Health: World Watch
Archives - 2003
France: Les scénarios noirs du
Haut Conseil de l'assurance-maladie (December 23, 2003)
Article in French.
In October, the French government created the High
Council for the Future of the Health Insurance. In the
Council’s first report at the end of December (2003), it
said that economic growth won’t be sufficient to improve
the financial accounts of the French Social Security.
Without any change, the French Social Security deficit
could be 640 milliards euros by 2020. Two measures were
proposed: First,
to raise the contributions of the state employees, or to
raise the retirees and unemployed contributions to the
Contribution Sociale Généralisée (CSG). While huge, the
High Council says that this reform is very necessary.
Without it, other social needs, such as education and
caregiving for elderly will lack financial support.
France: Pour M. Sarkozy, les pouvoirs publics sont
"passés à côté du drame" de la canicule (December 18,
2003)
Article in French
On September the 17th, the French Parliament Commission on
the heat wave listened to the report of Nicolas Sarkozy,
“le Ministre de l’Intérieur”(equivalent to the US Attorney
General). Mr. Sarkozy said he wished the “Pompiers de
Paris” (the highly respected Parisian Firefighters) would
have given an earlier warning of what they saw happening
to older people in the heat crisis. Dr. Yves Coquin, a
Health Official, said it had sent the information to the
Health Ministry. It
appears that good communication did not exist between the
departments of this ministry.
Canada :
Ontarians don't eat enough fruit, veggies for
cancer-fighting benefit: survey ( December 16, 2003
)
In order to prevent people from having
cancer, doctors always recommend eating an average of 10
fresh fruits and vegetables a day. According to the
Cancer Care Ontario
, 30 percent of cancers could be prevented
with healthy food and exercise. A survey led by this
group showed that 40 out of Ontarians do not eat the 5
or more recommended fruits and vegetables per day.
Eating well to keep healthy is an important issue for an
aging population that has to take care of itself.
France:Alzheimer: Plus de Solidarité Nationale
Indispensable (December 10, 2003)
(article in
French)
France:800,000 persons are
suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, with 135,000
new cases each year. Jean
Doudrich, President of “France Alzheimer” says
that the citizens must unite to support the
victims and their families. Not only is this
illness difficult for the individual, but also
the financial costs are very heavy on their
families. Further, there are not enough
facilities to take care of persons with
Alzheimer’s; those that do exist are not equally
available throughout the regions of
France
.
Canada:Pressure
On Canada's Online Drug Sellers (December 10, 2003)
The Canadian on-line pharmacies supply about one
million of U.S.
citizens each year. Many Americans
prefer buying their drugs in
Canada rather than
in the United States
, since the medicines in
Canada
are less expensive. The “cross border purchases” are
allowed only for drugs that can’t be found in the
U.S. ,
but state officials don’t prevent people from buying other
drugs. The Canadian government has stepped in to insure
that on-line pharmacies actually own a resident pharmacy
and employ a Canadian doctor to review the prescription.
Singapore
Faces Flu Vaccine Shortage ( December
8, 2003 )
A worldwide shortage of the flu vaccine has forced
some clinics in
Singapore to turn
away patients requesting the vaccine. Severe flu outbreaks
in the US
and Europe , which started
earlier than normal this year, have depleted global stocks
of the vaccine. Singaporean officials advise anyone
traveling to hard hit areas, especially children and older
people, to seek out the vaccine.
Traitement de la ménopause : le
désarroi des femmes et des médecins ( December 3, 2003
)
(Article in French)
Two recent studies on Substitution Hormonal Treatment
concluded that SHT may increase risk of breast cancer and
heart-attack. In France
, doctors have given the treatment
for 20 years to alleviate symptoms of menopause in women,
but after the studies were released, 32% of French women
receiving the therapy decided to end it. Doctors advise
women to postpone making decisions about the therapy until
scientists provide more thorough results.
United Kingdom: The Truth About NHS
Hospitals (December 1, 2003)
Harriet Sergeant is a reporter at the Health Telegraph who
surveyed many of the National Health Service Hospitals.
Her report shows a chilling picture of a hospital system
in crisis. The nurses lack appropriate training for their
jobs. Many patients are victims of nurses’ poor training,
high turnover and a system that does not work for the
patients’ benefit.
France: Une
épidémie de grippe relance la polémique sur le système
de santé (December 1, 2003)
(Article in
French)
For days France
has been in the grip of a flu
virus. In Paris
, sick people overwhelmed the hospitals during the
weekend. Some
used the emergency plan called “The White Plan,” in
order to get care. Once again, controversy swirls about
the French Health Care system, three months after the
heat wave in which 15,000 people, most of them elderly,
died.
Europeans Mull Free Medical
Care Benefits ( November 28, 2003
)
Europeans traditionally consider health care a
right for all people, criticizing the
US system
that leaves 40 million people without health insurance.
But government drives to cut costs are threatening this
“European social model.” European governments must avoid
the scenario where “those that can afford it have the best
care and health becomes just like any other service you
can buy,” says the director of the European elderly
people’s platform AGE.
Dementia takes its toll in China (November 22,
2003)
Mental health care for the elderly is at crisis point in
China, experts say. Professor Yu Xin, a geriatric
psychiatrist at the Beijing University institute, says
China has 6 to 7 million elderly people with dementia, of
whom at most 15 per cent ever see a psychiatrist or
neurologist. Few of the doctors in China's public health
clinics are trained to spot the symptoms of depression,
and, outside major cities, few hospitals have a psychiatry
department. Chinese also tend to hide emotional
difficulties and look for physical causes, Professor Yu
said. Last month, however, China began opening up this
hidden problem and looking for advice.
L'habitat des personnes âgées mal
conçu contre la chaleur (November 22 2003)
Lots of arguments were given to explain the murderous heat
wave in France last summer but none of them took into
consideration housing construction. The National Institute
of Health Watch started an investigation of old people’s
homes. With the use of new construction materials, houses
can become very hot during summers and cause the
consequences of the 2003 heat wave. However, by following
some common sense rules, summer can become more agreeable
even without air conditioning which threatens France’s
current energy saving policy.
La canicule au jour le jour (November 19, 2003)
Professor Lucien Abenhaim, former director of the
French General Department of Health (Direction Générale de
la Santé) has just written a book about the scorching heat
wave in France in 2003.
He is deeply critical of Jean-François Mattei, the
French Health Minister, and denounces the French Health
system’s long-standing delay in preparing for such a
lengthy heat wave.
Canada Rebuffs U.S. on
Prescription Drugs (November 19, 2003)
Cheap Canadian drugs cause dissension with the
US
—and not because they don’t heal Yanks. The
United States
government claims to be worried about drug safety
risks for its citizens.
However, pharmaceutical companies protect their
excessively high profit rates with huge financial
contributions to political campaigns. Open borders
for free trade on pharmaceuticals
threaten these profits.
U.K. mulls repeal of price
caps on Drugs (November 16, 2003)
In Great
Britain ,
changing the drug industry system is a big issue,
which concerns Europe and
the U.S.
British
regulators are wondering whether they should
deregulate or not. In
Britain the
State regulates prices and profits. The European
model allows for cheaper drug prices than the
free-market American-style model. If deregulation
is adopted, it may lead to increasing drug prices
and irate citizens who cannot afford the drugs
they need. The
industry claims that competition will help
research and innovation.
Curtailing Medicines from Canada (November 11,
2003)
Many U.S. seniors cope with high prescription drug
costs by buying their medicines in Canada, where
prescription drugs cost 30-50 percent less.
However, brand-name drug manufacturers want to
change that. Taking advantage of loopholes in
government price controls, Pfizer,
GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly, and Bayer have
announced they will raise the price of drugs in
Canada to narrow the gap with U.S. prices.
AstraZeneca says it will impose stricter sales
conditions on pharmacies, forbidding them to make
drugs available for export.
Le plan dépendance
sous le feu des critiques (November 7, 2003)
Political opponents and nursing home trade unions
are critical of French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre
Raffarin’s “Vieillesse et Solidarité” (“Old Age
and Solidarity”) plan. The PS (Socialist Party)
and the PC (Communist Party) say Raffarin’s
proposal to finance the plan with taxes from a
revoked state holiday puts an undue burden on
workers. Some trade unions, such as ADEHPA
(Association des directeurs d'établissements
d'hébergement pour personnes âgées), argue that
the government should increase employee capacity
at nursing homes before funding care for more
seniors.
United
Kingdom: Thousands of old people "drugged"
(November 5, 2003)
Morethan 22,000 elderly people in nursing
homes are being given powerful sedatives for no
medical reason, it has been claimed. A report by the Liberal
Democrats suggests residents who do not need
these drugs are being kept sedated to make life
easier for staff. Its health spokesman Paul
Burstow said the situation may be even worse in
residential homes. "Quite simply the over
medication of older people is abuse," he said.
The report's figures are based on a review of
British and international studies in this area
and information released to parliament.
