Weekly Alert - July 23rd – July 30th

 

Position Paper 1: Informed National Strategies and Plans

(US) Old Age in America, by the Numbers
The population of older Americans is growing faster than ever and living longer than ever, but not as long as in much of Europe and elsewhere in the developed world, according to “Older Americans 2010: Key Indicators of Well-Being,” a report compiled by 15 federal agencies. The full report, with tables detailing older people demographics, economics, health status, health risks and health care, is available at agingstats.gov. It contains a number of surprises, and raises a number of questions, for those interested in how Americans are aging. Americans who live to age 65 can now expect to survive on average 18.5 more years, four years more than in 1960, according to the report. Of those who survive to age 85, women have an average 6.8 years to live, and men, 5.7 years. But life expectancy is even longer in most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cuba and Costa Rica.
Link to article: Old Age in America, by the Numbers
Link to website and reports: Older Americans: 2010

(INT) Ageing in Asia
By the middle of this century, Asia’s older population is projected to reach 922.7 million, and its share of population 17.5 per cent from just 4.1 per cent in 1950. Within the next few decades, Asia is poised to become the oldest region in the world; reforming policies and creating new structures and institutions to address this challenge is a huge and complex undertaking that requires a big head start. This paper analyses the impact that ageing is having in Asia; examines the policy options for dealing with the problems it is causing, and outlines how different subregions may require different responses.
Link to report: Ageing in Asia

(UK) The future ageing of the ethnic minority population of England and Wales
This report - commissioned by Runnymede and written by the Centre for Policy on Ageing - gives a detailed estimate of the ethnic make-up of the older population of England and Wales over the next 40 years. While the present population of older BME people is relatively small and mainly born overseas, over time it will become much larger, more ethnically diverse and will include more people born in the UK. Strikingly, the report has found that while there were only half a million BME people over 65 in 2001, this will rise to 1.3 million in 2026 and 3.8 million in 2051. This changing population will have implications for public service planners at a local and national level and financial institutions.
Link to report: The future ageing of the ethnic minority population of England and Wales

(IRE) New Irish documentary to explore the "End of Ageing"
Tile Films are currently in production with ‘The End of Ageing’, a 52 minute Science HD Documentary for RTÉ which looks into recent scientific moves that may make it viable to stop signs of ageing and, ultimately, cheat death.  Presented by Dr. Rose Anne Kenny the documentary suggests that eternal life may soon be a reality. Scientists are forecasting that the only way many humans in the near future will die is if they are shot or run over by a bus. The passing of years will no longer be the critical factor. Tile Films will also look at the topic from an Irish point of view in that Irish viewers are already living longer lives than ever before. Passing the 100 mark is no longer so unusual and recent research shows that 50% of all Irish girls born in 2010 will live to be over 100 years of age.
Link to article: New Irish documentary to explore the "End of Ageing"

(AUS) Older People Demand World Class Care, Financial Security, Equality In Work And An End To Ageism
Older Australians are demanding commitments to world class care, financial security, support for mature age workers and an end to ageism from both sides of politics in the lead up to the federal election.
Launching their demands, Seniors Vote 2010, at the start of an intense two-week marginal seats campaign, National Seniors Australia chief executive, Michael O'Neill, challenged this year's contenders to demonstrate their commitment to older voters. "How significant are the over-50s to you and what policies and plans do you have for them?" he asked. "We're hearing a lot about boats and schools but where's dental health and aged care? Both are at crisis point and no one's talking about them. Is it that these issues aren't sexy or are they just too hard? "Older Australians are looking for real leadership - a government with the courage to tackle the tough, not populist, issues," he said.
Link to article: Older People Demand World Class Care, Financial Security, Equality In Work And An End To Ageism

 

