November Enewsletter from National Family Caregivers Association
2 views
Skip to first unread message
MI Family Caregivers
Nov 2, 2009, 1:42:00 PM11/2/09
to MIfamilycaregivers
A message from the National Family Caregivers Association
Encouraging Family Caregivers to Speak Up
Happy National Family Caregivers Month!
November 2009 E-LETTER
TO NFCA ONLINE MEMBERS AND FRIENDS
This month find information on:
Make This the Month You “Say ‘Yes’ to Health Reform”
Don’t Miss Out on NFCA’s FREE Teleclass: Register Today and Learn How
to Prevent Medication Mishaps
The Best Care for Your Parents: Senior Care Solutions and Potential
Pitfalls
Are You Caring for a Depressed Elderly Parent?
New State Healthcare Scorecard Finds Wide Differences in Healthcare
Across the Country
Does Your Loved One Have Parkinson’s Disease?
No Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment for 2010
You Can Now Listen to the Healthcare Reform Bill
U.S. Family Caregiver Postage Stamp Petition Needs Your Signature
UCLA Meditation Study Looking for Volunteers
Make This the Month You “Say ‘Yes’ to Health Reform”
Nearly one in two Americans has a chronic illness, and more than 75
cents of every dollar spent on healthcare in the U.S. is spent
treating patients with one or more chronic diseases. Now an online
grassroots campaign, "Say 'Yes' to Health Reform," is promoting the
need for comprehensive health reform that tackles issues of
affordability, access and quality brought on by our nation’s high
rates of poorly prevented and mismanaged chronic disease. The
campaign, sponsored by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease
(PFCD), features video testimonials of Americans from communities
across the country who are "saying 'yes'" to health reform that
prioritizes prevention and wellness and helps Americans fight common
chronic diseases. To learn more, go to www.sayyestohealthreform.com.
After watching the videos, Speak Up to members of Congress by sharing
your story and letting them know that healthcare reform is good for
family caregivers. For contact information for your senators and
representative, go to www.senate.gov and www.house.gov.
Don’t Miss Out on NFCA’s FREE Teleclass: Register Today and Learn How
to Prevent Medication Mishaps
There are approximately 100,000 deaths each year due to adverse drug
reactions. Now you can learn the tools you need to minimize the
possibility that you or your loved one will experience an adverse
medication event. Join NFCA’s FREE teleclass/webinar, “Safe & Sound:
How to Prevent Medication Mishaps,” on Thursday, November 12, at 2
p.m. EST. The program will help you understand when medication
problems are most likely to occur and what you can do to prevent them.
This program is offered FREE in honor of NFC Month 2009. Don’t miss
this invaluable educational opportunity. Register today at
http://thefamilycaregiver.org/national_family_caregiver_month/teleclass.cfm.
The Best Care for Your Parents: Senior Care Solutions and Potential
Pitfalls
On Thursday, November 19, at 7 p.m. EST, Home Instead Senior Care, a
member of the National Family Caregivers Association's Corporate
Leadership Council, will host a webinar designed to help family
caregivers plan for the care of their senior loved ones. Research
recently released by Home Instead Senior Care has revealed that
planning for care is out of sight and out of mind for half of seniors
ages 65 to 75, who have not thought about their own future care needs.
Home Instead Senior Care Co-Founder and CEO Paul Hogan will be joined
by NFCA President and CEO Suzanne Mintz for a 30-minute presentation
that will address such issues as how to identify what your loved ones
need, care pitfalls to avoid, talking with your parents about their
options, and resources and assistance. To register for this free
conference, visit www.caregiversstress.com.
Are You Caring for a Depressed Elderly Parent?
Depression rates are high among the elderly. Caring for a depressed
elderly parent takes a toll on the family. Learn how it affects you
and how to ease the burden of caregiving by listening to the Families
for Depression Awareness audio podcast on your computer or iPod at
http://familyaware.org/podcasts/podcasts.php.
Families for Depression Awareness is a national nonprofit organization
that helps families and friends recognize and cope with depressive
disorders to get people well and prevent suicides. The organization is
made up of families who have lost a family member to suicide or have
watched a loved one suffer with depression. Families for Depression
Awareness provides education, outreach, and advocacy. For more
information, go to www.familyaware.org.