Thailand:
Medicare for less than a dollar (November 5, 2003)
It is a program most insurance companies would
either love or hate: medical care for less than the cost
of a cup of coffee. In
Thailand
the cost is 30 baht, or less
than a dollar, not per month or visit, but a one-time
payment. Television ads tout the program for those who
normally cannot afford a visit to the doctor, let alone
a hospital.
France: Plus de 600 000 personnes
âgées vivent dans les établissements spécialisés.
(November 5, 2003)
In France , 480,000 persons are
living in specialized homes for continuous care and
160,000 in “guest houses” for assisted living, with many
inequalities between North and South. The providers’
rate is only 0.4 per resident, a low rate in comparison
with Great Britain
. While there is a 3% growth rate
in the number of older persons each year, the available
space in specialized homes has increased by only 1%. The
French government reforms will provide better facilities
and equipment as well as reduce regional inequalities.
Chopsticks
may be bad to the bones (November 3, 2003)
Chopsticks, with a history that
dates 5,000 years, provide a simple and neat way to get
small bites of food to your mouth. They also may
contribute to arthritis in the fingers. A study of 2,500
elderly residents of Beijing
who had used chopsticks
throughout a lifetime of eating and cooking has linked
the mechanical stress of manipulating chopsticks with
osteoarthritis of the thumb, index and middle fingers.
"World's
oldest person" dies (October 31, 2003)
Kamato Hongo, a Japanese woman known as the world’s
oldest person, died on Friday, October 31 at the age of
116. A healthy diet of fish and vegetables and no smoking
supported her longevity, as did her favorite pastime:
sleeping. The new oldest person is believed to be a 114
year old Japanese woman.
United Kingdom:
Elderly' denied cancer surgery' (October 29,
2003)
The two charities “Cancer Research
UK ”
and “Help the Aged” organized a conference in
London on October
29 to highlight age discrimination in breast cancer
care. Senior doctors and other experts testify that
doctors often deny life-saving surgery to women over 70
because they assume the women are too frail. According
to Dr. Richard Sullivan, head of clinical programs at
Cancer Research UK
, changing the attitude of doctors
is key to ensuring elderly women get the care they need.
«Sécu»: Le gouvernement se
contente de colmater le déficit (October 28, 2003)
FrenchMinister of Health Jean François Mattei
wants a step-by-step reform of the country’s Social
Security system. First, Mattei intends to stabilize the
deficit of the Health Public Insurance through the “Haut
Conseil pour l’avenir de l’assurance-maladie” (High
Council for the future of health insurance), which will give
the government an audit by the end of the year.
Opponents consider the reform unfair, and former health
minister Claude Evin (PS) says the reform may damage
France
’s
sense of national solidarity.
Rival plans pitch for
Medicare advantage (October 28, 2003)
Australian Opposition leaders are preparing
to announce alternative plans to the Prime Minister’s
highly criticized proposed Medicare reforms. Minister of
Health Tony Abbott has backtracked on some initial
proposals to reform Medicare, and has released alternative
plans that would make it more convenient for patients to
benefit from Medicare. The Australian Medical Association
says Abbott’s concessions are a step in the right
direction, but calls for a larger increase in Medicare
payments to doctors.
South Africa: Doctor puts a smile on
elderly faces (October 22, 2003)
A Cape Town-based maxillo-facial and oral surgeon is
giving new hope to aged patients, having devised a
technique that allows them to regrow bone in their jaws
where it has thinned. The crone-like profile, common in
children's books about witches whose pictures show their
jaws almost connecting with the ends of their noses, is
certainly no joke for the elderly who lose bone-mass in
the jaw. Not only do they lose their teeth, but wearing
dentures becomes increasingly uncomfortable without a
solid jaw to rest on. It is exactly these people to whom
Dr Rushdi Hendricks's innovative work in
Cape Town is offering new
hope.
Europe: Skin care, science and the secret of eternal
profit (October 21, 2003)
Who needs Botox when you can have Boswelox? Instead of
having chemicals injected into your forehead to smooth
wrinkles, simply apply L'Oréal Paris Wrinkle De-Crease
with Boswelox, and watch your face rejuvenate. Wake up,
you men who thought that moisturiser was just oil-in-water
emulsion with some added scent! Moisturiser has matured
into anti-ageing cream, complete with active ingredients,
molecules and enzymes developed in laboratories. The
ageing baby-boomer may not be able to turn back time but
here is a way to slow down its effects. Beiersdorf may not
have discovered the secret of eternal life but it and
L'Oréal have done something else. By combining a bit of
science with a lot of marketing, they have taken
traditional mass brands sufficiently upmarket to be able
to obtain premium prices, without incurring the
distribution costs of older luxury names.
France:
Canicule: le directeur d'une maison de retraite mis en
examen pour "homicide involontaire” (October 19, 2003)
In France, the director of a nursing home has been charged
with being responsible for the death of an old woman
during the midsummer heat. The charge not only implicates
the individual, but also holds the nursing home
accountable. The incident may push the French government
to monitor nursing homes more closely, and consider
whether to increase the required number of employees at
all nursing homes.
German Lawmakers Give Final OK
for Health System Reform (October 17, 2003)
The German parliament passed a healthcare system reform
measure that will cut costs by reducing state health
insurance coverage. German Social Affairs Minister Ulla
Schmidt argues the reform will contribute to “job
creation,” but the government admits the proposal won’t
be sufficient to deal with long-term problems of
increased health costs in an aging society.
United Kingdom:
'I am isolated without my sight' (October 17, 2003)
Margaret
Maxwell is a feisty fighter for elderly care. She serves on numerous committees
and gives a lot to her community. But Margaret, who is
in her 80's, is registered blind and feels this has
blighted the last four years of her life. She suffers
from a condition called age-related macular degeneration
(AMD), which affects many elderly people. Unfortunately,
Margaret's experiences are far from unusual. Eye
diseases such as cataract and glaucoma - as well as AMD
- are common in later life. They constitute a major
cause of disability and loss of independence for older
people. But help could finally be at hand in the form of
an innovative new project set up in the north east of
England.
China is aging
fast (October 13, 2003)
China
’s
population is rapidly aging, due to economic development
on the one hand and the well-known “one child policy” on
the other. While
an aging population is not inherently bad,
China
must plan
for inevitable retirement, pension, and health care
issues in a society with far more elderly than young
people.
Cuba faces the challenges of a
graying population (October 9, 2003)
Cuba's unusually high life expectancy - a tribute
to its modest, but universal, health care - will make it
one of the "oldest" countries in Latin America
by the end of the
decade. Cubans are aging healthily despite
the decades-long
US
blockade, which
has shut out medications and many items thought
necessary for long life. Now, the greatest need is
for sufficient income. Due to a stagnant economy,
the government struggles to find ways to help. The
Office of Elder Services and Social Work at Cuba’s
Public Health Ministry does its
best, but many elderly Cubans must rely on
their families and their own resourcefulness to scrape
by.
Canada:
Antibiotics may help stave off Alzheimer's ( October 9, 2003
)
A combination of two common antibiotics may help
delay symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, researchers said on
Thursday. In a 101-patient Canadian study, Alzheimer's
patients treated with antibiotics doxycycline and rifampin
for three months had significantly less mental decline
than those given dummy pills, said Dr. Mark Loeb,
associate professor at
McMaster University
in Hamilton
, Ontario , and
the study's lead author. "The antibiotic regimen might
allow a person suffering from Alzheimer's disease to
remain home and avoid having to go to a nursing home or
other institution, at least for a period of time," said
Dr. Loeb.
Norway: Four
shots a year may curb menopausal bone loss (October 8,
2003)
An injection of a drug called ibandronate given
every three months seems to be an effective new treatment
for preventing bone loss in postmenopausal women.
Ibandronate, also known by the brand-name Bondronat, is
one of a class of bone-boosting drugs called
bisphosphonates. The four-times-a-year treatment may offer
an "effective and convenient alternative" to estrogen
replacement therapy for preventing the bone-thinning
condition of osteoporosis, say researchers in an article
in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
United
Kingdom: 'Home in a day' hip replacement (October 2,
2003)
Surgeons say a pioneering
operation could allow patients to be able to go home the
day after they have a hip replacement. Patients who have standard hip
replacements have to stay in hospital for an average of
eight days. Developers of the new procedure say it could
cut waiting lists and save the NHS millions of pounds.
The news comes as the High Court ruled that patients
suffering an "undue delay" for an operation could claim
the cost of having treatment abroad.
United
Kingdom: Myths stop elderly having flu jab ( October 1, 2003
)
Half of elderly people do not have the flu jab because
they wrongly believe it will give them the illness,
according to a survey. A quarter also mistakenly think
healthy people do not need to have the vaccine. The
survey results were revealed as the Department of Health
launched its annual campaign to persuade people over 65
to have their free jab. People in "at-risk" groups, such
as those with asthma and diabetes and those on steroids
or cancer treatment are also advised to have the
vaccine.