Position Paper 2: Enjoy an adequate income: Employment, Pensions and Retirement

(INT) The impact of the financial crisis on defined benefit plans and the need for counter-cyclical funding regulations
This paper, produced by the OECD, discusses the impact of the crisis on DB pension schemes and the temporary responses taken by regulators to help ease financially strained plan sponsors. It also presents suggestions to governments and policy-makers for making funding regulations more counter-cyclical in nature, in order to strengthen the security of DB benefits and help to maintain future DB plans. The authors argue that the international standardisation of funding regulations is unlikely and would likely be ill-fitting across jurisdictions. However, some convergence of over-arching funding principles, and general international best-practices and guidelines to promote counter-cyclical features could strengthen DB systems.
Link to report: The impact of the financial crisis on defined benefit plans and the need for counter-cyclical funding regulations

(INT) Universal minimum old age pensions impact on poverty and fiscal cost in 18 Latin American countries
In Latin America, five countries - Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay - have non-contributory pensions.  But pension coverage rates remain below 30% in half of Latin American countries.  This paper, produced by the World Bank, examines the impact on old age poverty and the fiscal cost of universal minimum old age pensions in 18 Latin American countries using recent household survey data. First the authors’ measure old age poverty rates for these countries. Then they discuss the design of minimum pensions schemes—means-tested or not—as well as the disincentives they introduce for the economic and social behaviour of households including labour supply, saving and family solidarity.  Finally, the authors use household survey data to simulate the fiscal cost and the impact on poverty rates of alternative minimum pension schemes in the 18 countries.
Link to report: Universal minimum old age pensions impact on poverty and fiscal cost in 18 Latin American countries

(IRE) Reduction in State pension will cause older people further hardship – Eamon Timmins
Since the ERSI’s Prof John FitzGerald and The Irish Times Economics Editor Dan O’Brien raised the issue in recent days, commentators have piled in behind them setting out the case why pensions could, or should, be cut. They were not cut last year; inflation is falling and therefore pensioners are gaining; pensioners should share the pain when we are all suffering; cutting the State pension would also provide big savings to the exchequer at one stroke of a pen, unlike other new forms of taxation which would require considerable ground work to be done first. But has anyone looked at the reasons why the State pension should not be cut or questioned the validity of the arguments in favour of reducing pensions? Age Action welcomes this debate, but believes it has been one-sided to date. The strongest argument for protecting the State pension is that it provides a vital buffer for older people against poverty. More than half the pensioners in Ireland are dependent on the State pension as their sole means of income. This situation is unlikely to change for the rest of their lives, even when the economy recovers.
Link to article: Reduction in State pension will cause older people further hardship – Eamon Timmins

(US) The Big Balance: Raising the Retirement Age while Protecting Those Who Cannot Work
The US Urban Institute presents an audio of a roundtable discussion on the viability of raising the retirement age, while still protecting those individuals who cannot work. Panellists also discussed how health status, job characteristics, and job prospects intersect to affect work at older ages. What will happen to Social Security if Americans do not extend their careers as life expectancy increases? Would raising Social Security’s early entitlement age or full retirement age hurt low-income groups? Can Social Security Disability Insurance adequately protect workers with health problems? Are there alternatives to raising the retirement age that would promote work at older ages?
Link to roundtable discussion: The Big Balance: Raising the Retirement Age while Protecting Those Who Cannot Work

(UK) Fixed retirement age to be axed in UK
The government is planning to scrap the default retirement age in the UK from October 2011. Under the proposal, employers would not be allowed to dismiss staff because they had reached the age of 65.
Activists, who have long campaigned against the rule, welcomed the proposal as a "victory" against ageism. Currently, an employer can force an employee to retire at the age of 65 without paying any financial compensation. The only obligation on an employer is to hold a meeting with the member of staff to discuss plans at least six months before their 65th birthday. At the end of that meeting it is entirely at the discretion of the employer whether or not to terminate employment.
Link to article: Fixed retirement age to be axed in UK

(UK) Retired parents fund adult children
Up to 60% of adults still need financial support from their parents, accepting £2,000 per year on average according to research. An online survey questioned 1,022 retired people about their spending preferences, and 46% said they would rather spend money on their relatives than on themselves. Funeral plan provider Avalon found 20% of people who had stopped working still spent £10,000 per year on their grown-up children to help them afford large costs such as tuition fees or buying a house, with 22% saying they worried more about family members' financial security than their own.
Link to article: Retired parents fund adult children

(UK) Over 60s using assets intelligently to make most of retirement
A new study from Saga Equity Release reveals that a fifth (17%) of over 50s have little money left over to enjoy their retirement once they have paid off their debts and more than two fifths (41%) of retirees find clearing their debts difficult, highlighting how hard it is for many people to fund their dream retirement. However, an increasing number of over 60s are now using equity release to unlock money so they can enjoy a better quality of life in retirement.
Link to article: Over 60s using assets intelligently to make most of retirement

(US) More Baby Boomers May Be Choosing Startups Over Retirement
Coming soon, brought to you by the wave of 76 million Baby Boomers  entering their Golden Years: business start-ups instead of retirement. That's the way John Rhett, chairman of SunTrust Investment Services, a unit of Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks(STI), is starting to see it. Rhett, based on retiring clients who have approached him and his colleagues for guidance on how to start a new business, thinks we are now seeing "the first inning" of a trend that could reshape the small-business landscape.
Link to article: More Baby Boomers May Be Choosing Startups Over Retirement

(UK) Age discrimination warning for growing numbers of older workers
More older workers are likely to find an "invisible wall" of ageism between them and a new job, resulting in greater numbers being stuck in long-term unemployment, charity Age UK has warned. Figures published by the Department of Communities and Local Government as part of the Citizenship Survey: 2009-10 show ageism is still the biggest single reason for discrimination in recruitment. Four per cent of all workers aged 50 and over - estimated to be in excess of 300,000 - say they have been refused a job because of their age in the past five years.
Link to article: Age discrimination warning for growing numbers of older workers

(US) Time to Call It Quits? The Safety and Health of Older Workers
The workforces of many countries are aging, creating pressure for older workers to retire later despite greater vulnerability to various occupational safety and health (OSH) risks. Some specific risks to older workers arise from age-related physical or psychological changes, while others reflect exposures to poor work organization or employment conditions. This article reviews evidence on the nature of the OSH risks faced by older workers, focusing on work ability, contingent work, and working hours. The authors discuss organizational practices and regulatory policies to protect and enhance the OSH of older workers.
Link to report: Time to Call It Quits? The Safety and Health of Older Workers

 

Position Paper 3: Health

(UK) Investors back Buddi's plans to save Government £2bn
Sara Murray, the founder of Confused.com, has completed a new funding round and announced board appointments for her latest business, which she claims could save the Government up to £2bn annually by delaying the need for residential care for dementia sufferers. Buddi, a personal tracking device with applications for "any vulnerable member of society", has been backed with at least £2m by Kirsh, the private family office which owns a stake in Minerva, in return for 16pc of the business. Sir Peter Bonfield, the former chief executive of BT, and Ralph Kanter, who built the vehicle tracing business Tracker, will join the company's board. The funds will boost Buddi's sales teams in the dementia market, which represents 95pc of its £4m revenues. Buddi currently sells its matchbox-sized GPS-based devices to more than 80 UK councils.
Link to article: Investors back Buddi's plans to save Government £2bn

(IRE) Why do some people live to 100?
One of my favourite stories about Jeanne Calment is that on her birthday a visitor came to the nursing home where the Frenchwoman had lived since age 110. Bidding her farewell, the visitor said they hoped to see her the same time next year. The birthday girl reportedly quipped: “I don’t see why not. You don’t look so bad to me.” Calment’s confidence in her own longevity was well founded – she lived to be 122. For most people though, the more modest milestone of 100 is an aspiration. So why does a person make it past the century mark? A recent paper in Science claimed to have come up with a model to analyse various gene variants and predict exceptional longevity with “77 per cent accuracy”. That research has since been widely questioned, but it’s possible that further studies could highlight more robust associations between an individual’s genetic bounty and their estimated lifespan. Yet genes are far from the whole picture – your lifestyle, social and physical environment play important roles in how you age – and, of course, an unfortunate accident can call the whole thing off.
Link to article: Why do some people live to 100?