New State Healthcare Scorecard Finds Wide Differences in Healthcare
Across the Country
The cost and quality of healthcare, as well as access to care and
health outcomes, continue to vary widely among states, according to
the Commonwealth Fund’s new report, Aiming Higher: Results from the
2009 State Scorecard on Health System Performance. The report states
that the continuing and growing disparities in state performance point
to the urgent need for comprehensive national health system reform.
The report ranks states on 38 indicators in the areas of access,
prevention/treatment quality, avoidable hospital use and costs,
healthy lives, and equity. Poorly coordinated care and inefficient use
of resources continue to undermine care and drive up costs in many
state healthcare systems. States with higher medical costs tend to
have higher rates of readmissions to the hospital and potentially
preventable hospital admissions for chronic conditions like asthma and
diabetes. For an interactive map that allows users to see individual
state information and compare states on various measures, go to
www.commonwealthfund.org.
Does Your Loved One Have Parkinson’s Disease?
Save the date to join the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF), online
or by phone, on Tuesday, November 17, at 1 p.m. ET for an educational
webinar, "How to Take Care of the Parkinson's Caregiver," with Barbara
Habermann, Ph.D., R.N., associate professor, Department of Family
Health Nursing at Indiana University School of Nursing. This free 60-
minute PD ExpertBriefing is part of PDF’s recognition of National
Family Caregivers Month. If you miss this session, an archive of the
presentation will be available on the PDF Web site for up to one year
after the live event. For more information or to register for this
session, visit www.pdf.org/en/expertbriefings or call 800/457-6676.
No Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment for 2010
If you or your loved one receive Social Security or Supplemental
Security Income benefits, it’s important to know that with consumer
prices down over the past year, monthly Social Security and
Supplemental Security Income benefits will not automatically increase
in 2010. This will be the first year without an automatic Cost-of-
Living Adjustment (COLA) since they went into effect in 1975. For more
information about the 2010 COLA, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/cola.
You Can Now Listen to the Healthcare Reform Bill
An audio version of the House of Representatives healthcare reform
legislation, HR3200, is now available. Hearthebill.org was created as
a public service for the visually impaired or for anyone who would
prefer to listen to the bill rather than read it. (Listening to the
bill in its entirety would take nearly 17 hours!) A volunteer team of
voice actors, including NFCA’s own CCAN volunteer Liz de Nesnera, are
making the audio recording available for free download or streaming
audio on the site. The text is also available on the site for those
who'd like to read it, or read along. To “Hear the Bill” for yourself,
go to www.HearTheBill.org.
U.S. Family Caregiver Postage Stamp Petition Needs Your Signature
Celebrate National Family Caregivers Month by signing the petition
letter for a United States postage stamp honoring family caregivers.
We are in need of 2,000 more signatures and you can be one of them!
Visit NFCA’s Web site at www.thefamilycaregiver.org and click on the
U.S. Postage Stamp button on our home page to submit a letter to the
Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee. And please pass this message along
by posting it to your Facebook pages, Twitter, or other networking
sites. Every signature helps!
Upcoming Study
The following information is provided as a public service. NFCA has no
connection to the studies or research programs publicized below and no
endorsement is implied.
Attention Los Angeles Family Caregivers: Participate in a UCLA
Meditation Study That Promotes Wellness With Mindfulness
Nearly 50 percent of caregivers develop stress-related depression.
Medical studies have already shown that meditative exercise such as
yoga and Tai Chi can help reduce depression and improve quality of
life. A UCLA research team led by Dr. Helen Lavretsky is requesting
caregivers over the age of 55 to participate in a study on meditation
and relaxation to reduce caregiver stress and improve cognitive
functioning. To participate, family caregivers are asked to come to
UCLA for up to six visits. Psychological assessment, cognitive
testing, and two blood draws will be performed. To reduce the risk of
depression, caregivers will be trained to do a daily brief meditation
exercise at home for eight weeks. Participants may be eligible if they
are experiencing stress or mild depression and not taking any
medications to reduce it. Limited compensation and all study
interventions are provided.
For more information, contact Dr. Helen Lavretsky at 310/794-4619, or
visit http://www.semel.ucla.edu/latelife
PLEASE FORWARD THIS E-LETTER ALONG TO YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS and
ENCOURAGE ALL THE FAMILY CAREGIVERS YOU KNOW TO JOIN THE NFCA
COMMUNITY OF CAREGIVERS. THERE IS NO COST! Just click here: http//
www.thefamilycaregiver.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NFCA 1-800-896-3650
To unsubscribe/change profile: click here.
To subscribe: click here.