United
Kingdom: Study links IQ and affluence level to
longevity (September 24, 2003)
By following nearly 1,000 subjects during
a 70-year span, Scottish researchers have found that
people with high IQs who reside in poor neighborhoods
lived longer than people in similar areas with low
IQs, while the intelligence score was not important
for longevity for people living in wealthy
neighborhoods. “The significant interaction found
between IQ and deprivation suggests that IQ in
childhood is less important in terms of mortality for
people who live in more affluent areas in adulthood
than for people who live in deprived areas,” says
Carole L. Hart, Ph.D., of the University
of Glasgow and colleagues from other
universities in Scotland
.
Africa: Older
people and orphans overlooked by HIV/Aids policymakers
(September
19, 2003 )
HIV/Aids policymakers are not acknowledging the key
roles of senior citizens and orphans in their strategies
to combat the pandemic, says an NGO report released this
week. "Few national HIV/Aids policies pay adequate
attention to the growing numbers of orphans and
vulnerable children affected by HIV/Aids, and even less
make provision for their older carers and guardians,"
says the report entitled "Forgotten families, Older
People as Carers of Orphans and Vulnerable Children"
written by HelpAge International and International
HIV/Aids Alliance.
Fears over elderly mental health
care (September 24, 2003)
The Commission for Health Improvement (CHI)
investigation said standards at Withington Hospital's
Rowan ward left patients open to abuse. It said its
findings raised fears about care standards across the
UK. Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust
accepted the report made "grim reading" and said it was
trying to improve services to elderly people in need of
psychiatric care. The investigation followed allegations
last year of mental and physical abuse against 10
patients on the ward.
Sweden: Study shows
increased risk of cancer for stressed women (September
24, 2003)
Stress can increase a woman's chance of
developing breast cancer, according to a new, prospective
study of Swedish women, ECCO12 – The European Cancer
Conference heard on Wednesday, September 24. However, the
study's lead author, Dr Östen Helgesson, warned that his
findings should be treated with caution as the design of
the study meant that it was not possible to assess how
much stress was needed to increase the risk of breast
cancer. Furthermore, the questionnaire used in the study
had not been finally validated as an accurate way of
recording stress and relating it to the chances of
developing breast cancer.
Kenya: Elderly Carry the Burden of
Aids (September 23, 2003)
At 70 years of age, Eunice Wangechi is still engaged in
back-breaking chores to bring up her grandchildren, just
as she did to raise her own children many years ago. She
is one of Africa's ever rising number of older people
having to raise orphans left behind by their parents,
according to a new study on aged people and their
struggles within the Aids pandemic. In their report
titled Forgotten families: older people caring for
orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/Aids,
two charities are asking African governments to move
swiftly to save the older generation the agony of caring
for Aids orphans.
Europe: Successful prostate
surgery: It's quality of surgery not quantity that
matters most (September 22, 2003)
A surgeon's personal skill in performing radical
prostate surgery and not necessarily the number of
operations performed is the key to a patient's future
quality of life and the potential for cure. Surgeons
must be honest with patients about their own success
rates and prospective patients should not be afraid to
ask tough questions, a leading urologist said today
(Monday 22 September).
United Kingdom: Breast cancer
ignorance revealed (September 19, 2003)
Three
quarters of women over the age of 50 do not realise that
breast cancer is more common as women age, according to
a survey. Many are also ignorant about other facts which
doctors say could save their lives by allowing them to
seek treatment early. One in five women over 50 do not
check their breasts for changes from time to time, and
the same percentage fail to attend breast screening. It
is hoped the survey, commissioned by charity Breast
Cancer Care, will boost women's knowledge about the
disease.
New
SARS alert in Hong Kong as nine elderly hospitalized
(September 19, 2003)
A Hong Kong hospital has raised a new SARS alert after
nine residents of a home for the elderly were treated
for fever and respiratory tract infection, a health
department spokesman said. Hong Kong was the second
worst-affected region by with 297 SARS-related deaths
and nearly 1,800 infections. SARS
virus - is thought to have jumped from animals to
humans, which resulted in temporary ban of the trade
of exotic culinary wildlife.
The Killer Season (September 16,
2003)
This summer's murderous heat wave in
Europe, which may have caused more than
11,000 deaths in France alone, is enough to make you
look forward to the season of mittens, hot cocoa, and
frostbite. Ah, for kind, crisp winter, when people aren't
baked like blackbirds! But not so fast: Demographically
speaking, cold is actually a far bigger killer than heat.
One study calculated that in the United Kingdom in the
1990s, more than 80,000 people died of cold-related causes
per year—or more than 100 times the figure for
heat-related deaths. All bets are off in the developing
world, where the hottest months (whichever part of the
calendar they fall on) are more deadly. This means that
some of the demographers' kernels of insight on the
seasonality of mortality hold up across climates,
cultures, and time zones. Stay tuned!
New Zealand: Low cost health care
for elderly (September 16, 2003)
A $47 million nationwide initiative to make primary
health care more affordable for older New Zealanders
enrolled in Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) is to be
sped up, Health Minister Annette King said yesterday. Originally
planned for 2005-06, the Government has decided to make
low-cost primary health care more accessible a year
earlier than that for New Zeal- anders aged 65 and over.
Professional bodies, particularly the New Zealand College
of GPs, believed bringing forward funding for over 65s
would be beneficial, Ms King said.
Canada:
Elderly get wrong drugs (September 16, 2003)
At least one in
three Montreal-area seniors has been improperly
prescribed medication by a general practitioner, a new
study has found. Some of the medication errors can be
fatal but are not necessarily the result of incompetence
by a physician, suggests the lead author of the study.
Rather, poor communication among doctors, patients and
pharmacists is to blame. "It's shocking," said Robyn
Tamblyn, associate professor of epidemiology at McGill
University. The study, published in today's Canadian
Medical Association Journal, describes many common
prescription errors - from duplication of similar drugs
to inadvertently allowing patients to take a medication
for an excessively long period.
United Kingdom, Scotland: Elderly
to get £8m protection from killer diseases (September
15, 2003)
Thousands of pensioners in the Lothians are to be
vaccinated against killer diseases like pneumonia under
a new £8 million campaign launched today. For the first
time, all over-65s in Scotland will automatically be
offered a jag protecting them from diseases such as
pneumonia, meningitis and blood poisoning. The massive
programme is aimed at slashing the death toll from
pneumococcal forms of the infections, which strike
hundreds of elderly people in Scotland each year,
killing dozens. In the Lothians, around 60 pensioners
are admitted to hospital every year with pneumococcal
infections, with around 15 dying. The new Scottish
Executive funded programme was launched on September 15
with a major advertising campaign urging all elderly
Scots to get the jag when GPs start to offer it
alongside the annual flu jabs next month.
EU life expectancy increases, says
survey (September 9, 2003)
Life expectancy in Europe has increased by eight years
since 1960, a new survey shows today. The average life
expectancy is now 75 for men and 81 for women – about
one year more than the average in America. The 200 page
dossier, The Social Situation in Europe 2003, shows how
the EU population is ageing: the over-65s now represent
16% of the total population, and the under-15s account
for 17%. The most dramatic change in prospect is that
the number of “very old” people - those over 80 – will
rise by almost 50% in the next 15 years.
Japan to have 20,000 centenarians
(September 9, 2003)
In a fresh sign of the rapid ageing of Japan's
population, the number of people aged 100 or older is
expected to reach a record high of 20,561 by the end of
September, the Health Ministry says. Women will account
for 84 percent of the number of Japanese centenarians,
which is expected to top the 20,000 mark for the first
time since the government began compiling the data in
1963, the ministry said in a report.
Australia:
Tomatoes protect against cancer (September 7, 2003)
Tomatoes are protection against prostate cancer and
sausages and salami several times a week may increase
the risk of a range of cancers, says a 10-year study of
40,000 Australians. In the biggest Australian medical
experiment so far, the first results are emerging on the
link between cancer and diet.
Charles to finance US ageing
research (September 6, 2003)
The Prince of Wales is about to give financial backing to
a leading alternative medicine centre in the United States
to fund research to reverse the process of ageing. The
prince, 54, has authorised his US charity to generously
fund a research fellowship at the National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Maryland - part
of the National Institutes of Health - after being
impressed by the work of Marc Blackman, its clinical
director. The
offer came after Dr Blackman and his wife, Linda, and
other alternative medical experts were invited by Prince
Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles to a private dinner at
St James's Palace last November, "to discuss ideas and
visions for complementary medicine", according to a US
embassy document obtained by the Guardian.
Elderly
suicide rate down but experts worry downward trend may
reverse
(September 3, 2003)
The number of elderly suicides in Singapore has
dropped by more than half since a decade ago. But
experts are worried this downward trend may be reversed
because of the downturn and aging population. In the
mid-1990s, Singapore's elderly suicide rate was the
highest in the world, outside rural China. But a 10-year
study by local academics shows there has been a
turnaround.
Bone
loss prevention drug showing promise in advanced
prostate cancer (September 2, 2003)
Oral sodium clodronate may slow the development of
symptomatic bone metastases and reduce the risk of death
in men with advanced prostate cancer, according to a
randomized controlled trial in the September 3 issue of
the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Prostate cancer spreads most commonly to the bone, and
bone metastases affect at least 85% of men with advanced
prostate cancer. Bisphosphonates, including sodium
clodronate, reduce bone loss. In the early 1990s,
researchers in the United Kingdom initiated two phase
III trials to examine the benefit of bisphosphonates in
men with advanced prostate cancer. The results of one of
these trials is now being reported.
United Kingdom:
Scientists target ageing (September 1, 2003)
The search for the
elixir of life has become respectable. A Cambridge
University conference will announce this month an
international scientific competition to solve the
secrets of ageing. The prize, potentially worth millions
of dollars to the winner, is attracting keen academic
interest. Four top US research groups have signed up,
and a British team, based at Newcastle University, has
expressed interest. The launch of the prize
reflects a significant shift in scientific thinking. Until
a decade ago, the idea that the ageing process could be
slowed or reversed would have been dismissed as science
fiction.
Philippines: To Your Health -
Anti-Ageing Warrior (August 30, 2003)
At his brightly lit clinic on the 11th floor of a
condominium in Makati City, 80-year-old Dr. Cornejo,
looking much younger than his age, sits amidst images and
statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Sto. Nino.
Wearing a doctor's white coat with a PSG Command Hospital
label, this recipient of more than 600 awards and
commendations from various organizations explains that he
is simply a consultant to the presidential security group.
He is still practicing medicine, as an apostolate, waiving
all consultation fees and pensions, which he donates to
widows of soldiers in Mindanao, to organizations caring
for streetchildren and to the Elsie Gaches Village in
Muntinlupa.
Better nursing
for elderly (August 29, 2003)
A new initiative
has been launched to encourage more nurses to undertake
specialist training in how to care for older people. The
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and charity Help the Aged
(HTA) have announced that they are to develop a new
partnership that aims to focus on the development of
nursing care for older people.
France: Heat row sparks
initiative on elderly (August 26, 2003)
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin was to meet
Tuesday with health care professionals to discuss the
plight of the elderly in the wake of a devastating
heat wave that left thousands dead across France. The
meeting, to be presided over by Raffarin himself, was
to bring together government ministers, retirement
home directors and workers providing in-home care to
older people to flesh out an action plan to protect
the frail and aged. The initiative comes as the
centre-right government finds itself on the back foot,
battling unrelenting criticism of its handling of the
crisis stemming from the punishing heat that scorched
France for the first two weeks of August.
Canada: Appreciation
of humor doesn't change with age (August 25, 2003)
A Canadian study of humor in older adults has found that
appreciation and emotional reactiveness to humor doesn't
change with age. Older adults still enjoy a good laugh.
However, the ability to comprehend more complex forms of
humor may diminish in later years. The findings are
published in the September issue of the Journal of the
International Neuropsychological Society.
France: Holocaust of the elderly:
death toll in French heatwave rises to 10,000 (August
22, 2003)
The summer of 2003 will be remembered as the
year of the holocaust of the French elderly. France was
reeling yesterday from figures that suggested some 10,000
people - mostly over the age of 75 - were killed by this
month's heatwave, double the previous estimate. As a
political storm raged over blame for the deaths, President
Jacques Chirac called an emergency cabinet meeting and
promised an inquiry to examine "with complete openness"
the failings of the health and welfare system.
China: Temporary Elder
Care Service Rose Stealthily in GuangZhou (August 22,
2003)
GuangZhou, China-- Recently, temporary elder care
service started to pop up in many elder care centers in
GuangZhou. The
service provides many conveniences and positive
responses for family member. The service is very helpful to the
family members when they want to travel on vacation or
business trips, even when their elder parents have
arguments with them.
(full text is in Chinese)
Canada:
Vancouver – Elder Care Center suspected new SARS arose
(August 20, 2003)
Toronto, Canada – Laboratory result proved, one elder care
center appeared new SARS.
Blood test showed the virus gene was the same as
the SARS in China, Toronto, etc affected area months ago. But some
experts said it’s too early to conclude because the
symptoms were not as obvious and there may be error in the
test. A
doctor from Britain Columbia Virus Control Center in
Vancouver pointed out two possible answers for this
undetermined situation.
One was that this virus was the exact same virus as
SARS only that symptoms were less significant. Another was
that this was a variation or transformation of the
original SARS virus.
(full text is in Chinese)
UK: £1 billion cost of elderly falls
(August 20, 2003)
Falls among the elderly cost the British
government £981 million a year, researchers estimate.
Almost 60% of the cost is borne by the NHS, with the
remainder spent on long term care. It was found around
650,000 people over 60 were taken to A&E after
falling, and over 204,000 were admitted to hospital. The
research, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and
Community Health, said action was needed to prevent falls
to protect patients and save NHS funds.
France: Heat Death
Toll Forces a Shocked France to Question Itself
(August 20, 2003)
The staggering number of deaths in France is
finally drawing the nation's attention to who died and
how. The details lead not through some place decimated by
an awful plague but through the brick and concrete of the
nation's biggest cities. The government estimates that the
heat killed perhaps 5,000 people. The largest undertaker,
General Funeral Services, said today that the number could
be more than twice that. The victims were generally found
inside apartments or houses or hotels. In virtually every
case, there was no air-conditioner. "Among the elderly,
there's a lot of anonymity," said Bernard Mazeyrie, the
managing director of OGF, the parent company of General
Funeral Services. "Paris is a city with a lot of
anonymity."
Toxic protein could explain
Alzheimer's and lead to breakthroughs (August 19,
2003)
Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered
for the first time in humans the presence of a toxic
protein that they believe to be responsible for the
devastating memory loss found in individuals suffering
from Alzheimer's disease. An understanding of this key
molecular link in the progression of Alzheimer's could
lead to the development of new therapeutic drugs capable
of reversing memory loss in patients who are treated
early, in addition to preventing or delaying the
disease.
Thousands die
in European heat wave (August 15, 2003)
Record-high temperatures across Europe—causing
heat-related deaths and leading to a series of deadly
forest fires in Southern Europe—have claimed thousands of
lives. The French health ministry has now reported that up
to 3,000 have died in recent weeks in France as a result
of the heat wave, after previously claiming there was no
accurate way to measure heat-related deaths.
Russia: Reaching Out on a
Moscow Beach (August 14, 2003)
A dozen elderly women in swimsuits stand on a beach in
northern Moscow, raise their hands above their heads and
stretch to an invocation by their leader. The sight is
strange enough to draw a small crowd of puzzled
onlookers, but the women seem to enjoy the limelight.
They gather every morning -- weather permitting -- on
the Pokrovskoye-Streshnyovo beach at the Khimki
reservoir, where they go for a swim and then proceed
with their health routine.
France: Controversy in
France over plight of elderly in searing summer heat
(August 11, 2003)
As a punishing heat wave dragged into its second week in
France, controversy erupted over the number of deaths
attributable to the summer heat, with a top emergency
doctor warning of an imminent disaster. The health
ministry meanwhile confirmed that more elderly people
were seeking treatment at hospitals in the heat, but
said emergency rooms were not over-stretched.
New Study
Links Hormones to Breast Cancer Risk (August 8, 2003)
A study of one million British women has found a
higher death rate from breast cancer among those who took
combination hormone therapy than those who did not use it
or took estrogen alone. The study is by far the largest to
determine the effects of hormones on breast cancer. The
findings, which are being published in London on Saturday
in the journal The Lancet, build on compelling evidence
from studies in the United States that the risks of
invasive breast cancer from combination hormone therapy
were greater than many doctors had predicted.
Hong
Kong: Four Institutions burst out Flu Infection;
34 were hospitalized (July 27, 2003)
Hong Kong - Small infections of flu burst
throughout Hong Kong.
Several were infected in Salvation Army Lai-King
Institute days ago.
On July 26, 8 more were infected and sent to
hospital. In
addition, 3 nursing homes and mental institution located
in Chai-wan, Yuan-long and Shang-shui appeared flu
symptoms such as fever, coughing, etc around the same
time. Those
infected were sent to hospital for examination. So far, up to
64 were infected. Among
them, 34 were hospitalized and 1 needed special treatment. Legislative
Council Wing-Lok Lo warned, “The flu infection in many of
the institutions is a sign for further infection among the
society.” (The text is in Chinese.)
Population getting older but
healthier (July 7, 2003)
A new study shows that the share of elderly people
requiring medical care should drop thanks to better
prevention and medical treatments. Currently, up to
126,000 people - or 11.4 per cent of the population over
the age of 64 – are not able to care for themselves in
Switzerland. “People are also benefiting from better
living conditions, social protection and a less
strenuous working environment,” Valérie Hugentobler, one
of report’s authors, told swissinfo.
United
Arab Emirates: Unit set up to
care for the elderly (August 7, 2003)
Rashid Hospital has set up a new
section to manage the increasing number of elderly
patients who have been left with nowhere to go after
treatment. The hospital reports that there are now at
least 15 old people who have apparently been abandoned
by their families or are unable to get themselves back
to their home countries. However, the new section
will allow for a more coordinated response and has been
created under an agreement between the hospital and the
Department of Health and Medical Services (Dohms).
Taiwan:
CDC announces free flu
shots to be offered to elderly(August 7, 2003)
To prepare for a possible recurrence of SARS this fall
and to avoid confusion between SARS and influenza,
Taiwan's Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced
yesterday that free flu shots will be offered to senior
citizens in mid-September, earlier than in past years. In
addition, for the first time, all hospital workers and
caregivers will be required to have the shots, evening
newspapers reported.
Hong
Kong: Four Institutions burst out Flu Infection; 34
were hospitalized (July 27, 2003)
Small
infections of flu burst throughout Hong Kong. Several were
infected in Salvation Army Lai-King Institute days ago. On July 26, 8
more were infected and sent to hospital. In addition,
3 nursing homes and mental institution located in
Chai-wan, Yuan-long and Shang-shui appeared flu symptoms
such as fever, coughing, etc around the same time. Those
infected were sent to hospital for examination. So far, up to
64 were infected.
Among them, 34 were hospitalized and 1 needed
special treatment.
Legislative Council Wing-Lok Lo warned, “The flu
infection in many of the institutions is a sign for
further infection among the society.”
Bahrain: Dust haze hits health of
young and elderly (July 6, 2003)
A THICK
dust haze covered Bahrain yesterday resulting in an
increase in the number of people seeking medical care
and reducing visibility to 800 metres. More people have
been visiting hospitals seeking medical care as result
of the deteriorating weather conditions, medical sources
told the GDN. Those most affected were young children
and the elderly, who suffer from asthma, they said.
Malaysia: Special treat for
the elderly (July 8, 2003)
It was an evening of food and fun for about
300 elderly folks from 14 homes when they attended Eastin
Hotel’s 5th anniversary charity dinner. The event
appropriately called “A Tribute To The Aged” kicked off
with a cultural performance by a group women led by former
MCA Wanita chief Datin Paduka Rosemary Chong. Ong
said 2.2 million of the 23 million Malaysians were above
55 years old and he hoped the young would treasure the
presence of their elders at home.
N.D.P. says
hospital waiting lists caused by fees for seniors
(July 21, 2003)
Nova Scotia's N.D.P. say the easiest way to end hospital
bed waiting lists would be to stop the practise of
making seniors pay for medical care in nursing homes.
New Democrat leader Darrell Dexter says seniors are
taking up valuable and expensive hospital bed space,
while they wait to get into long-term care. Dexter says
if an N.D.P. government is elected on August 5th, it
will do away with the assessment and fees. Can we assume
elderly have little choice?
Scientists reviewed
15 studies that examined the effect of painkillers known
as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and
found people who take them are less likely to develop the
illness which is the leading cause of dementia in the
elderly. As the result, they stated that common painkillers may
lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and the
longer they are taken the greater the benefit.
Technology
creates new concerns for dying older patients and
their families (July 18, 2003)
Together with her colleagues, Dr Jane
Seymour of Sheffield University spent two years
researching older adults' views about the use of new
medical technologies during care and treatment. The
study involved 77 older people living in Sheffield,
ranging in age from 60 to over 85. The study concludes
that advance care planning would be better understood as
a process of discussion and review between clinicians,
patients and families, rather than by completing an
advance statement.
Australia: Meat,
exercise good for the elderly (July 17, 2003)
Australian researchers find
that red meat could be critical to increasing muscle
strength in older people. The study shows that elderly
people who doubled their usual red meat intake and
underwent progressive resistance training twice a week
increased their muscle mass more than those who did not
eat more meat.
Sex
among Chinese elder males (July 14, 2003) (in Chinese)
The sex need among the elderly has long been
ignored in China. The number of older people who have
contracted sexually transmitted diseases has been rising
rapidly due to unhealthy sex behaviors. Experts say that
more social activities and marriage among the widowed
and the divorced elderly can help mitigate the problem.
(The text is in Chinese. To read the Chinese
article, please install the Internet Explorer Chinese
language pack or NJ star communicator.)
Thailand:
Sad story of neglect and discrimination (July 14,
2003)
A national Aids meeting in
Thailand brought out the issue that elderly carers had
been neglected since the anti-AIDS campaign began 19 years
ago. Although elderly people in Thailand have a lower
possibility of contracting AIDS, they face physical,
mental and financial problems to take care of ill children
or grandchildren orphaned by the disease. A study shows
that 67% of people with HIV/AIDS returned to live with
their parents when they were no longer able to work. They
left the burden of caring for their children with their
parents after they died.
China: Old lady’s fight against
AIDS (July 11, 2003) (in Chinese)
A 77 year old Chinese lady started her career of
AIDS prevention after her retirement as a medical
doctor. Yaojie, Gao, an old lady who won WHO’s World
Health and Human Rights Awards, dedicates herself to
educating and preventing the spread of AIDS in China.
Although limited resources and people’s ignorance about
AIDS made her after-retirement career a tough one, she
never gave up. (The text is in Chinese. To read
the Chinese article, please install the Internet Explorer
Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)
UK: What makes us age? (July
10, 2003)
We all think we
know what ageing does to us - how it makes us frail, more
likely to fall ill and eventually to die. But what
actually causes ageing and can we do anything to slow its
advance? As the ageing process remains one of the great
mysteries of medical science, the author will give an
explanation.
Canada: Nurses shun elderly
care (July 8, 2003)
The average age of
nurses in Ontario is 47, and 30 per cent of those nurses
will be retiring within the next 10 years. However, very
few young nurses are interested in replacing them.
“Long-term care is not the first choice for recently
graduated nurses, most of whom choose instead to enter
the seemingly more glamorous critical care or emergency
units.” Long-term care crisis looms as “young nurses see
gerontology nursing as a dead-end job, a place where old
nurses go to die”.
30% of Japanese elderly
miss medical refunds (July 6, 2003)
A survey
released that 30 percent of Japanese seniors didn’t apply
for refunds for medical expenses, totaling 728 million yen
of unpaid refunds. The reimbursement system was set up to
help people aged 75 and older with the medical expenses.
Those who pay more than the set maximum amounts are
eligible to receive refunds for the extra they paid by
applying at the offices of city, town and village
governments. The survey shows that "there is a need to
thoroughly inform senior citizens about the system and to
take such measures as simplifying application procedures".
UK: How elderly are being
cheated (July 5, 2003)
In the UK, one
in three will need some long term care and it's very
expensive. Finding the cash is tough for most families in
England - Scotland and Wales offer more generous help from
the public purse. Financial help in England is
means-tested and local authority testers can be really
mean. Expert Owen Wright of specialist adviser the Care
Funding Bureau says local authorities often skirt around
the rules. "If you know what you are doing and are
assertive, you can often end up with more." The article
discusses how honest is the long term care system in UK
and provides a guide to getting more towards care bills.
UK: Borders facing crisis in care for
the elderly (July 2, 2003)
A report, by a
scrutiny panel set up by Scottish Borders Council, has
warned of bed shortages and outlined difficulties in
recruiting adequate numbers of skilled staff. Scottish
Borders has a higher proportion of older people in its
population than any other region in Scotland and the
demand for home care and residential services is expected
to increase rapidly over the next decade. A total of
21,887 Borders residents, i.e. 25 per cent of the adult
population, are retired.
Singaporeans urged to engage
elderly through community-based services (June 28, 2003)
Singapore Senior
Minister of State for Trade and Industry, and Education
called for a mindset change of Singaporeans to prepare for
the challenge of an ageing society by engaging the elderly
in community-based services. Many Singaporeans are not
used to paying for services needed by the elderly. Some
even feel embarrassed about sending their parents to a
day-care centre. However, Minister said centres actually
do a better job than employing a maid to look after the
elderly.
Taiwan: Peng Hu County Restricts
Health Welfare for Rural Elderly (June 27, 2003) (in
Chinese)
Peng Hu County Farming and Fishery Department
official said that a new law regarding the eligibility
of farmers’ health insurance will come into effect
today. The law denies eligibility of applying the
farmers’ health insurance for farmers who receive
pension from the social security system or any other
social insurance welfares. (The text is in
Chinese. To read the Chinese article, please install the
Internet Explorer Chinese language pack or NJ star
communicator.)
Ireland: Call for 1.5% rise in PRSI to
care for elderly (June 26, 2003)
A government
study commissioned by the Irish Department of Social and
Family Affairs recommended that PRSI (public)
contributions be increased by 1.5 per cent to fund
long-term elderly care in Ireland. Emphasising the
projected increase in the elderly population and the
rising costs of care, the report stated that “social
insurance financing offers most advantages” in comparison
to other options.
Ireland: Social Security rise urged
to pay for elderly care (June 25, 2003)
A report commissioned by the Irish government
favored a1.5% hike in Pay-Related Social Insurance
(PRSI) payments to fund the care of the elderly. The
report estimated that the total number of older people
in need of moderate or high levels of care would
increase from 2.1% of the total population in 2001 to
3.8% by 2051. Minister for Social and Family Affairs
Mary Coughlan said the report would form the basis of a
general consultation process over the coming months.
'Mediterranean Diet' Cuts Heart Attack,
Cancer Risk (June 25, 2003)
A study found that people who ate a
Mediterranean-style diet had a 33 percent reduction in
the risk of death from heart disease and a 24 percent
decrease in cancer death rate. The diet often includes vegetables,
fruits, nuts, legumes, unrefined cereals, olive oil,
cheese and yogurt, and fish for most days. Wine is
consumed in moderation.
UK: Alzheimer's hope for ancient
sex remedy (June
24, 2003)
Scientist from Oxford is testing an
ancient Asian remedy for the effects of too much sex as
a potential treatment for the brain damage that causes
Alzheimer's disease. Phytopharm, the biotechnology
company that specialises in plant-based medicines, is
developing the drug and has already tested the drug’s
safety in humans.
Australia: Elderly have
right to care (June 20, 2003)
Australian states
are blaming the Commonwealth for the practice of leaving
the elderly to languish in hospitals due to lack of
nursing home beds, a practice known as granny dumping. In
response to the blame, Australian Ageing Minister Mr.
Kevin Andrews yesterday claimed that elderly Australians
had as much right to hospital care as younger people.
Australia:
Caring for elderly and planning for the future (June
17, 2003)
To
address the need for more aged care facilities in the
Manning Valley, Australia, the City Council decided to
build several new government-sponsored aged care
facilities for the elderly. Construction is already well
underway on a new centre at Kolodong and others are
under consideration.
UK: Time to protect elderly from
attacks (June 13, 2003)
The government in Norfolk, UK, has toughened up
regulations in the care industry to close a loophole in
a bid to protect elderly and disabled people from abuse
or injury. Now people applying for care jobs with
private agencies will be checked by the Criminal Records
Bureau (CRB) before being allowed to look after
vulnerable people living in their own homes.
Australia: Home care programs for
elderly 'in crisis' (June 13, 2003)
Aged care groups in Australia called for an overhaul of
the national home care programs at a community care summit
in Canberra. They agreed that caring for the elderly in
their homes needed to be simplified, and the $1.7 billion
a year in funding should be increased to more than $2
billion. They also criticized the current system of
community care that generates the buck-passing between the
Commonwealth and the states.
New Zealand: Group gives
community a say on health issues (June 11, 2003)
Both Marlborough and Nelson in New Zealand set up a new
project to bring together district health board, GPs and
community representatives to look at health issues,
allowing local input and control. The project is part of a
national strategy to improve health access for the elderly
and will complement the district council's new elderly
forum, set up to look at other factors affecting quality
of life, such as transport and housing.
Singapore: Nursing homes to admit
patients from only one hospital (June 11, 2003)
The Singapore government announced yesterday a new
measurement to curb the spread of SARS or any other
infections. Care home residents who need
hospitalization can go to designated hospital only.
Similarly all public hospital patients
who need additional nursing home care after being
discharged will be moved to homes which will
admit patients from only one hospital from now on.
India: How exercise makes
us healthy & happy (June 10, 2003)
The latest WHO
estimates claim inactive life-style as the biggest
killer worldwide. Over 70-90 per cent cases of diabetes
and cardiovascular cases can be prevented if we decide
against being couch potatoes. The author, a retired
professor, explains the details and reasons of “how
exercises make us healthy and happy”.
New Zealand:
Elderly not keen on prescription plan (June 3, 2003)
Government drug-buying agency Pharmac in New Zealand
wants to reintroduce three-monthly prescriptions instead
of pharmacists issuing them monthly. The move will most
affect the elderly through the change in the dispensing
scheme, and could save district health boards $35 million
in dispensing fees.
Limited Gain
Found in Soy Pills (June 3, 2003)
Finnish
researchers found that pills with a soy compound were no
better than a placebo at relieving the symptoms of
menopause. The new study, by researchers from Helsinki
University Central Hospital, included 56 breast cancer
survivors, who are usually told to avoid hormone
replacement therapy because it can raise the risk of the
cancers' recurrence.
Researchers identify protein which
could help protect against neuro-degenerative
conditions (May 30, 2003)
British
Researchers found that a protein could be used to as a
treatment for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's
disease. They discovered that the naturally occurring
protein, 27-kD, a heat shock protein was able to reduce
cell death in the brain.
Ontario
cuts fee increases planned for nursing homes (May 30,
2003)
The Ontario
government has reversed a plan to increase nursing home
fees by $2 a day beginning July 1. Instead, the hike is
set to $1.16 a day. The money goes directly to the nursing
homes, but the provincial government that subsidizes the
cost sets the rates.
Chronic headaches may predict men's
stroke risk (May 29, 2003)
Finnish
researchers found that men who suffer from chronic
headaches might be at increased risk of having a stroke.
They said that chronic headaches might be a signal for
diseases leading to a stroke. The study showed that those
who suffered headaches were four times more likely to have
a stroke than others.
Australia: Extra $600,000 to Train
Aged Care Workers (May 29, 2003)
Australian
government will spend an extra $600,000 to train aged care
workers in smaller, less viable aged care homes. The money
will fund six pilot projects, which will deliver
professional staff training to 62 aged care homes
across the country.
Smoking speeds up memory loss in
middle age (May 28, 2003)
UK researchers
found that cigarette smokers who continue the habit
through middle age may suffer from memory loss. According
to the study, smokers showed a faster decline in their
scores on tests of word memory, relative to non-smokers
from their 40s to their 50s. The relationship between
smoking and memory loss appeared strongest in people who
smoked more than 20 cigarettes each day.
UK:
Care of elderly often lacks dignity says NHS (May 28,
2003)
The Commission
for Health Improvement in UK found that health services
for older people often lack privacy and dignity. The
elderly were most likely to suffer from delayed and poorly
managed discharge once ready to leave hospital. They were
also particularly likely to be cared for on wards which
were inappropriate to their condition and they were often
placed on mixed sex wards.
New
Zealand: Elderly at risk as B12 runs short (May 23,
2003)
In New Zealand,
hundreds of sick and elderly patients can't get their
vitamin B12 prescriptions filled because an unexpected
doubling in demand has left pharmacists without any
supplies. According to the supplier GlaxoSmithKline
corporate communications head Ron Murray, New Zealand used
to demand about 4000 units a month, but that demand has
increased rapidly in recent months for reasons he didn't
understand. How will the New Zealand government cope up
with this supplier shortage?
Australia: Elderly face grim
future (May 23, 2003)
Four nursing homes in
Australia are to be sold to government-approved
operators, leaving over 100 elder residents’ welfare in
doubt. Two of them were once subject to government
sanctions due to mishandlings of health care for the
elderly. The government claimed that it was closely
monitoring the homes and homes would remain open.
Israel: Cuts to child
allowances, elderly nursing care will be smaller
(May 22, 2003)
Israeli
Welfare Minister Zevulun Orlev ammounced cuts to elderly
nursing care hours this Thursday. He reached agreement
with Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the
elderly receiving 10 and a half hours will be subject to
a 45-minute cut instead of a five and half hour cut. The elderly
receiving 15 and half weekly hours of nursing care will
not be affected. How will this new policy affect the
quality of life of the elderly?
Senior citizens put through their
paces (May 21, 2003)
The population of Switzerland is
ageing steadily: men live on average until 77 years old,
while women can expect to reach 83. Pro Senectute - the
Swiss organisation for the elderly - has launched a
nine-month mental and physical training programme for
senior citizens. Entitled “Independence In Old Age”, its
aim is to keep the elderly healthy and living
independently for as long as possible.
Hong Kong:
SARS-infected elderly doubled to 61 people in care
homes (May 15, 2003) (in Chinese)
In over 50 Hong Kong care homes, the
number of the elderly infected by SARS has doubled to 61
people during the past two weeks. An expert at the
Medical Center of the Central University in Hong Kong
points out that, care homes are expected to the next
SARS “spreading center”. (The text is in Chinese.
To read the Chinese article,
please install the Internet Explorer Chinese language
pack or NJ star communicator.)
Taiwan: Free emergency watches for
the elderly living alone to combat SARS (May 14, 2003)
(in Chinese)
As
SARS is spreading in Taiwan, Taipei Mayer Yingjiu, Ma
says that the city government will provide free
emergency watches to 4,300 older people who are living
alone by the end of this year. According to the
officials in Firefighting Department, the emergency
watch is the user-end of a SOS radio system, which
enables the users to contact the Firefighting Department
for emergency. (The text is in Chinese. To read the
Chinese article, please install the Internet Explorer
Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)
Rice-Bowen: Health care for
elderly lacking (May 14, 2003)
Health care for the elderly in Barbados is being
saddled with inefficiency and shortages of critical
supplies. Some health workers at some health institutions
have had to carry to work items such as soap and seasoning
to properly carry out their daily duties. “At the
Geriatric hospital, there is no hot water for laundering
the clothes, and as a result, clothes and the linen must
be taken down to the Mental (Psychiatric Hospital) to be
laundered and brought back.
