A three judge court of appeals panel has found that the individual mandate for Americans to buy their own insurance, a part of the Affordable Health Care Act, is unconstitutional. The American Cancer Society, The American Diabetes Association and The American Heart Association have appealed the decision and have filed a brief with the Supreme Court.

The Court believes that the rest of the Act can remain in force but the National Patient Care Associations feels the repeal of the individual mandate hurts the patient needing care for chronic conditions.

The research group Prevent Blindness in America has joined with other eye health organizations to promote education about Glaucoma. Age related Macular Degeneration may cause more blindness but Glaucoma is the number one preventable cause of the affliction. Half the people who have the disease do not know it because it doesn’t strike central vision until it’s too late.

Glaucoma is really the name for a number of diseases that attack the optic nerve. It can be found by taking a dilated eye test.  The National Eye Institute

The Department of Health and Human Services has cited Trustmark Life Insurance for taking too large an increase in Health insurance premiums for five different states. The Health Care Act has a segment that says any unreasonable increases must be justified. Most other cases so far have been about rate increases of 10% or more, this particular one is an average of 13%.

The cost of medical care has been increasing slightly over the last two to three years.  Many companies have been instituting rate increases as a way to combat

An article from the Health Day News has reported on a study in Europe showing that the development of late stage “wet” age related macular degeneration may be linked to the daily use of aspirin. Since aspirin has long been used to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in seniors these developments are being looked at very closely.

Over 4,700 people were studied for three years and about one third that have wet AMD took aspirin on a daily basis.  The pill may also be responsible for another cause of blindness in seniors, “dry” AMD, but fewer people were found to have this type of the disease.

The scientists quoted in the article were clear that in most cases no one should be ending aspirin

A recent article in the Huffington Post has looked at the last few years of research on the possible health benefits of drinking coffee. The drink has been avoided by many health conscious seniors due to a high caffeine content but it appears as though it may have some benefits when consumed in moderation.

Despite concerns about the consumption of caffeine recent research has suggested that many health risks are reduced with regular coffee consumption.  One study found coffee causes a release of mood altering hormones in the brain and may prevent depression.  Another benefit seniors may enjoy from coffee

The American Academy of Neurology released the results of a recent study that looked at the memory test performances of 658 people aged 65 and over. The subjects were given an MRI to measure the size of the hippocampus and to identify signs of a silent stroke.  Researchers concluded that those who had suffered a silent stroke had the most difficulty with the memory tests, scoring lower than even those with a smaller hippocampus.

A silent stroke doesn’t show any symptoms of a regular stroke or mini stroke. A mini stroke will show stroke like symptoms which usually dissipate within 24 hours – evidence of silent strokes are usually only found by an MRI.  This study indicates that memory loss not related to the size of the memory center could possibly be delayed with stroke prevention.

Many seniors are on medication for hypertension.  Proper management of this medication can be very important in reducing the chances of a stroke.  Cholesterol reducing medications such as Lipitor can also limit the chances of a blot clot forming in an artery of the brain and causing a stroke.

Medication management is a critical aspect of senior care.  A professional senior care provider can take over medication management to minimize the chances of dangerous drug interactions and ensure that necessary medications are taken at the appropriate times.  Having a trained professional assume this responsibility can reduce some of the stress associated with senior care.

A recent study conducted at the University Of Pittsburg School Of Medicine found that consuming fish once a week may contribute to the manufacturing of brain cells.  The 250 participants were asked about their diet, including consumption of fish, and were given preliminary brain scans at the outset of the study.

These original scans were compared to new brain scans about seven years later.  The subjects who reported that they consumed fish regularly had a greater number of brain cells than the respondents who did not. The study also revealed

The Affordable Care Act has created The New Independence at Home Demonstration that increases the services available to Medicare recipients at home.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services acting administrator describes the program as” bringing new life” to the idea of house calls using 21st century technologies and a team approach.

Certainly the need for unnecessary hospitalizations is a key reason for trying this option of care but caregivers and family members tend to be more satisfied with care

There is a movement that began in Boston in 2001 that helps keep older Americans in their homes instead of relying on a retirement home. An AFP story first run on December 20, 2011 described one of these villages, Capitol Hill Village, which has been operating in the nation’s capital since 2007.  This non-profit neighborhood group works together with volunteers that help seniors with transportation and shopping but no medical care.

The village has 360 members and there is a twenty four hour telephone answering service available to seniors that may need help with transportation or filling out forms. The major focus of the village is to help seniors with minor tasks. Larger issues like medical assistance

A recent survey conducted by the Genworth Corporation details the changes in cost of different types of senior care. According to the report nursing homes stays showed the largest increase with the cost of both private and semi-private rooms coming in 5% higher than the year before. The cost of at home care, whether hands on or hands off care, stayed right at the same level compared to the previous year.

There were no numbers available on this particular report on how many people could have used assisted living or nursing home care but couldn’t afford it.