Medicare Increases Cancer Drug Coverage

Medicare is now willing to pay for “off-label” cancer drug treatments.  While sure to increase Medicare spending, and cause a certain amount of controversy, Medicare will now pay for treatment using drugs that have received FDA approval – but not for use as a cancer treatment.

“In some instances … the medical community may have scientific
evidence that supports using a drug to treat a disease even if the
drug’s FDA-approved label does not include those clinical conditions,”
Medicare explained in a June 5 news release describing the policy.

Oncologists appear to strongly support the new rules, which went in to effect this past autum.  While “off-label” prescribing has been a standard practice for some time, not all groups are supportive:

“I’m not sure I would say it’s a bad thing, but I think it was
ill-advised and needs to be re-evaluated,” said Steven Findlay, a
health policy analyst for Consumers Union, publishers of Consumer
Reports. “We think it’s better to be cautious. Evidence shows that some
of these drugs extend life by a very small amount and at great cost.”

Medicare notes it is not obligated to pay for the treatments.  Physicians must still provide evidence the treatments are “reasonable and necessary”.

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Preventing Falls in the Home

Yes, we’ve all seen the commercial.  In fact, we’ve heard the lady cry, “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” so many times that it’s become a cliche.  Unfortunately, fall in the home are still a leading form of injury among seniors.

Here’s a video that discusses things that you can do in your own home to help prevent falls:

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Bathroom Design Tips

As we get older we find that we can use a little help, particularly in the bathroom.  Here are few ideas for your bathroom to help prevent injury AND to just make things a little easier.

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Wisdom of the Seniors

We have often heard adults make the statement “if I only knew then what I know now…” Perhaps it doesn’t have so much to do with our knowledge but with the way an older person’s brain processes the ups and downs of life. Researchers believe that older people respond differently to their negative feelings than persons of a younger generation. Researchers are discovering that an older person will not respond as strongly to life’s negative aspects.

An interesting study was carried out where older women and younger ones were shown a series of images. These images were a combination of photos to stimulate a positive, neutral or negative response. The younger women were around 25 years old while the older ladies averaged 70 years. At a later date the women were tested to see which photos they remembered. Both groups showed the tendency to remember the negative photos, but interestingly a significant amount of the older women recalled fewer of them than the younger subjects in the study. It was concluded that the older women have an ability to suppress the way they process the information. The possibility exists that they may prefer to center on more positive information and downplay the negatives. There are several theories as to why this happens.
Read more

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Fran Drescher Discusses Her Battle With Cancer

Actress Fran Drescher, best remembered for her long running TV series The Nanny, discusses her winning battle against cancer as well as her fight to help others overcome adversity.  courtesy of AARP TV

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iPod Hearing Loss Protection for Boomers: Five HearPod Solutions

Since their debut in the marketplace, iPods have revolutionized the way we listen to music. iPod hard drives store up to 300 hours of music, batteries last for 12 hours, and the volume can be cranked up to 120 decibels. That’s louder than a chain saw or pneumatic drill, and equivalent to a jet plane taking off! But iPod fans are being warned to turn their music down. Even manufacturer, Apple, includes a cautionary note with every iPod, warning, “permanent hearing loss may occur if earphones or headphones are used at high volume.”

Currently, 16 million baby boomers have hearing loss and the number is expected to surge to 78 million by 2030. Amazingly, nearly three-quarters of them admit that they have never visited a doctor or hearing health specialist to have a hearing test. In spite of this lack of concern, there are more boomers aged 46 to 64 with hearing loss than seniors over the age of 65 with the same condition, and hearing loss among baby boomers is 26 percent more common than in previous generations.
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Caregiving Tips for Boomers: 5 Tips for Decreasing the Cost of Caring for Elderly Parents

Over 30 million Baby Boomers provide countless hours of assistance to elderly parents at no charge. It is estimated that, using average hourly wages, the total amount of this uncompensated care is comparable to the entire Medicare budget. For the estimated 7 million Boomers who provide long distance care, actual out of pocket expenses amount to almost $5,000 per month. For caregivers who have, or are considering leaving the workforce to care for an ailing parent, the costs are even greater – over $650,000 in forfeited salaries, benefits and pensions.

This stark economic reality shows only one dimension of the price caregivers pay for this act of love.

Caregivers pay with losses that extend well beyond their bank accounts. They often forego the activities that bring joy and richness to their lives, like meeting friends for dinner, or going out to the movies or taking family vacations. They pay with their time, the loss of professional opportunities and the erosion of personal relationships that result in isolation.

