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.

Researchers from St. Georges University of London studied over 100,000 patients with no history of heart disease and found that aspirin prevented non-fatal heart attacks by a significant margin. Despite this fact regular doses of aspirin did not seem to prevent other cardiovascular events including fatal heart attacks.

Dr. Rao Sashashi stated that the positive effects of aspirin for those who have suffered cardiovascular events is “indisputable’ but for those with no heart disease history it may be unwarranted. The group studied had a 10% less incidence of cardiovascular problems but 30% of those studied developed serious internal bleeding. The risks are seen as outweighing the benefits in these cases.

As a secondary investigation the study found no evidence that aspirin intake prevented the development of all cancers as some studies have stated was possible. Anyone providing at home care for a senior should check with their physician regarding daily aspirin use. There have been studies that show some seniors over medicate themselves with these medications.

Meeting with a professional at Special Care Services to discuss medication management and daily activities can provide great relief for someone giving at home assistance to a family member. One of our professional senior care service providers can examine all medications taken by the senior in your care to reduce the chances of dangerous interactions and improve quality of life.

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

The Pew research center has issued a new report that takes an in depth look at the country’s current trends in marriage based on statistics gleaned from the census of 2010. Only 51% of the adults in the U.S. are currently married. The large majority of people still report that they have been married at one time but the average age for a first marriage has increased greatly.

The biggest difference between 1960 and 2010 is that many younger people have not been married yet. In 1960 adults aged 18 to 24 were married 45% of the time. Only 9% of that group reported

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

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.

The aging of the baby boomer generation has led to more people caring for family members. There have been many attempts to make the population more aware of the risk of “caregiver burnout” that can plague those who care for aging parents and other relatives.
Those who provide in home assistance do have some forms of relief available to them. The technology boom continues to offer devices that can be used to a caregiver’s advantage.

Medical alert devices have been available for years and can be easily arranged for the senior in your care.  With computer connected cameras a caregiver can keep a close eye on a senior even when they aren’t in close proximity. These cameras can be linked to cell phones, tablets and computers and may relieve some of the time pressures and anxiety that occurs when caregivers are not at the home of their loved one.

The person that has taken the responsibility to care for a senior family member has a great responsibility. It is a noble effort and can be quite rewarding but also carries many possible pitfalls that must be avoided. The one that can drag every caregiver down is the feeling that your needs must go unmet because your time must be dedicated to your elder parent or family member.

If you don’t get enough sleep or eat properly you could make mistakes that could adversely affect the wellbeing of the one you are trying to help. Frustration with jobs you take on can have you feeling all alone but there is plenty of help available.

December 7 is the end of the open enrollment period for Medicare Advantage plans. This period is also for those who want to change from one Advantage plan to another or change back to the original Medicare plan from an Advantage plan. It also is a time to take up or drop the prescription drug plan as well.

The open enrollment commercials could possibly be causing some confusion to those who are in the plan for the first time. It also can be confusing to those that are caring for a senior that has coverage in force already. This is a very important subject to those who are older, as after paying into Medicare for so many years they will want to reap some of the benefits.