Elder Care and the Workplace

From the Sloan Work and Family Research Network at Boston College, this webpage provides an overview of how elder care impacts employees and the need for elder care benefits and policies in the workplace.

http://wfnetwork.bc.edu/topic.php?id=30

Perspectives: a Quarterly Newsletter for People with Dementia

Perspectives is a quarterly newsletter written for people with dementia that addresses the concerns, reflections, and coping skills of individuals with Alzheimer's or a related memory disorder.

It provides up-to-date research, explores relevant topics, provides a forum for discussion, and builds bridges between people with memory loss around the world. Individuals with Alzheimer's or a related disorder contribute their perspectives to this newsletter in the form of articles, poetry, or letters.

Perspectives is written and edited by Lisa Snyder, LCSW and published by the University of California, San Diego, Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

http://adrc.ucsd.edu/newsletter/newsl.htm

eCare Diary

eCare Diary is a website created based on the founder’s, John Mills, experience as a caregiver for his father who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease.  Having spent over 20 years working in the health care system, John found coordinating long term care to be difficult because of the lack of good information. 

eCare Diary provides comprehensive information, tools and resources to help those seeking and providing long term care.  

The site features the Care Diary, a set of online tools designed to make coordination of care and sharing of information easy amongst family members and other caregivers. 

eCare Diary also has a comprehensive database of nursing home and home care services, guides on long term care financing and information on important health care documents everyone should have.  

http://www.ecarediary.com

Saving for Retirement: What Do You Know?

Learning about retirement saving and planning ahead can help people take the steps needed to build a nest egg for the future. Saving for Retirement: What Do You Know?, a new publication from the National Institute on Aging, is a basic guide to help people of almost any age understand the importance of retirement saving and think about ways to overcome common challenges to reaching their goals.

This colorful, 24-page booklet features fictional stories of typical scenarios -- new parents, a single mother, a couple faced with a serious health problem, and others who wonder how to start or continue saving. In each case, the booklet suggests practical ways to plan and save for retirement. In clear terms, it also discusses Social Security, 401(k) plans, goal setting, and other aspects of long-term saving. Quiz questions through the booklet engage readers and expand on saving concepts and practices. The booklet's general suggestions are enhanced by providing a list of resources where readers can get more information.

Read, download, or order: Saving for Retirement: What Do You Know?

New from NIH Senior Health: How to Talk with Your Docotr

How can you make sure you’re getting the most out of your visit with your doctor or health care provider? Should you make a list beforehand? What should you share? What should you ask? How can you recall the important things you and your doctor discussed?

These and other questions are addressed in four new videos added to the Talking with Your Doctor topic on NIHSeniorHealth.gov, the health and wellness website for older adults.

To watch the videos about talking with your doctor, visit NIHSeniorHealth at http://nihseniorhealth.gov/videolist.html#talkingdr
To read about how to talk with your doctor, visit NIHSeniorHealth at http://nihseniorhealth.gov/talkingwithyourdoctor/toc.html

For more health and wellness information for older adults, go to www.nihseniorhealth.gov. NIHSeniorHealth.gov is a senior-friendly website from the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine, both parts of the National Institutes of Health.

Mobility and Assistive Devices and Tough Conversations

Through funding from The Public Health Agency of Canada, the British Columbia Institute of Technology, in collaboration with Weber Shandwick Worldwide, created the Mobility program to educate seniors and their families on the positive benefits of using assistive devices or ADs (such as canes, walkers, etc.) and to address the stigma associated with these devices.

The goal of this program is to help seniors change their mindset about ADs and to provide practical information on AD usage through the use of humour and expert advice.

The Seniors Mobility Kit contains answers to frequently asked questions; tips on what to ask your health care provider; details on canes, walkers, scooters, grab bars and hip protectors. Two new information sheets are also available on bathroom safety and winter safety.

