Keeping Up to Date

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 Positive Aging Newsletter brings to light resources from research, practice and daily life that contribute to an appreciation of the aging process. Learn more.

Research Digest

GSWI.org is pleased to present recent research, digested for broader consumption.

Research Digest: Caregivers of Individuals with Dementia Likely to Seek Referrals Based on Marital Status, Education, Perceptions
Caregivers of individuals with dementia are more likely to seek referrals for health and human services based on their marital status, education, and perception of the helpfulness of these services, according to the results of a study reported in the July issue of Social Work, the journal of the National Association of Social Workers (Vol. 49, No. 3). Learn more.

For a complete list of Research Digests, click here.

Research Highlights

Medication Helps Quell the Agitation of Dementia
Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have found sucess in treating agitation associated with Alzheimer's disease with the drug quetiapine. Learn more.

Minorities Hardest Hit by Alzheimer's Disease
"Alzheimer's disease symptoms begin, on average, almost seven years earlier in U.S. Latinos than they do in non-Latino U.S. whites, according to research reported at The 9th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (ICAD), presented by the Alzheimer's Association." Learn more.

Study: Dementia Often Undiagnosed in Clinical Settings
"A study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, confirms previous research that found dementia often goes undiagnosed in primary care. It points to the need for heightened awareness among primary care physicians of the cognitive functioning of older patients, especially those experiencing adverse events that may be warning signs of dementia." Learn more.

For a complete list of all Research Highlights, click here.

Demographics

CDC has launched a series on Public Health and Aging that highlights important health topics associated with an older population and implications for public health. The first article in the series, contributed by the National Center for Health Statistics and the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, describes demographic trends in the US and worldwide and outlines the challenges for public health.

The MMWR Main Page: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr

To subscribe to the RSS Feed of the MMWR Series on Public Health and Aging: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/rss/rss.html

Trends in Aging --- United States and Worldwide: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5206a2.htm

Older Americans: By the Numbers
The new profile on Older Americans 2001 is now out from the Administration on Aging. Get the latest statistics on older Americans in 13 key subject areas. A great resource. For a list of all Special Editions: Click here.

America, Awake to the Age Boom
Medical Never Never Land: 10 Reasons Why America is Not Ready for the Coming Age Boom, spends a good deal of time focusing on problems in medicine, but its critique of society's inability to confront the coming Age Wave is informative for all health professionals.

A PDF version of the report is available from the Alliance for Aging Research at: http://www.agingresearch.org/content/article/detail/698

Policy

Senate Bill and Institute of Medicine Report Promote Loan Forgiveness to Get More Social Workers Into Geriatric Practice
Earlier this year, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced a bill to address the workforce needs associated with serving the aging population. The Caring for an Aging America Act (S. 2708) seeks to address the workforce crisis through the establishment of a federal geriatric and gerontology loan repayment program for which social workers would be eligible. More recently, the National Academies' Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report entitled, Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, which too highlights the need to enhance and improve of the geriatric workforce through incentives such as loan forgiveness. The release of the IOM report coupled with Senator Boxer's bill bring into focus the real workforce needs of the nation as they relate to caring for older Americans. Learn more (PDF) about these two initiatives and CSWE's related public policy activities

Caring for an Aging America Act
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer has introduced federal legislation (March 5, 2008) aimed at addressing the critical shortage of health care workers for older Americans. Called the Caring for an Aging America Act of 2008, the bill would provide a number of incentives to attract healthcare workers to the long-term care field, including loan repayment programs for physicians, psychologists, physician assistants, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners and social workers who agree to work for two years in a long-term care setting. After being referred to the Senate committee, it was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. To learn more, click here.

Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act
The Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act is aimed at addressing the significant workforce challenges facing the profession of social work. Representative Edolphus Towns (D-NY) introduced H.R. 5447 and Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) introduced the Senate companion bill, S. 2858. These bills would establish a Social Work Reinvestment Commission to provide independent counsel to Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on policy issues associated with recruitment, retention, research, and reinvestment in the profession of social work, and for other purposes. To learn more, click here.

President Signs Falls Prevention Bill
The Safety of Seniors Act of 2007 (S. 845), a bi-partisan bill designed to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand research into and raise awareness of falls in the elderly population, has been signed into law by President Bush. This legislation is expected to help educate the public on fall prevention, encourage research to identify at-risk populations and support projects designed to prevent falls among seniors. To view the Congressional Research Service (CRS) summary and full text, click here.

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.