of it all.

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CAREGIVER TAX RELIEF PROPOSED
A bipartisan coalition of Congressional leaders and volunteer organizations met recently to call attention to the issues facing family caregivers who provide an estimated $257 billion annually in services that the government would otherwise have to pay -- more than twice what is spent each year on nursing homes and paid homecare combined. “Caregiving is the issue of our age," said Suzanne Mintz of the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA). "Sooner or later, it will affect virtually every family in America, and we are not prepared as individuals, or as a nation to deal with it. Family caregivers are the cornerstone of the national healthcare system."

SAFETY ALERT: PATIENT LIFT RECALLED
A sling-like device used to lift elderly and handicapped patients has been recalled by its manufacturer because of concerns over a bolt that may break and cause a dangerous fall. The Food and Drug Association says all Faaborg battery-operated patient lifts distributed by Moving Solutions, Inc. are involved in the recall. Excessive wear of the lift’s main bolt, which secures the lift arm to the main frame of the lift, will cause the bolt to break, according to the FDA. When this happens and the arm is no longer secured to the lift, the patient will fall, the agency’s statement added.

HOSPICE CARE NOT ALWAYS CHEAPER
Hospice care was introduced in the U.S. as a more humane way to ease the demise of terminal cancer patients. It has grown rapidly to encompass all kinds of end-of-life situations, including dementia and multiple chronic illnesses. A new study finds that while hospice care may be better, it's not always cheaper, contrary to common belief.

HUD WANTS TO KEEP ELDERLY IN HOMES
The housing arm of the federal government has created a new online information center for the nation’s 3,700 public housing authorities with the aim of helping keep seniors safely in their homes longer. The Senior Housing Information Center website was launched by the Housing and Urban Development Department as a resource for local governments to keep abreast of innovations and options for seniors in their communities. HUD said that if its program is effective, local governments and their Medicaid plans should benefit greatly with cost savings of up to 65% by keeping the elderly comfortable and cared for in their homes instead of institutions.

QUICK TEST AIDS IN ALZHEIMER'S DIAGNOSIS
Researchers have turned up a quick test for the elderly to help in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. The test works best when coupled with aggressive emphasis by physicians to diagnose the mind-robbing disease. A quick, easy-to-administer test would encourage family doctors to test for Alzheimer’s more readily, the association said. Current testing techniques are long and involved.

14 NEW ALZHEIMER'S TREATMENTS EXPECTED
Consultants studying the spread of Alzheimer's disease and efforts to stem its spread say pressure to develop effective treatments that delay disease progression and improve the quality of life for patients and their caregivers will result in more than a dozen new treatment products in the next five years. The projection associated the pressure for better treatments and the growth of Alzheimer's (4.5 million U.S. sufferers and 15.3 million worldwide) with a strong push by drug developers who stand to reap a revenue bonanza from successful treatment advances.

FIGHTING PARKINSON'S DISEASE WITH MUSIC
Some of the recording industry's best known artists have joined forces to produce a recording – “ParkinSong, Volume One: 38 Songs of Hope” – to help raise funds to fight Parkinson's disease. The recording features such stars as Bonnie Raitt, Caitlin Cary, David Crosby and Graham Nash. Proceeds will benefit New Jersey-based ParkinSong Foundation, which uses music to raise awareness and money to research new and innovative therapies for treatment of Parkinson's disease.