The Baby Boomer Kit provides resources for determining whether parent's have mobility issues; and a "tough conversations guide" for discussing mobility aids with parents.

http://www.bcit.ca/mobility

Older People's Vision for Long Term Care

Published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, an endowed organization in the UK, this study aimed to answer to question of how can we ensure a 'better life' for older people in residential and nursing care homes when their voices are rarely heard?

The paper examined the experiences and aspirations of these older people and highlights their ambition to increasingly influence decisions about care, support and wider issues such as:

* Whether or not to move to a care home
* What helps to enhance their quality of life
* What is needed to promote their inclusion in care home, family and wider community life.

http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/older-people-vision-long-term-care

Shriver Report on Working Caregivers

In October 2009, Maria Shriver, First Lady of California, and the Center for American Progress released the Shriver Report, a study which examines women's changing role in the workplace now that women comprise half of all workers in the United States.

The report explores how women's changing roles affect our major societal institutions, from government and businesses to our faith communities, and how these institutions and our culture still rely on outdated models of who works and who cares for our families. The chapters in the report are written by various experts, discuss issues that include the needs of working caregivers, and provide data from a poll conducted by the Rockefeller Foundation intended to uncover the experiences of working women in the U.S. For more information, visit:

http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=2348#research1

Caregiving Policy Digest

The latest issue of the Caregiving Policy Digest, published on October 28, 2009 by the Family Caregiving Alliance, highlights the latest policy changes nationally and internationally, and provides links to the latest research and reports on caregiving.


http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=2348

New Fact Sheet on Caregiving

From the Family Caregiving Alliance, this is a comprehensive fact sheet on all aspects of caregiving in America.
http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=2313

Watch the Walk and Prevent a Fall

This article by Steve Lohr in the New York Times provides an excellent overview on preventing falls, and innovative fall prevention programs for the elderly.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/business/08unboxed.html?_r=2&partner=TOPIXNEWS&ei=5099

National Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults

From the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, this attactive brochure sets out guidelines for physical activity for adults:

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/Publishing.nsf/Content/phd-physical-activity-adults-pdf-cnt.htm/$File/adults_phys.pdf

How to Prevent Medication Mishaps

The National Family Caregivers Association Presents: A free Webinar for Family Caregivers

If you are caring for a loved one who is:

* Elderly
* Taking multiple medications
* Seeing more than one doctor, orr
* Suffering from multiple illnesses

Safe & Sound: How to Prevent Medication Mishaps
Thursday, November 12, 2009
2:00 - 3:00 PM Eastern Time

You can participate by telephone or through an on-line web site:
for more information or to register

Driver Safety Program Now Online

The AARP Driver Safety Program is the nation's first and largest course for drivers age 50 and older. The program has helped millions of drivers protect their safety on today's roads.

AARP has offered its classroom course since 1979, and now offers the course online.

• Tune up your driving skills and update your knowledge of the rules of the road
• Learn defensive driving techniques
• Discover ways to handle left turns, right-of-way, highway traffic and blind spots
• Complete the course online at your own pace
• 24 hour a day customer service support
• In some states, taking this course may qualify you for a multi-year insurance discount

http://www.aarpdriversafety.org/default.aspx?cmp=NLC-EDO-110109-DriverSafety-Others

Benefits CheckUp

Developed and maintained by The National Council on Aging (NCOA), BenefitsCheckUp is a
comprehensive Web-based service to screen for benefits programs for seniors with limited income and resources.

https://www.benefitscheckup.org/about.cfm

New Online Guide to Hearing Aids

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a new Web site that will benefit current and potential users of hearing aids.

A New Online Guide to Hearing Aids can be found at:
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/UCM187245.pdf

For Older Men: Tips for Good Health in Later Life

From the American Geriatrics Society's Foundation for Health in Aging, this document provides older men with information on how to take better care of themselves, and boost their odds of living healthier, longer lives. The document lists recommended tips from the experts with the American Geriatrics Society's (AGS') Foundation for Healthy Aging (FHA).

http://www.healthinaging.org/public_education/menshealth_tips.php