National Family Caregivers Association
10400 Connecticut Avenue
Suite 500
Kensington, Maryland 20895
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email list management powered by http://MailerMailer.com
Encouraging Family Caregivers to Speak Up
Happy National Family Caregivers Month!
November 2009 E-LETTER
TO NFCA ONLINE MEMBERS AND FRIENDS
This month find information on:
Make This the Month You “Say ‘Yes’ to Health Reform”
Don’t Miss Out on NFCA’s FREE Teleclass: Register Today and Learn How
to Prevent Medication Mishaps
The Best Care for Your Parents: Senior Care Solutions and Potential
Pitfalls
Are You Caring for a Depressed Elderly Parent?
New State Healthcare Scorecard Finds Wide Differences in Healthcare
Across the Country
Does Your Loved One Have Parkinson’s Disease?
No Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment for 2010
You Can Now Listen to the Healthcare Reform Bill
U.S. Family Caregiver Postage Stamp Petition Needs Your Signature
UCLA Meditation Study Looking for Volunteers
Make This the Month You “Say ‘Yes’ to Health Reform”
Nearly one in two Americans has a chronic illness, and more than 75
cents of every dollar spent on healthcare in the U.S. is spent
treating patients with one or more chronic diseases. Now an online
grassroots campaign, "Say 'Yes' to Health Reform," is promoting the
need for comprehensive health reform that tackles issues of
affordability, access and quality brought on by our nation’s high
rates of poorly prevented and mismanaged chronic disease. The
campaign, sponsored by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease
(PFCD), features video testimonials of Americans from communities
across the country who are "saying 'yes'" to health reform that
prioritizes prevention and wellness and helps Americans fight common
chronic diseases. To learn more, go to www.sayyestohealthreform.com.
After watching the videos, Speak Up to members of Congress by sharing
your story and letting them know that healthcare reform is good for
family caregivers. For contact information for your senators and
representative, go to www.senate.gov and www.house.gov.
Don’t Miss Out on NFCA’s FREE Teleclass: Register Today and Learn How
to Prevent Medication Mishaps
There are approximately 100,000 deaths each year due to adverse drug
reactions. Now you can learn the tools you need to minimize the
possibility that you or your loved one will experience an adverse
medication event. Join NFCA’s FREE teleclass/webinar, “Safe & Sound:
How to Prevent Medication Mishaps,” on Thursday, November 12, at 2
p.m. EST. The program will help you understand when medication
problems are most likely to occur and what you can do to prevent them.
This program is offered FREE in honor of NFC Month 2009. Don’t miss
this invaluable educational opportunity. Register today at
http://thefamilycaregiver.org/national_family_caregiver_month/teleclass.cfm.
The Best Care for Your Parents: Senior Care Solutions and Potential
Pitfalls
On Thursday, November 19, at 7 p.m. EST, Home Instead Senior Care, a
member of the National Family Caregivers Association's Corporate
Leadership Council, will host a webinar designed to help family
caregivers plan for the care of their senior loved ones. Research
recently released by Home Instead Senior Care has revealed that
planning for care is out of sight and out of mind for half of seniors
ages 65 to 75, who have not thought about their own future care needs.
Home Instead Senior Care Co-Founder and CEO Paul Hogan will be joined
by NFCA President and CEO Suzanne Mintz for a 30-minute presentation
that will address such issues as how to identify what your loved ones
need, care pitfalls to avoid, talking with your parents about their
options, and resources and assistance. To register for this free
conference, visit www.caregiversstress.com.
Are You Caring for a Depressed Elderly Parent?
Depression rates are high among the elderly. Caring for a depressed
elderly parent takes a toll on the family. Learn how it affects you
and how to ease the burden of caregiving by listening to the Families
for Depression Awareness audio podcast on your computer or iPod at
http://familyaware.org/podcasts/podcasts.php.
Families for Depression Awareness is a national nonprofit organization
that helps families and friends recognize and cope with depressive
disorders to get people well and prevent suicides. The organization is
made up of families who have lost a family member to suicide or have
watched a loved one suffer with depression. Families for Depression
Awareness provides education, outreach, and advocacy. For more
information, go to www.familyaware.org.
New State Healthcare Scorecard Finds Wide Differences in Healthcare
Across the Country
The cost and quality of healthcare, as well as access to care and
health outcomes, continue to vary widely among states, according to
the Commonwealth Fund’s new report, Aiming Higher: Results from the
2009 State Scorecard on Health System Performance. The report states
that the continuing and growing disparities in state performance point
to the urgent need for comprehensive national health system reform.
