May is Older Americans Month, a perfect opportunity to show our appreciation for the older adults in our community. Since 1963, communities across the nation have joined in the annual commemoration of Older Americans Month—a proud tradition that shows our nation’s commitment to celebrating the contributions and achievements of older Americans.
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Starting this year, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) will begin recommending that all Baby Boomers get tested for hepatitis C. As of 2007, hepatitis C deaths outpaced deaths from HIV and 3.2 million U.S. citizens are currently living with the disease with 50% to 75% unaware that they have the disease.
View Post CDC, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis Testing
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will now cover transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for Medicare patients under certain conditions. The coverage decision announced today by CMS Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner offers important new technology to some of Medicare’s sickest patients.
Aortic valve replacements are used in patients whose aortic heart valves are damaged, causing the valve to narrow – a condition known as “aortic stenosis.”
View Post aortic stenosis, Centers for Medicare Services, CMS, Edwards Sapien Transcatheter Heart Valve, Heart Disease, medicare, TAVR
If you’d like to keep tabs on your cognitive ability, Food for the Brain has a nifty online test that you can take yearly and if you enter your email address, they’ll send you a reminder when it’s time to take the test again.
According to their website, “Food for the Brain is a non-profit educational charity, created by a group of nutritionists, doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, teachers and scientists to promote the link between nutrition and mental health.”
View Post AD, Alzheimer's, APOE, Cognitive Testing, Food for the Brain, NIH, PubMed Health
The “Donut Hole,” simply put, is the coverage gap built into Medicare Part D prescription plans that goes into effect when you reach a set drug coverage limit. Most of what has been written about the Donut Hole is long and quite confusing, especially anything written by the Federal government. However, in Seniors See Savings on Rx Drugs Under 2010 Health Care Law, USA Today has the clearest explanation we’ve ever seen:
View Post Affordable Health Care Act, Donut Hole, medicare, Part D, senior health care