Sometimes, otherwise healthy loved ones need a short dose of care as they recover from an acute medical episode like a broken leg. Usually loved ones are on a path of steady decline with cascading assistance needs. Some caregivers sacrifice large chunks of their own lives as they help their parents and other family members and friends peacefully make their transitions. Caregivers can pay with their own health and well-being. In fact, we have evidence that some caregivers pay for their acts of care with their very lives.

You can decrease the personal and economic costs of caregiving. This means proactive planning rather than reactive responding. Planning saves money. You know this as you reflect upon your experiences of going to the grocery store with and without a shopping list. Planning also minimizes personal wear and tear and decreases stress. You will feel much better when you know your options and develop back-up plans before you jump into a challenging project.

5 Tips to Decrease the Cost of Caregiving:

1. Begin the conversation today. We have tremendous cultural resistance to the recognition of aging, disability and death. Just as the first few steps uphill are the hardest, so, too, you may meet the greatest resistance simply starting the conversation about their possible need for care. Say today, “Mom and Dad, it would be great if you lived forever, but the discovery for the fountain of youth is nowhere on the horizon. What thoughts and plans do you have about enjoying your golden years?”

2. Create a plan. Talk with your parents about their ideal plan if they are no longer able to care for themselves. Then, start to work toward that proactively. Investigate long-term care insurance. Draw up the appropriate legal documents. Find out who would make medical choices if they were not able to make them on their own, along with some guiding principles for the choices. You can anticipate and limit parental resistance by saying, “Mom and Dad, I just got back from the lawyer’s office signing my will and durable medical power of attorney. I’ve asked Mitch to make my medical choices if I cannot make them myself. Just so you know, if I were in vegetative state, I wouldn’t want to be maintained on a machine. You probably already planned ahead too, right?”

3. Use personal and community resources. Make caregiving a family job to which each member contributes. Even children can make grandma’s life special with drawings and phone calls. Identify services that make your job as a caregiver easier. If you and your parents live in the same community, check with friends and neighbors and local organizations to learn about services and resources that will make your job easier. You say, “Mom has just moved in with us, and she wants to ‘find a card game with the girls.’ Do you know of any senior centers that have social events? How about transportation?”

We’re a mobile society and millions of caregivers live more than an hour away from their parents. Executive William Gillis learned from his own personal experience how challenging it is to identify community resources from afar. As he was carving the path that ultimately led his on-line portfolio management service, he became the caregiver for his father. Talk about mixed emotions! Professionally, he was introducing a service that let millions manage their investments with one click of a computer mouse. Personally, he was investing untold hours just to find one bit of information to help his dad.”

As with so many innovators, he used his personal and professional experience to launch Parent Care (www.parents-care.com), a service that he wished would have made his life as a caregiver-at-a-distance easier.

4. Gather cost-savings tips. This might mean something as simple as ordering generic medication or regularly inquiring about senior discounts. But, most cost savings opportunities aren’t as obvious. Mr. Gillis found, for example, that some states will pay for phones for hearing, visually or mobility limited seniors or fund home safety improvements. He said, “We’ve invested heavily to locate time and money saving resources that most would have difficulty finding. I made it a personal mission to help other caregivers avoid some of the costs and frustration I encountered.” You don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Tap into the resources others have collected.

5. Take care of yourself. You will be able to provide the best care as a caregiver when you’re at your best. Get good nutrition, enough sleep and regular exercise. Manage your stress and do a little something every day to nurture your soul. Understand that you are at increased risk for anxiety, depression, and weakening your immune system. Talk to your doctor if you see worrisome signs such as problems sleeping, changes in appetite or loss of interest in activities you enjoy.

Despite the costs, most caregivers say that they received much more than they gave. Most say they would do it again, and many do.

Sometimes the question is not the personal cost of caregiving; it’s the value that you bring to the lives of others that matter at the end. What personal cost are you willing to pay for the privilege of helping those who welcomed you into the world to enjoy their golden years and travel the road of illness with love and dignity?

About the Author:
Dr. Vicki Rackner is a board-certified surgeon and Clinical Instructor at the University of Washington School of Medicine who left the operating room to help caregivers and patients take the most direct path from illness to optimal health. Want more tips about caregiving? Get your free report “Caring for the Caregiver” by emailing Dr. Vicki Rackner today at DrVicki@DrVicki.org and be sure to check out her regular column with the Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Group’s new caregiver web site http://www.strengthforcaring.com

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