The report ranks states on 38 indicators in the areas of access,
prevention/treatment quality, avoidable hospital use and costs,
healthy lives, and equity. Poorly coordinated care and inefficient use
of resources continue to undermine care and drive up costs in many
state healthcare systems. States with higher medical costs tend to
have higher rates of readmissions to the hospital and potentially
preventable hospital admissions for chronic conditions like asthma and
diabetes. For an interactive map that allows users to see individual
state information and compare states on various measures, go to
www.commonwealthfund.org.
Does Your Loved One Have Parkinson’s Disease?
Save the date to join the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF), online
or by phone, on Tuesday, November 17, at 1 p.m. ET for an educational
webinar, "How to Take Care of the Parkinson's Caregiver," with Barbara
Habermann, Ph.D., R.N., associate professor, Department of Family
Health Nursing at Indiana University School of Nursing. This free 60-
minute PD ExpertBriefing is part of PDF’s recognition of National
Family Caregivers Month. If you miss this session, an archive of the
presentation will be available on the PDF Web site for up to one year
after the live event. For more information or to register for this
session, visit www.pdf.org/en/expertbriefings or call 800/457-6676.
No Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment for 2010
If you or your loved one receive Social Security or Supplemental
Security Income benefits, it’s important to know that with consumer
prices down over the past year, monthly Social Security and
Supplemental Security Income benefits will not automatically increase
in 2010. This will be the first year without an automatic Cost-of-
Living Adjustment (COLA) since they went into effect in 1975. For more
information about the 2010 COLA, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/cola.
You Can Now Listen to the Healthcare Reform Bill
An audio version of the House of Representatives healthcare reform
legislation, HR3200, is now available. Hearthebill.org was created as
a public service for the visually impaired or for anyone who would
prefer to listen to the bill rather than read it. (Listening to the
bill in its entirety would take nearly 17 hours!) A volunteer team of
voice actors, including NFCA’s own CCAN volunteer Liz de Nesnera, are
making the audio recording available for free download or streaming
audio on the site. The text is also available on the site for those
who'd like to read it, or read along. To “Hear the Bill” for yourself,
go to www.HearTheBill.org.
U.S. Family Caregiver Postage Stamp Petition Needs Your Signature
Celebrate National Family Caregivers Month by signing the petition
letter for a United States postage stamp honoring family caregivers.
We are in need of 2,000 more signatures and you can be one of them!
Visit NFCA’s Web site at www.thefamilycaregiver.org and click on the
U.S. Postage Stamp button on our home page to submit a letter to the
Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee. And please pass this message along
by posting it to your Facebook pages, Twitter, or other networking
sites. Every signature helps!
Upcoming Study
The following information is provided as a public service. NFCA has no
connection to the studies or research programs publicized below and no
endorsement is implied.
Attention Los Angeles Family Caregivers: Participate in a UCLA
Meditation Study That Promotes Wellness With Mindfulness
Nearly 50 percent of caregivers develop stress-related depression.
Medical studies have already shown that meditative exercise such as
yoga and Tai Chi can help reduce depression and improve quality of
life. A UCLA research team led by Dr. Helen Lavretsky is requesting
caregivers over the age of 55 to participate in a study on meditation
and relaxation to reduce caregiver stress and improve cognitive
functioning. To participate, family caregivers are asked to come to
UCLA for up to six visits. Psychological assessment, cognitive
testing, and two blood draws will be performed. To reduce the risk of
depression, caregivers will be trained to do a daily brief meditation
exercise at home for eight weeks. Participants may be eligible if they
are experiencing stress or mild depression and not taking any
medications to reduce it. Limited compensation and all study
interventions are provided.
For more information, contact Dr. Helen Lavretsky at 310/794-4619, or
visit http://www.semel.ucla.edu/latelife
PLEASE FORWARD THIS E-LETTER ALONG TO YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS and
ENCOURAGE ALL THE FAMILY CAREGIVERS YOU KNOW TO JOIN THE NFCA
COMMUNITY OF CAREGIVERS. THERE IS NO COST! Just click here: http//
www.thefamilycaregiver.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NFCA 1-800-896-3650
To unsubscribe/change profile: click here.
To subscribe: click here.
National Family Caregivers Association
10400 Connecticut Avenue
Suite 500
Kensington, Maryland 20895
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email list management powered by http://MailerMailer.com
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages