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Ripples
The E-Newsletter of the Geriatric Social Work Initiative (GSWI)
Volume 8 Issue 3
March 25, 2009
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Upcoming Deadlines:
Gero-Ed Specialized Gerontology Program Funding: April 10, 2009
Pre-Dissertation Award Program: Because of the severe economic downturn the Pre-Dissertation Award component of the Hartford Doctoral Fellows program is being suspended. As a result, we will not be accepting applications this May as there will not be any Pre-Dissertation Awards made in 2009. However, the dissertation grant support component of the Hartford Doctoral Fellows program is able to support 7 Doctoral Fellows for Cohort IX (selected in 2009). Thus we welcome applications for that component of the Hartford Doctoral Fellow which are due August 1, 2009.
In this Issue…
Announcements
Research & News
Funding Opportunities
Resources
Policy
ANNOUNCEMENTS
AGS Annual Scientific Meeting
The 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) will take place April 29 to May 3 in Chicago, IL. The AGS Annual Scientific Meeting is the premier educational event in geriatrics, providing the latest information on clinical care, research on aging, and innovative models of care delivery. For more information, click here .
GSA’s 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstract Submission Process Now Open
The Gerontological Society of America is now accepting abstracts for the 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting. In order to submit an abstract, you will be required to log in to Abstract Central with a user id and password. Please contact meetings@geron.org to request an abstract submission user id and password. The submission deadline is April 8, 2009. For more details and instructions, click here .
Rosen Panel Debuts at 2009 CSWE APM
The Gero-Ed Center is pleased to welcome nominations for the Anita Rosen Panel Session for Best Practices in Gerontological Infusion, the newest programming for the 2009 Gero-Ed Track. Three social work programs that exemplify best practices in infusing gerontology into foundation or generalist curriculum will be selected to present at the Rosen Panel and will receive a CSWE Gero-Ed Center Best Practices Award. One faculty member and one student per program will be awarded a conference attendance stipend to sit on the Rosen Panel. For more information or to nominate a program, visit the Rosen Panel Web site .
New Profiles in Social Work: Sara Sanders, PhD
Check out this month’s profiles in social work, featuring Sara Sanders, PhD. Profiles in social work is dedicated to highlighting social workers who have benefited from Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative programs. To read this month’s profile, click here.
RESEARCH & NEWS
Study Reveals Care Coordination Programs Not Effective In Lowering Medicare Costs
In the absence of a strong transitional care component, care coordination programs are unlikely to produce Medicare savings, according to a report in the February 11th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Researchers analyzed data from 18,309 patients who participated in 1 of 15 programs or received usual care from April 2002 to June 2005. Most Medicare receipts were hospitalized primarily due to congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and diabetes with monthly Medicare expenditures before enrollment of over $1500. To learn more, click here .
Social Security Administration Soon to Face Huge Back-Logs due to Aging Population
The Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) January 2009 report, "Social Security Administration: Service Delivery Plan Needed to Address Baby Boom Retirement Challenges," found that baby boomer retirements, combined with a "retirement wave" of the Social Security Administration's (SSA) most experienced staff, could create a perfect storm of backlogs and long lines unless a comprehensive plan is developed. The report also found that staffing in field offices have dropped more than 4 percent and that field offices kept up only by deferring work they considered low priority. SSA estimates that retirement and disability filings will increase the agency's work by about 1 million annual claims by 2017. SSA will also experience an agency-wide retirement wave in the coming years—the agency projects that 44 percent of its staff will retire by 2016. GAO recommends that SSA develop a "service delivery plan" to handle the changes. Visit http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-24 to learn more.
Eldercare Difficult For Families As Economy Suffers
National Public Radio’s (NPR) “Tell Me More with Michael Martin”, recently featured a story that explains the financial and emotional dilemmas that often come with eldercare. The story includes discussion on ways in which families — including those directly hit by the current economic crisis — can trim financial burdens when caring for someone in need. Click here to listen to this story.