Retired, Elderly Get
Drug Aid From Rotary (May 14, 2003)
The Rotary club of Lagos has donated drugs worth
about N75,000 to the Nigerian Society for the Welfare of
the Retired and Elderly Persons (NISWREP). Making the
donation, President of the Club, Rotarian Hakeem
Akinlade, said the essence of the donation was to create
a precedence for other individuals and corporate bodies
who may want to follow suit.
Quality of Life for Older
Australians (May 13, 2003)
The quality of
life for Australia’s ageing population will be enhanced by
a number of measures in the Federal Ageing Budget.
Community care programs, which provide aged care services
to people in their own homes, will receive increased
funding. Aged Care Assessment Teams will also receive more
funding to assess people’s health needs for care services.
65 Commonwealth Carelink Centres across the country will
receive continued funding. Extra aged care places in rural
Australia will be funded through the Multi-Purpose Service
Program.
Chiropractic manipulation in
elderly “raises stroke risk” (May 13, 2003)
Neck and spine
adjustments by chiropractors and other practitioners can
increase the risk of stroke, says US research, although
the profession in the UK challenges the study. The
researchers found that people under the age of 60 who
had strokes or mini-strokes as a consequence of tears in
their neck arteries were six times more likely to have
visited a practitioner who had manipulated their neck
within the past month than those who had strokes due to
other causes.
Municipal workers on
sick-leave more often than others (May 13, 2003)
The number of sick-leave days taken by municipal
workers continues to rise despite the municipalities'
efforts to invest in occupational well-being. Since 1995
the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health has collected
information from the absentee registries of ten major
cities. Apart from Helsinki, all the cities with a
population over 100,000 were included in the
study. According to the findings,
the older age groups fall ill more often than the younger
workers, but the number of absences has increased across
the board.
SARS 'super-spreaders'
appear to be elderly or those already suffering
ailments: WHO (May 12, 2003)
Extremely infectious patients of the SARS virus or
"super-spreaders" appeared to be the elderly or those
already suffering medical ailments, a World Health
Organization official said Monday. According to the
official, “super spreaders” are mainly elderly people who
have already been immunologically compromised.
Fall in elderly suicides
linked to rise in anti-depressants (May 10, 2003)
A fall in suicide rates among older Australians has
been linked in a new study to a sharp rise in the rate of
prescriptions for anti-depressants. Ian Hickie, co-author
of the study and CEO of beyondblue, the national
depression initiative, said while anti-depressant
prescriptions had risen 300 per cent in the period, drug
data provided the best indication that doctors were
managing psychological problems more effectively.
Italy tightens
SARS measures over concern for elderly (May 9, 2003)
Italy
is to step up measures to prevent the spread of SARS to
protect its sizeable elderly. Italian society was
particularly vulnerable to the pneumonia-like virus, he
said, since around 20 percent of the population is
elderly.
SARS a big danger
for the elderly (May 8, 2003)
New research published yesterday in Britain
suggests SARS is much more deadly than many other
respiratory diseases, particularly for older patients.
The news came as World Health Organisation experts were
being sent to a crowded province in China where SARS is
spreading fast. The latest scientific findings
show SARS is killing 55 per cent of infected patients aged
over 60 in Hong Kong. In younger patients, the death rate
could be as low as 6.8 per cent.
Elderly in fear of
waiting-list letter (May 08, 2003)
The elderly on hospital waiting lists are in fear of
hearing from the Canterbury District Health Board. Age
Concern Canterbury chief executive Andrew Dickerson said
the announcement that 7200 people would be cut from
waiting lists had caused stress among the elderly. This
was because the letters advising them of their status had
not yet been sent. "Older people are over-represented in
most waiting lists," Mr Dickerson said. "There's a lot of
anxiety amongst them."
Southern Italy's Elderly
Suffer Poor Health (May 7, 2003)
According to a
survey by the National Center for Epidemiology and Health
Surveillance, Italians who grow old in the south of the
country are likely to suffer more illness than their
northern compatriots. The results highlight a drastic
"split between the North and South.” In the South, elderly
people are less isolated and more integrated into the
social fabric, but they are also tend to be sicker, less
self-sufficient, more likely to need hospitalization and
less likely to get vaccinated.
SARS deadliest for elderly,
study says (May 7, 2003)
The first major study of SARS trends
suggests that about 20 percent of the people
hospitalized with the disease in Hong Kong are dying
from it and that more than half of those over 60 die.
Importance of exercise for the
elderly (May 07, 2003)
Studies
have shown that exercise improves the cardiovascular
health of a person: it can lower blood pressure, reduce
heart disease risk and help control stress. The risk of
other illnesses such as stroke and diabetes are also
reduced. Exercise can also help prevent or delay the
onset of osteoporosis, which affects the elderly. As we
grow older, our flexibility and balance inevitably
decreases.
German Osteoporosis Rates Up 30 Percent (April 28, 2003)
Osteoporosis is reaching epidemic
levels in Germany, according to a leading expert, who
said on Monday that doctors and the general public need
to pay more attention to the fragile bone disease. Five
to six million people in the country are estimated to
already have osteoporosis, said Dr. Walter Fassbender
from the University Clinic Frankfurt and an organizer of
this year's conference of the German Society for
Internal Medicine in Wiesbaden.
Calming
the elderly's fears - through dialects (April 27,
2003)
When social workers from Singapore’s Marine
Parade Family Service Centre telephoned their elderly
wards last week to say they would be dropping by to
spread the word on Sars, some turned them down, saying
they were too scared to receive visitors. Some others
seemed to think that the virus had nothing to do with
them, so did not want to be involved in the education
campaign.
Exercise Programs Can Help
Sedentary Older Adults (April 21, 2003)
Older adults spend much of their time engaged
in sedentary activities like talking on the telephone and
reading, but programs to promote physical activity can
help them get moving, according to new research. The
study asked older people how they use their discretionary
time and assessed how two programs affected the time they
spend being physically active.
Little done to curtail online Rx (April 22, 2003)
As storefronts keep opening to offer seniors cheap drugs
from Canada, the state and federal governments are in
the awkward spot of saying their operations are illegal
- but doing nothing to stop them.
Exercise
works out well for the elderly (April 22, 2003)
A study of elderly people aims to prove that
personalised rehabilitation and exercise programmes not
only reverse age-related declines in ability, but allow
the elderly to be independent for much longer. Residents
of six Auckland resthomes are being helped to identify and
achieve key goals and do more physical activity as part of
the Auckland University study.
Gastric
Emptying For Specific Foods May Be A Key To Managing
Deadly Illnesses In The Elderly (April 18, 2003)
The rate of gastric emptying is a major measure of
the glucose and cardiovascular responses to oral
carbohydrates. The former is key to the
dietary management of people with diabetes mellitus, in
whom strict control of blood glucose has been shown to
reduce microvascular complications. As cardiovascular
responses are relevant to the prevention of postprandial
hypotension (subnormal arterial blood pressure following a
meal), this can be an important clinical problem.
Are the elderly getting the drugs
they need? (April 17, 2003)
Doctors are often failing to prescribe
drugs that cut heart attacks and stroke, particularly to
elderly patients, according to a UK study. The research,
which appears in the journal Heart, looked at how many
times doctors prescribed the drugs, called statins, between
1994 and 2001.
Bahrain: Al Alawi Presented a
workshop about the aging psychological and health care
(April 10, 2003)
(Article in Arabic)
Dr. Majeed Al Alawi, the Minister of Labor and Social
Affairs, presented a workshop titled, “How Health and
Psychological Care are likely to improve Older People’s
Situation.” This workshop focused on new ways to
diagnose a psychological disorder earlier among older
persons.
65 year old woman gives birth (April 9, 2003)
A 65-year-old Indian has become the oldest
woman in the world to give birth, her doctor said. She
delivered a healthy three-kilogram baby boy by caesarean
section at a private hospital yesterday. According to
the Guinness Book of Records, the previous record-holder
was a 63-year-old woman who gave birth to a boy on July
18, 1994.
Elderly urged to get 'flu shot'
(April 4, 2003)
With the threat of three new 'flu strains
entering Australia from Asia and the spread of the
deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the
risks of complications arising from virus infection are
greater this year. Influenza
Specialist Group (ISG) convener Alan
Hampson said people needed to realise being fit and
healthy did not protect them from the flu. "Influenza
can be a deadly disease, not just an inconvenience."
Elderly patients miss out on heart drugs (March 20,
2003)
Doctors are often failing to prescribe drugs that cut
heart attacks and stroke, particularly to elderly
patients. According to a UK study, only 56 per cent of
eligible men and 41 per cent of eligible women had been
prescribed the drugs at the end of 2001.
Fat distribution important for older
women's heart health (March 18, 2003)
A new study from Denmark shows that location of fat is
more important than overall obesity when looking at heart
disease risk in women over 60.
