Keeping Up to Date
The following newsletters and reports feature the latest information on issues in aging:

CAAR (Current Awareness in Aging Research) is a weekly email report produced by the Center for Demography of Health and Aging at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that helps researchers keep up to date with the latest developments in the field. For more information, including an archive of back issues and subscription information see: http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cdha/caar.html

Lifelong is a print newsletter produced by the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) that provides a forum for information sharing between physicians and patients, serves as a credible source for synthesized physician-friendly analysis of current aging research, and helps improve the translation of this research into patient care applications. To subscribe to Lifelong and for more information, Click Here.

The Civic Engagement E-Newsletter is a bimonthly e-newsletter that informs readers about efforts to advance research, programs, and policy that support older adults as a civic resource. Click here for more information.

Research Highlights
The latest research news in aging.

Physical and Occupational Therapy Extends Seniors Lives, Study Finds
In a study published in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers at the Jefferson Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health (CARAH) at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia reported that programs which provide occupational and physical therapy, as well as some minor home modifications, can help older people live longer. "This is an extremely promising intervention," said study author Laura Gitlin, director at CARAH and a professor in the department of Occupational Therapy at the university. People receiving the intervention added 3.5 years to their lifespan, compared to the control group, the study found. The findings are from a follow-up study of Project ABLE (Advancing Better Living for Elders), a home-based program for urban community-dwelling older adults. For more information, visit: http://www.jefferson.edu/jchp/carah/ .

Study Examines Functional Decline in Older Adults
Motivation and expectation may be factors in helping older adults regain lost functional ability after hospitalization, say researchers with the Birmingham Veterans Administration Medical Center and University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The study, published in the March 2009 issue of The Annals of Medicine, found that patients hospitalized for surgery returned to normal baseline function more quickly and more completely than did patients hospitalized for illness. A full text version of this article is available (for a fee) by visiting http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/150/6/372 .

Advances in Technology Help Benefit Seniors
A recent article featured in The Calgary Herald , reports that new “smart home” technology is being developed that can turn off a forgotten stove or remind dementia sufferers in a friendly voice that their bathtub is almost full. The smart home will be unveiled at a research showcase in the U.K later this month. Items tested include a remote locator for keys, a medicine reminder, pre-programmable telephone, an automatic night light, and a gas cooker monitor. In related news, the Aging in Place Technology Watch blog highlights a new trend in small business as many entrepreneurs are showing a growing interest in developing tech services that help people get more out of life as they age.

Demographics
The following links contain statistical and demography information on aging populations.

CDC launched the PRC-Healthy Aging Research Network to assist in the development of a national research and dissemination agenda related to the public health aspects of healthy aging. http://www.prc-han.org/

Facts for Features & Special Editions
Facts for Features and Special Editions consist of collections of statistics from the US Census Bureau's demographic and economic subject areas intended to commemorate anniversaries or observances or to provide background information for topics in the news. To view March 2008's fact sheet, which commemorates Older American's Month, click here.

Policy
The most recent updates on aging policy and legislative issues.

Recovery Act Funding to Provide Approximately 14 Million Meals through Senior Nutrition Programs
On March 18, 2009, Vice President Joe Biden announced that the Department of Health and Human Services would be awarding $100 million in Recovery Act funding to provide meals to tens of thousands of low-income older Americans in need.  The funding is expected to provide nearly 14 million meals nationwide. The Recovery Act provides $65 million for congregate nutrition services provided at senior centers and other community sites, $32 million for home delivered nutrition services delivered to frail elders at home and $3 million for Native American nutrition programs. The funding has been awarded to 56 states and territories and 246 tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations. For more information about senior nutrition programs and to see a state-by-state breakdown of funding for senior nutrition programs, visit http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/programs/aoa/arra.html/.

Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act
Senators Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act, a bill that would require a national criminal history background check for all long-term care facility employees with direct access to patients. “While the vast majority of professional caregivers are conscientious and dedicated, an unfortunate few are not, sometimes with tragic results,” said Collins. A 2002 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found widespread inconsistencies in state inspections of nursing home facilities. The report also found that state surveyors missed serious care problems, even in states that had succeeded in improving overall patient care.  

Congress Passes Key Legislation Expanding Volunteerism
The bipartisan passage of two key bills: S.277, the Serve America Act, and H.R. 1388, Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act, will help strengthen the national service programs and increase levels of volunteerism for Americans of all ages and at every stage of life. Both bills reauthorize the National and Community Service Act, strengthening and expanding the national service programs (including Senior Corps), stimulating community volunteerism, and increasing accountability.  Additional incentives such as the Silver Scholarship and Encore Fellowship program are also provided in the legislation to tap the talent of retiring Baby Boomers for service. President Obama recently signed the Serve America Act on April 21, 2009 and the GIVE Act is currently awaiting votes in the Senate.

Links to Policy and Advocacy Resources
For an annotated list of Links to Policy and Advocacy Resources, courtesy of SAGE-SW and the Council on Social Work Education, please click here.

Updated May 4, 2009