Saturday, June 27th, 2009 at
3:48 pm
According to a new study from researchers at Duke University, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures performed in older patients with osteoarthritis of the knee result in long-term, significant improvement of physical functioning and motor skills when compared to patients who do not receive TKA.
Published in the July 2009 issue of Medical Care, the study examined physical functioning and gauged outcomes in a national sample of Americans aged 65 and older for up to four years-a longer period than previous TKA studies. Relative to the untreated comparison group, recipients of total knee replacements experienced significant improvement in function, including a 17.5% increase in mobility, a 39.3% improvement in motor skills; and a 46.9% decrease in limitations in activities of daily living such as bathing and dressing oneself.
The number of total knee replacements performed in the United States has increased dramatically since 1990; currently 581,000 such procedures are performed every year. This number is expected to increase markedly as Baby Boomers age.
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Monday, June 8th, 2009 at
2:40 pm
Today, U.S. Senators Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) of the Special Committee on Aging examined the long-term care insurance industry. The high cost of long-term care and the current economic instability are creating significant financial planning challenges for baby-boomers, seniors, and individual states. The committee discussed the industry’s current limitations and how to prepare for the growing number of seniors who will be in need of long-term care.
“When planning their financial future, many Americans overlook the possibility of long-term care,” said Martinez, the lead Republican on the Senate Special Committee on Aging. “The number of seniors requiring long-term care is on the rise, and these expenses could cause a person to quickly deplete their finances and become dependent on Medicaid. Personal planning, such as purchasing a long-term care insurance policy, offers a viable way to save seniors’ assets and reduce a potentially large future financial burden.”
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Friday, May 29th, 2009 at
3:14 pm
Millions of Baby Boomers are struggling to care for their aging parents. Many don’t know where to turn or even what their options are in making important decisions about senior care facilities for their parents.
Until now, the only online services in senior care were heavily biased towards providers paying to have business directed to them. Not anymore. Ourparents.com launched this week with unprecedented access to information about more than 65,000 senior care providers in the U.S.. The free service is totally independent and unbiased, providing ratings, price information and powerful online tools including the remarkable Care Options Advisor. The site is unique in that there is no charge to the consumer or the provider.
Ourparents.com matches aging parents with senior care solutions unique to their specific needs.
“My first-hand experiences with my aging mother showed me how broken the process of finding a senior care solution is,” said John McKinley, founder and CEO of OurParents.com. “I saw sites offering limited senior care options in my area, and little information to help me judge which ones might meet my needs. I felt that my mom represented nothing other than a sales lead that was being sold to only a limited set of senior care providers in that website’s network.”
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