(IRE) CARDI Focus On...Dementia
The topic of dementia has featured considerably in the news in recent weeks, both in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland. Two major longitudinal studies suggested that depression is among the risk factors in developing dementia1. In addition, a team of scientists from King’s College London is developing a blood test for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia2. An attempt to raise the profile of dementia in Northern Ireland was launched with Dementia awareness week, which ran from 13 - 19 June 2010. This article examines the facts and policy surrounding dementia, as well as the urgent need for further research in the area.
Link to article: CARDI Focus On...Dementia

(US) Gene linked to ageing also linked to Alzheimer's
MIT biologists report that they have discovered the first link between the amyloid plaques that form in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and a gene previously implicated in the aging process, SIRT1. The researchers found that SIRT1 appears to control production of the devastating protein fragments, termed A-beta peptides, that make up amyloid plaques. They also showed that in mice engineered to develop Alzheimer's plaques and symptoms, learning and memory deficits were improved when SIRT1 was overproduced in the brain, and exacerbated when SIRT1 was deleted. The results, reported in the July 23 issue of the journal Cell, indicate that drugs that activate SIRT1 could be a promising strategy to combat Alzheimer's, says Leonard Guarente, the MIT biology professor who led the study.
Link to article: Gene linked to ageing also linked to Alzheimer's

(US) Researchers Identify Factors That Lead To "Successful Aging"
What, exactly, does "successful aging" mean? For more than a half century, researchers and gerontologists have argued whether successful aging is better defined subjectively (how older adults view their own state of aging) or objectively (physical disease-related disability or mental decline). Answering this question is more than an academic exercise. As the first members of the famed "baby boom generation" reach age 65, understanding what it means to remain healthy and independent in later life could have an enormous impact on health care delivery and medical policy. Researchers have recently unveiled new findings that clarify what it means to age successfully, and point to modifiable factors that could help more people remain healthy as they age. The researchers found that people are more likely to age successfully if they are educated, have never been incarcerated, are married, consume only moderate amounts of alcohol and either work for pay or do volunteer work.
Link to article: Researchers Identify Factors That Lead To "Successful Aging"

(UK) Anti-psychotic drugs given to older people
Almost a fifth of older people in Scotland who have dementia are being given anti-psychotic and psychotropic drugs, research has shown. Scientists at the University of Dundee said the drugs are “known to be of limited benefit” and may cause “significant harm” to patients. The drugs have long been used on dementia patients in an attempt to deal with their behavioural and psychological disturbances.
Link to article: Anti-psychotic drugs given to older people

(UK) Life expectancy gap 'widest since Great Depression'
The poorest people in Britain are twice as likely to die before the age of 65 than the richest - the highest inequality in mortality since the economic depression of the 1930s. The gap between the two has not been greater for the last 80 years, according to a study in the British Medical Journal.  Teams at the universities of Sheffield and Bristol calculated deaths before the age of 65 – considered premature – in areas of the top ten per cent down to the bottom ten per cent of wealth. They said: "For every 100 people under the age of 65 dying in the best-off areas, 199 were dying in the poorest tenth of areas.  "This is the highest relative inequality recorded since at least 1921. When we looked at people aged under 75, for every 100 people dying in the best-off areas, 188 were dying in the poorest tenth of areas. That is the highest ratio of inequality recorded since at least 1990."
Link to article: Life expectancy gap 'widest since Great Depression'

 

Position Paper 4: Age-friendly communities

(IRE) Age Friendly programme comes to city
Former GAA Presidnet Nicky Brennan chaired the latest event on the tour of Age Friendly Kilkenny when it was held in Hotel Kilkenny yeterday, Tuesday. Already the tour has visited most of the county and will conclude in Graignamangh this Thursday as Kilkenny is one of only two counties nationwide chosen to be the first to introduce the scheme. The response to date has been excellent, and a presentation was made yesterday by Dr Emer Ahern, Geriatrician at St Lukes Hospital. Guests were also invited to lunch and entertained by The Garda Band at the Hotel afterwards. In March Kilkenny People columnist Nicky Brennan launched the Kilkenny Age Friendly County Programme which aims to focus discussion on the kind of society that is desirable and achievable for older adults in Kilkenny.
Link to article: Age Friendly programme comes to city
Link to video: Listening to make Kilkenny the best place in which to grow old

(UK) Rise in older people will increase housing costs
An ageing population will pose massive problems for housing planners in Scotland, according to a new Government report. The Impact of Population Ageing on Housing in Scotland warns that costs are set to rise rapidly in three key areas. The demand for suitable housing stock, the need for support to live at home and the need for homes to be adapted to suit older people are all increasing. Bathrooms and shower adaptations are the most common changes needed by older residents, and in Glasgow alone, 11,000 households need to be adapted. The degree to which homes have already been adapted varies from 10% of total households in West Dunbartonshire to less than 1% in the City of Edinburgh, with an average of 4% of households improved across Scotland.
Link to article: Rise in older people will increase housing costs
Link to report: The Impact of Population Ageing on Housing in Scotland

(US) 'Villages' let older people grow old at home
The explosive growth of the USA's older population is fueling a grass-roots "village" movement in neighborhoods across the country to help people age in their own homes. More than 50 villages in a neighbour helping  neighbour system have sprouted in the past decade from California and Colorado to Nebraska and Massachusetts. They are run largely by volunteers and funded by grants and membership fees to provide services from transportation and grocery delivery to home repairs and dog walking. Most villages have opened in the past couple of years, an indication that the momentum is growing in the face of a demographic tsunami: The number of Americans 65 and older is expected to more than double to 89 million by 2050, according to the Census Bureau.
Link to article: 'Villages' let older people grow old at home

(UK) Building work starts on older people's housing project
Building work on a new state-of-the-art social housing development for older people in Crowborough, East Sussex, has started this week. The development will be called The Rowans and is a partnership between Wealden District Council and Sussex Housing and Care (SHC), a local charitable housing association. The aim of the project is to create additional family council homes by encouraging older tenants of council houses, whose children have moved out, to move to the development, thereby freeing up their under-occupied council home for a family on the waiting list. The 16 one- and two-bedroom flats and three two-bedroom bungalows will be completed by March next year, and will be available for Wealden Council tenants aged 55 and over living on their own or with a partner in a family sized home. The creation of a £20m housing facility for older people in Swadlincote has also taken a step nearer completion. A ground-breaking ceremony took place for the site, which will provide a community care centre and houses for rent for people aged over 55. There will also be a range of facilities including a gym, restaurant and IT suite.  
Link to article: Over-55s housing in Swadlincote nearer completion
Link to article: Building work starts on older people's housing project

(IRE) Motor tax plan 'unfair to older people'
A proposal to penalise motorists who do not pay their vehicle tax online would unfairly hit older drivers, the charity Age Action has said. The measure is contained in a report by the Local Government Efficiency Review Group which was published this week. The report was approved by the Government on Wednesday. Penalising those who do not use the online motor tax facility failed to recognise that one of the main reasons people do not use this service is that they do not have computer skills or access to a computer, Age Action said.
Link to article: Motor tax plan 'unfair to older people'

 

Position Paper 5: Engagement

(UK) Having good friends appears to 'boost' survival
Having a good network of friends and neighbours boosts survival chances by 50%, US researchers believe. The Brigham Young University team came to this figure by number-crunching data from nearly 150 studies looking at survival odds and social networks. And they calculate that having few friends is as damaging to survival as smoking 15 cigarettes a day or being alcoholic, PLoS Medicine reports.
They believe caring about others makes us take better care of ourselves. But they warn that in today's modern world social networks are deteriorating as we struggle to juggle careers and families and find a happy work-life balance.
Link to article: Having good friends appears to 'boost' survival

(IRE) Over 101,000 people participated in Bealtaine 2010
The dust has settled, the evaluation forms returned and the numbers have been crunched for the 2010 Bealtaine Festival, and Age & Opportunity revealed today that over 101,000 people are estimated to have taken part in this year’s festival – enough to fill the Aviva Stadium twice over and still have 1,000 people queuing outside! More than 500 Bealtaine organisers staged over 2,500 events in theatres, libraries, along river banks, in arts centres, residential care centres, beaches, galleries, cafes and day care centres all over Ireland. ‘The festival has been growing in popularity, size and quality year on year – but 2010 has seen an enormous leap in attendance at events,’ said Sue Russell, Media Coordinator for Age & Opportunity.
Link to article: Over 101,000 people participated in Bealtaine 2010

(CAN) 'Zoomers' joining forces
When seeing the names of the people in a national group promoting a "new vision for aging," anyone who grew up on '80s music videos is bound to stop at the name of Moses Znaimer. Currently the executive director of the non-profit CARP group -- originally the Canadian Association of Retired Persons -- he is the Canuck media mogul and pop culture pioneer who beat America's MTV at its own game. He and CARP are now trying to popularize a new term for to-day's active older adults: "zoomers," or baby boomers with zip.
Link to article: 'Zoomers' joining forces

(US) Baby Boomers are fastest growing group on Facebook as it sets record at 500 million users
This week the online social networking giant Facebook reached the milestone of 500 million users.  Just who are these people and why are they spending so much time checking into Facebook every day? Surprise, surprise it’s the baby boomers. Though Baby Boomers are often considered technologically inept by the younger generation, it is in fact, the Baby Boomers who make up the largest growing demographic on Facebook, often much to the chagrin of their children and younger friends and relatives. After all, what 19 year old wants Aunt Mary posting her comments on his or her wall or gushing over reconnecting with long lost friends from high school on Facebook, of all places!
Link to article: Baby Boomers are fastest growing group on Facebook as it sets record at 500 million users

(US) Teens don thinking caps to help aging population
Who says you have to move forward to make progress? Nicholas Schiefer has made a case for putting on the brakes instead. When the 16-year-old high school student from Pickering, Ont., signed up to take part in Shad Valley, a month-long, nationwide enrichment program for high school students, he little imagined he would be facing the task of developing a product or service designed to help the country’s rapidly aging population. The issue has dogged governments, corporations and policy-makers for longer than most Shad participants have been alive, but Schiefer and 10 of his fellow participants were tasked with presenting a fully developed solution — complete with working prototype and 30-page business plan — in just 19 days. Several hours spent cloistered in a room on the University of British Columbia campus yielded hundreds of suggestions, but the penny didn’t drop for the enterprising teens until they hit upon the unlikely combination of memory aids and wheelchair mechanics.
Link to article: Teens don thinking caps to help aging population

(UK) Text And Email Alerts Welcomed By Older Patients - British Psychological Society
Text and email alerts could help older patients remember appointments and medication instructions, ultimately reducing NHS costs and potentially improving their own recovery. This is one of the findings from post-graduate researcher, Lyndsay Hughes. The study investigated ownership and use of email and mobile phone technologies in a sample of 112 patients. From this sample 73% of older patients had an email address and 93% owned a mobile phone. Those in the eldest category (over 65) also reported a high use of mobile phones with more than 63% stating they were "confident" at reading texts. Almost half of those who had an email address or mobile phone said that they would like an email/text reminder for appointments. A quarter of patients who had access to these technologies said they would like an email/text medication reminder.
Link to article: Text And Email Alerts Welcomed By Older Patients - British Psychological Society

 

Position Paper 6: Live in a place like home: Long-term care, independent living and carers

(IRE) Strain of being a carer highlighted
Almost one in 10 people in Ireland are carers and many of these are under major strain, a new report from the Central Statistics Office has shown (CSO). According to the report, 8% of adults - 10% of women and 6% of men - provide unpaid help or assistance to someone. This amounts to around 350,000 people. Almost half of these carers are aged between 45 and 64 and two in three are women. Almost half care for someone in their own household. One in three carers work full-time, while almost one in three are ‘economically inactive', but of working age. Four in 10 are the sole carer for the person they look after. The report noted that almost half of carers spend more than 15 hours per week providing care, while one in five spend more than 57 hours per week.
Link to article: Strain of being a carer highlighted
Link to report: Quarterly National Household Survey: Carers

(UK) Warning over £106bn bill for old-age care
Caring for Britain's growing older population could cost up to £106bn a year, equivalent to paying for a second NHS, according to research from the Policy Exchange thinktank. In its latest report, released today, the influential rightwing group says that introducing free personal care for older people through taxation, as happened in Scotland in 2002, would see friends and family withdraw their informal care. The cost to the state of providing this support, combined with the growing ageing population, would land the NHS with unsustainable costs. Instead, the report says, the public should pay a substantial proportion of their long-term care costs through insurance or annuity-backed products.
Link to article: Warning over £106bn bill for old-age care
Link to report: Careless Funding long-termcare for the elderly

(EU) The Impact of the Crisis on Cash-for-Care Schemes for Dependent Elderly A Comparative study of France, Italy and England
This paper prepared for Age Platform is part of series of studies on the impact of the crisis on social security systems, tackled by students of the Master on European Social Security at the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium). It focused upon cash benefits for care in three selected countries, namely France, Italy and England.
Link to report: The Impact of the Crisis on Cash-for-Care Schemes for Dependent Elderly A Comparative study of France, Italy and England

(UK) The social care commission is on the right track
The announcement of a commission on the funding of care and support – to report within a year – indicates that the coalition government is serious about reforming social care. It needs to be. If the delay in making the announcement was to allow ministers time to recruit the right commissioners, it was time well spent – between them, the commissioners have the experience, knowledge and passion to ensure they are listened to. Their work will be vital. Resources for social care are inadequate. Thousands of older people needing help with basic daily tasks receive no assistance at all. Those who obtain help often receive the bare minimum, far from the support they need to live independent, fulfilling and dignified lives. And many people with modest means are forced to surrender their savings – sometimes their homes – to pay for the care they need.
Link to article: The social care commission is on the right track

(NZL) Country's rest home industry leaves a lot to be desired
Many New Zealanders, especially those with loved ones in rest homes, think their older relatives are safely and carefully looked after by well meaning and benign organisations. This may well have been the situation in the past, because it was mainly carried out by the state and church organisations that had a culture of care and concern. It may come as something of a shock to discover that 75 per cent of the country's 870 rest homes are run by mostly overseas companies and the Overseas Investment Office last year approved sales of aged care facilities valued at more than .5 billion. There are 34,000 residents in rest homes, many provided by chains such as Radius, Ryman, MetLife, Bupa Care Services, even the Kuwait Finance House. All profits naturally are repatriated to their overseas owners. This profit-driven "industry" attracts around billion in direct subsidies from the Government and input from 18 Ministry of Health and associated agencies.
Link to article: Country's rest home industry leaves a lot to be desired

(UK) Joan Bakewell examines the 'burden' of elder care
In a specially authored Panorama, Dame Joan Bakewell, who recently stepped down as the government's Voice of Older People, explores the challenges ahead in caring for our ageing population. With the first wave of baby boomers about to turn 65, the question of who should be asked to pay for that care could not be more timely. As Dame Joan, 77, points out, amid talk from successive governments about tackling the problem, the old keep on getting older.
Link to article: Joan Bakewell examines the 'burden' of elder care

(NI) DHSSPS publishes results from home care survey
The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) (Northern Ireland) has today published the ‘Domiciliary Care Module - Continuous Household Survey 2008/09’. The DHSSPS commissioned a module of questions on domiciliary care with a view to collecting information on people who said they needed help with certain everyday activities. They were then asked whether they received help with these activities from a friend(s), relative(s) or neighbour(s) or from a home help/ care worker. This survey was also used to find out the views of any current home care service users about the service they receive and their own particular circumstances.
Link to report: Domiciliary Care Module - Continuous Household Survey 2008/09

(US) One Way to Judge a Nursing Home
While looking at nursing homes for my mother, I always asked the tour guides if I could talk to the nurses’ aides. This seemed to me a logical request. After all, these were the women — and they were all women — who would spend the most time with my mother, who would notice small changes that raised big questions, who would make her feel cared for. Or not. “They don’t do that,” I was told almost everywhere I visited. I soon realized why. In casual conversations in hallways and dining rooms at more than a dozen facilities, I found only one nurses’ aide who had been on the job more than six months. I was witnessing in real life one of the most dismal statistics in long-term care: More than 70 percent of nurses’ aides, or certified nursing assistants, change jobs in a given year.
Link to article: One Way to Judge a Nursing Home