Les seniors invités à faire du
sport et à mieux s'alimenter (March 12, 2003) (in
French)
“
Sport and better food.” This is the French Prime
Minister aim in the "Aging Well” program. There are 16 million French
people over age 55 years-or about 30 % of the
population. In twenty years, the proportion will
increase to 40 %. Elaborated in narrow collaboration
with a scientific committee, this 2003-2005 plan will
draw information from seventeen experimental sites
throughout France.
Elderly Pain Complaints
Tied More Closely To Life Satisfaction Than Health
(March 11, 2003)
A new German research
institute has found that the amount of an elderly person’s
complaints about pain, gastric symptoms and other body
problems may be tied more to overall well-being and
life satisfaction than to actual physical health.
New
Department to Look After Elderly to Be Set Up (March
11, 2003)
In the United Arab Emirates,
the Ministry of Health will open a new department,
which will oversee problems facing the elderly. A
committee of the ministry's senior officials met to
discuss the establishment of new departments such as
old age, nutrition and dietary…
Bringing
sight to the needy (March 7, 2003)
The
Caspian Compassion Project–Eye Clinic for the Poor (CCP)
is an international nongovernmental organization that
treats eye problems of vulnerable populations.
International donor organizations, as well as oil
companies doing business in Azerbaijan, have provided
equipment, a new operating room, as well as covering the
expenses of the visiting doctors. The project
help meets the needs of the aging population in the
area.
Protection sociale des
travailleurs independants
For each of the 15 countries belonging to the European
Union, you will find a lot of explanations about the
social coverage independent workers get from their
governments.
Mieux vaut prévenir que vieillir
(March 4, 2003) (in French)
The first conference against aging in Europe this
weekend in Paris, reviewed the latest techniques to fight
against the weight of the years: 65 countries were
represented and 135 speakers are featured. Surgeons,
dermatologists, biologists, nutritionists consider that
aging is a disease which we have to cure. The antiaging
spirit, born in the United States, propagates very fast.
The first French Society of Medicine of the Ageing has
just been built in Paris.
Gas aid for elderly (March 4, 2003)
In a province of Canada,
Alberta, changes in the special elderly needs
program will allow low-income seniors to receive
financial help to deal with rising natural gas
bills.
Vitamin
D supplements in the elderly (March 4, 2003)
In UK, researchers working
with 2,700 elderly people found that vitamin D
supplementation once every four months reduced the
incidence of any fracture by 22 %.
Generic Drugs Can Make the
Money Last (March 1, 2003)
Two senior World Bank
officials urge the US government not to restrict
continued access to cheap generic drugs in poor
countries. They point out that the least developed
states only form a tiny portion of the global
pharmaceutical market. The plan allows them to import
generic drugs without undermining the interests of big
western pharmaceutical corporations.
India's
election year budget cuts duties, offers concessions
to salaried and elderly taxpayers (February 28,
2003)
Indian
Finance Minister Jaswant Singh sought Friday to ease
taxes for salaried workers and the elderly as he
unveiled an election year budget.
Singh announced also a new
government-sponsored insurance and pension plan to
take care of India's estimated 76 million elderly
people, who are regular voters.
La
liberté tarifaire au cœur des négociations (February
21, 2003)
In spring 2002, French general practitioners
cried out " twenty euro because I am worth it.” Less
than year later, their colleagues specialists raise
the tone and demand " tariff freedom or nothing ".
Behind the word "nothing" it is the future of the
conventional system, which is at stake. Some weeks
after the agreement of January 10th signed by
doctors' main syndicates (CSMF, SML, MG-France,
Alliance), and which foresees 814 million euro of
appreciation over two years, the hour is for the
overbid.
Le
couple face à la retraite (Feburary 21, 2003)
Because of the strong increase of life
expectancy, a pension lasts now at least twenty
years. The simple pastimes are not any more enough
to occupy the person you’re living with. It is thus
essential to begin creative activities (studies,
craft, literature, theater, associative life…) and
to get ready for retirement a long time before it
comes. You will find in this French article, some
descriptions of retired couples daily lives. For
example, how do they cope with depression and
isolation?
Assurance-maladie
: le prérapport Chadelat propose de donner plus de
place au privé (February 20, 2003)
Jean-François
Chadelat, charged by the French Health Minister, Mr
Mattei, to chair the workgroup on the extend of the
Social Security, has to submit his report, that is
very sensitive politically, at the end of March. The
choice of this general inspector owes nothing to
chance: the former boss of the Acoss (the agency
managing Social Security finances), this
high-ranking servant is close to the right party and
was an part expert who elaborated the Juppé plan in
1995..
Dépenses
de santé : M. Mattei veut responsabiliser les
Français (February 20, 2003)
Mr Mattei (the French Health Minister) wants to
give responsibilities to the French people. While the
deficit of the branch disease of the Social Security
will reach 7 billion euro at the end of 2003, he is
persuaded that “ Frenchmen are ready to increase their
personal coverage.” He wishes to develop the role of
mutual insurance companies.
Instant Aging with a Wearable
Time Machine (February 19, 2003)
A
firm in Germany has developed a suit that enables the
young and fit to see what it's like to be old and frail.
Those trying on the "Age Explorer" get a foretaste of
life at 70.
Faut-il traiter la
ménopause ? (February 8, 2003)
The controversy
about substitute hormonal treatments (SHT) for
menopause is still growing. Are the benefits
superior to the risks taken by women exposing
themselves to these treatments? Two American studies
are at the origin of the controversy. One of them
published in 2002 and led with 16 600 women,
representative of the average population of
post-menopause women in the United States, showed an
increase of the risk of cardiovascular accidents and
breast cancers associated with using SHT. In the
US, these drugs are known as Hormone Replacement
Therapy (HRT).
AIDS snaring elderly (February 4,
2003)
In the Barbados,
the 60+ group has an increasing number of people
with HIV/AIDS. The elder men seek out younger
partners and have unprotected sex with them.
Social
Security for the Unorganized in India
This ELDIS paper suggests
that traditionally the ILO and ministries of labour of
all over the world believed that all workers would
eventually end up in large enterprises. However,
experience has proved otherwise. So the extension of
formal social security programs in India cannot be the
answer to satisfying the social protection needs of
increasing number of workers and their families outside
their formal labour. Other
ways must be developed.
Started to write poetry at her
90 (February 1, 2003) (in Ukrainian)
A unique person
lives at Dnipropetrovschina, Ukraine: 98 years old,
she started to write poetry when she was 90, and her
friends have recently published her first collection
of poems. Poetry
rescued this woman after she lost her sight at the age
of 90.
Peut-on
être séduisant après cinquante ans ? (January
17, 2003)
Media use
stars to set up a speech, a
mythology, which justifies the presence of 50’s
something in the field of the seduction: Catherine
Deneuve, Nicole Garcia, Pierce Brosnan, Alain
Bashung….Take a look at this French article :” Can
one be attractive after fifty?”
Historique
de la Securite Sociale francaise
Here is the history of
the French Social Security. From the restricted benefits
exercised in corporations, the Revolution of 1789 and
the Declaration of Human Rights substituted a new
conception of Social welfare. At the beginning of the
XXth Century, the new born Republic adopted a wide range
of Social improvements to raise the level of French
education, health, housing….. This led to the first
attempts to create a social security for all citizens.
Adopted in 1945, it is the current form that French
people enjoy now.
The Women’s Group for Better
Aging Society
This description of The Women’s Group for Better Aging
Society reviews the history and accomplishments of an
important women’s NGO in Japan.
Padded pants
'cut elderly fractures' (January 11, 2003)
A German
research suggests that elderly people at risk of falling and
fracturing their hips should be prescribed padded
pants to reduce the fractures by 40%. On
the other hand, this could save health
services millions of pounds each year through
reduced hospital admissions.
Tunisia: Government Establishes
a 10 year Plan for Caring and Supporting the Elderly
(January 10, 2003)
(Article in Arabic)
The Tunisian Government wants to concentrate on developing
good health and living conditions for older persons as
well as setting up aging nursing centers. The Prime
Minister Zan Al Abdeen Bn Ali led the board that discussed
the aging issue. The Prime Minister reviewed current
programs that deal with the living conditions of older
people and highlighted their needs in greater
detail.
Russian men sink in vodka the fear before the future
(January 10, 2003) (in Russian)
Scientific studies
show that life expectancy of men in Russia has
dramatically declined since the crash of the Soviet
Union: from 64 in 1990 to 57 in 1994, and in 2000 it
is only 59 years. For women these numbers are not so
dramatic: 74 in 1990 and 72 in 2000. The Austrian
institute IHS has recently conducted a study,
revealing some main causes of this situation: stress
caused by uncertainty in economic situation, smoking
and alcohol, insufficient access to medical care, and
even provision of necessary food for more than 10% of
Russians. Poor
social conditions kill off old people.
Fallbeispiele
der "Riester-Rente" (January 3, 2003)
Some case examples
of the new German "Riester-pension" from a Berlin
newspaper. Especially if you want to know specifically,
how much money will the government will award you
within the pension reform? Look down to find
yours.
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