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.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Junior Research Awards in Psychogeriatrics
The International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA) is soliciting papers for its 2009 Junior Research Awards in Psychogeriartics. The award supports groundbreaking research efforts among junior researchers who seek to improve mental health care for older people around the world. The award presentation will take place during the 14th International IPA Congress, September 1-5, 2009 in Montréal, Canada. For information on submission guidelines, click here.
Funding Opportunities from Grants.gov
Below are grant postings that may be of interest to Ripples readers. Additional funding opportunities and information may be found at www.grants.gov.
- Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Interventions to Improve Palliative Care at the End of Life (R01) Grant
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=46066
- Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Incorporating Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Into Factors Affecting Quality-of-Life Health Related Research (R01) Grant
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=46067
- Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Research on Clinical Decision Making in People with or at Risk for Life-Threatening Illness (R21) Grant http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=46070
RESOURCES
CoE Recruiting Resources Available Online
The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), with funding from the Hartford Foundation, has created an online Network Resource Center for Centers of Excellence in Medicine and Training to use in planning recruitment efforts. The site, www.geriatricsrecruitment.org, includes descriptions of successful approaches to attracting students and residents to careers in geriatric medicine, recruiting candidates to geriatrics fellowships and faculty positions, and managing program growth and development in academic geriatrics. For more information, visit the Web site.
The Future of Aging Blog
The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging’s (AAHSA) blog The Future of Aging, provides useful insights and commentary on current issues that affect older adults. One recent post features a review of a new media guidebook, which offers recommendations on how to accurately represent older adults in an unbiased way. The book suggests that terms like “old folks home” or “facility” are not appropriate when describing a nursing home, but one should opt to use “residence” instead.
Documentary Highlights LGBT Aging Issues
The film “Ten More Good Years”, follows the moving stories of four elders and explores the reasons why so many LGBT people age alone, without financial stability -- and why some feel forced to return to the closet. The film also features insights from professionals in the field of aging, who explain why many pioneers of the gay civil rights movement have found themselves struggling to survive in their old age and the efforts of the LGBT community to bring them much needed services and support. According to the Aging Initiative of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, over 3 million Americans over the age of 65 are thought to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and this number is estimated to double by 2030. To purchase the documentary and its accompanying educators guide, click here. Clips from the film may be viewed by visiting www.10moregoodyears.com.
POLICY
Nursing HomeTransparency & Improvement Act
On March 19, 2009, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, reintroduced the Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement Act, a bill that would give consumers more information about individual nursing homes and their track record of care, give the government better tools for enforcing high quality standards, and encourage homes to improve on their own. “Improving the quality of care in nursing homes is a constant challenge. More transparency, better enforcement and improved staff training are needed, and this legislation works to make changes in those areas and improve the quality of life of nursing home residents and to empower the family members and loved ones of those residents,” Grassley said.
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.
Silver Act Reintroduced to Congress
On March 10, 2009, Senators Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, and Mel Martinez (R-FL) reintroduced the Silver Alert Act, which directs the U.S. Attorney General to establish a national communications network within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for alerting both law enforcement and the public when a senior goes missing. Much like the Amber Alert System already in place for missing children, the Silver Alert System would use radio, television and highway signs to inform the public. The bill would allocate $10 million to help states implement the system and states such as Florida and North Carolina already have Silver Alert systems in place. “With the growing number of aging Americans, especially those with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, thousands of adults go missing every year,” said Martinez. For more information, click here.
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Ripples, an e-newsletter designed to keep interested deans and directors, faculty members, students, practitioners and others informed about the work of the Geriatric Social Work Initiative (GSWI). We welcome your feedback and encourage you to contribute any story ideas, stories, resources, news and other content to subsequent issues of the newsletter. To make a contribution, please contact Katherine Carter, Program Coordinator at kcarter@geron.org. If you have been forwarded this newsletter by a colleague and would like to subscribe, please reply to this e-mail and type the word “subscribe” in the subject line. Please be sure to visit our website at www.gswi.org. This newsletter has been sent from The Gerontological Society of America, 1220 L Street, NW, Suite 901, Washington, DC 20005-4018. To unsubscribe to Ripples, click here and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
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