 

Assistive and Remote Technology Services for Independent Living

(UK) Stronger focus needed to optimise technology for aged care
Australia needs an increased national focus on developing and applying smart technology for healthy longevity, says a new report from the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE). This increased focus is essential to realise the potential of smart technology to ensure a healthy, safe, secure and fulfilling future for the increasing aged population in Australia and the maintenance of a healthy, harmonious and prosperous society. The report also says national coordination and sustained R&D support are essential to make optimum use of the available resources. The 100-page report came from an Australian Research Council-funded study ATSE conducted in 2009, reviewing the state of aged care technology in Australia and in Europe and using the expertise of Academy Fellows and invited experts to provide an informed view of the future situation of technology for ageing-in-place (continuing to live at home) in Australia.
Link to article: Stronger focus needed to optimise technology for aged care
Link to report: Smart Technology for Health Longevity 2010

(AUS) E-health: slow and steady wins the race
Even though Australia may look as though it is dragging its feet when it comes to electronic health reform, slow and steady could well win the race. The rate of progress in developing an e-health network was one of the main topics of discussion on the first day of the Information Technology in Aged Care (ITAC) conference in Melbourne. The CEO of the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA), Peter Fleming, justified the long implementation period, saying advances must be taken in small steps now to avoid large mistakes in the future. “Once we get it right, we will roll it out big time so that we can avoid any mistakes,” Mr Fleming said. “You need to understand the possible workflow situations to work with it to get it right.” Last month the government passed legislation to enable Individual Healthcare Identifiers (IHIs) which will enable providers to identify and manage patient information.
Link to article: E-health: slow and steady wins the race

(US) The Do-It-Yourself House Call
Technology that aims to keep congestive heart failure patients out of the hospital is gaining traction. The idea is for heart patients to take readings like their weight, blood pressure and other key metrics using wireless and other technologies; the data are then transmitted to a case manager or medical care giver. That way health care givers can catch, and address, warning signs before the patient lands in the ER with shortness of breath or a heart attack. In the past, patients have found such technology difficult to use. But a number of managed-care companies are experimenting with electronic devices meant to make the process easier. A big benefit is that it allows patients to stay in their homes, but the systems can't catch everything, and patients shouldn't be lulled into a false sense of security by the technology.
Link to article: The Do-It-Yourself House Call

 

The Business of Ageing

(US) Busting myths about baby boomers
Advertisers have long been obsessed with targeting the young and the hip, the consumers under 50 years old who are perceived to have the most spending power. But now that the baby boomers, and all their buying clout, have begun aging into their 50s and 60s, it may be time to adjust that attitude. A new study from Nielsen reveals just how off base some of our impressions of older people are. The research shows that boomers as a group are early adopters who consume huge amounts of media, including more time-shifted television than their 18-24 counterparts, and they comprise a surprising one-third of all social media users. In fact, millennials and boomers have a lot in common. Eight of the top 10 web sites visited by millennials are also in the top 10 for adults born between 1946-1964. Pat McDonough, senior vice president of insights, analysis and policy at the Nielsen Company, talks to Media Life about boomer misconceptions, how advertisers should be approaching over-50s, and whether attitudes will ever change.
Link to article: Busting myths about baby boomers

(US) Startup's 20-Somethings Surf Web For Older People
Nearly everyone has an older relative or cranky friend who still resists computers and the Internet due to some vague fears of the unknown. Morey Wright, 26, sees this situation as a business opportunity. Wright has started a business called Netcrossers, a service based in South Florida, a well-known magnet for older people. Netcrossers serves folks who don't want to use the Internet themselves, or who need help doing so. For an annual fee of 9, customers can call up Netcrosser agents on the phone and get them to search the Web for information. The company's 'crossers' also can remotely connect to a user's computer, to help users navigate through Web sites, possibly to find useful information such as property tax data. "People in my generation are always online, because we were raised on the Web," Wright said. "But a lot of people, even people as young as their 40s and 50s, don't use the Internet much.
Link to article: Startup's 20-Somethings Surf Web For Older People

---