ELF News Archives
September 2006
- Safety concerns still loom at nursing homes: ONA -
The Ontario Nurses' Association says more than a year after an inquest into two murders at a Toronto nursing home, the province hasn't done enough to protect residents and staff of those facilities.
CTV News 9/29
- Elder-care reformer a Heinz winner -
When former emergency room doctor Bill Thomas took a part-time job at a nursing home, he didn't know he was taking the first step toward creating an international nonprofit organization that could revolutionize elder care.
Chron. Com 9/29
- Officials urge U.S. cities to become 'elder friendly' -
Only about half of American communities have even thought about how to address the needs of an older population that will double over the next 25 years, a national coalition of senior advocates and local government officials said Wednesday.
Dallas News 9/29
- America's communities are not prepared for an aging population -
The Maturing of America – Getting Communities on Track for an Aging Population,” a new report led by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) and funded by MetLife Foundation, finds that only 46% of American communities have begun planning to address the needs of the exploding population of aging Baby Boomers.
The Mature Market 9/28
- Getting ready for aging boomers -
The state's elder population is expected to grow from one in 10 residents to one in seven in 20 years. Locally, Sacramento County's projected population of those 60 and over will more than double between 2010 and 2040, from 238,648 to 525,734, according to the state Department of Finance.
Sac Bee 9/28
- Great ideas’ for Scottsdale seniors -
Scottsdale was singled out for its innovation in a study of U.S. cities that showed most are unprepared for an aging population.
East Valley Tribune 9/28
- Nursing Home Fraud Neglect & Abuse Much Too Common -
Residents in nursing homes are some of the most vulnerable and helpless citizens in the US, with nearly 1.7 million elderly and disabled persons residing in about 17,000 facilities. And as difficult as it is to believe in this day and age, there is indisputable evidence to show that many nursing home residents are being neglected and abused on a daily basis.
Op Ed News 9/28
- Study: Most communities aren't prepared to deal with the elderly -
Less than half of the nation's communities have begun preparing to deal with the needs of the elderly, whose ranks will swell dramatically with the aging of the baby boomers, according to a study to be released Wednesday.
AP Wire 9/27
- Forensic Skills Seek to Uncover Elder Abuse -
The elderly man in the emergency room was covered with bruises, some purple and others fading to yellow. Despite signs of dementia, he told the same story over and over: His wife’s burly home health aide had beaten him. But the health aide and the wife insisted he had fallen.
NY Times 9/27
- Two new nursing homes on horizon -
The way people look at nursing homes is being changed by two new long-term care facilities being built in Holland. Tendercare Inc. of Michigan broke ground this week on a Tendercare Center on 16th Street that will feature a fitness center, in-room therapeutic massages, and meals prepared by a gourmet in-house chef
At the other end of town, Resthaven Patrons is creating a $1 million home that will offer 10 private rooms in a home-style setting with living rooms, dens and patio gardens for residents and their families.
Grand Rapids Press 9/27
- Demystifying the Social Security "Crisis" -
Economics isn't called "the dismal science" for no reason. Economists tend to spend most of their time researching ways to try and fix self-inflicted wounds to the economy, then delivering the bad news that the fix is usually a tax or reduction in funding.
Motley Fool 9/26
- Blumner: Fiscal crisis will be a disaster for our grandchildren -
Just to put some numbers on the problem, right now, each full-time American worker carries a $375,000 burden that represents the amount owed toward future financial commitments made by the federal government. These are promises already made, primarily for Social Security and Medicare. In total, it comes to more than $46 trillion in outstanding net commitments and liabilities - the kind of number that makes one choke on one's bran flakes.
Salt Lake City Tribune 9/26
- Health-care cost crisis looming for governments -
The bill is coming due for years of generous benefits bestowed upon the nation's public employees, and it's a stunner: hundreds of billions of dollars over the next three decades, threatening some local governments with bankruptcy and all but guaranteeing cuts in services like education and public safety.
King County Journal 9/26
- Liberal seats have most nursing homes -
LIBERAL-HELD seats on Sydney's north shore and in Adelaide are oversupplied with nursing home beds while much of the rest of the nation faces shortages.
The Australian 9/25
- It's elder abuse, says couple -
And at 89 and 83 respectively, the Wanganui East couple had quietly and uncomplainingly plodded their way to that point. That was until yesterday when they were told they were going to lose the very basic, meagre home help services they have had for the past nine years.
Wanganui Chronicle 9/25
- Where They Stand: Santorum, Casey on Social Security and Medicare -
Republican Sen. Rick Santorum and his Democratic opponent, state Treasurer Bob Casey, have staked out different positions on the extent of the problems facing the system and how to deal with them.
AP Wire 9/25
- Elder financial abuse won’t go away -
Age Concern New Zealand is saddened to see another case of elder financial abuse uncovered, this time in Auckland.
Scoop 9/22
- Oakland's New Poor -
With little or no money to sustain them through future illness or elder care, said Jacob, some seniors sold their homes in exchange for cash to use as savings.
North Gate News 9/22
- Abuse and Neglect of Elderly Rampant In Nursing Home Industry -
In recent years, the nursing home industry has lobbied hard to make it difficult for private individuals to sue nursing homes....that means legally imposed caps, typically $750,000 on punitive damages and $250,000 on noneconomic damages for pain and suffering."
Media Monitors Network 9/21
- Helping seniors avoid scams -
“The No. 1 concern I hear from every single person is ‘I don’t want to run out of money,’ ”
PhillyBurbs 9/21
- Nursing homes face hiring crunch / Economic recovery, difficult working conditions blamed for staff shortages -
While the number of people requiring nursing care is expected to surge as the baby boomer generation ages, nursing facilities for the elderly are facing a recruitment crisis as the economic recovery means workers are increasingly choosing jobs with better pay and conditions.
Daily Yomuiro Online 9/20
- Finances forcing women to delay retirement -
Retired for nearly a decade, Colon found that she needed more money for living expenses. So she started working four days a week at an elementary school.
Delawareonline 9/20
- Hundreds Of Elder Abuse Cases Missed Each Year -
We see and hear about horrific abuse targeting the elderly, ranging from scams to neglect.
Komo News 9/20
- Survey highlights retirement cash shortfall -
Today's pensioners are facing a far less comfortable retirement than those who retired a decade ago, a new survey shows...those who reached their retirement ten years ago were 50 per cent better off than those who made the same pension contributions, but are only retiring now.
Money News 9/19
- Muslims torn on elder care -
uneasy discussions are taking place in Islamic enclaves around the country as more families struggle with how to reconcile religious teachings on caring for elders with the modern realities of their chaotic American lives. Muslim leaders from Florida to California are eager for a successful approach to the issue.
Detroit News 9/19
- VA wants cheaper senior housing -
Grant County's senior citizens could receive a boost in affordable housing if the federal government approves a plan to turn six buildings at the Marion VA Medical Center into subsidized apartments.
Chronicle-Tribure 9/19
- Losses widen at high-care nursing homes (Australia) -
HIGHER staff wages and inadequate government assistance have been blamed for placing Australia's aged-care industry in strife.
The Age 9/18
- Senators announce funds to fight elder abuse -
Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins announced the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded a grant totaling $449,966 to Volunteers of America Northern New England in Brunswick to help fund programs that aim to stop abuse and sexual assault against older individuals.
Village Soup 9/18
- Seniors say 'no' to nursing homes -
A revolution is under way in how seniors are growing old. More and more want to do it in their own homes. Not in institutions or senior communities.
RecordOnLine 9/18
- Abuse and Neglect of Elderly Rampant In Nursing Home Industry -
Consumer conducted an analysis of state inspections for some 16,000 homes nationwide and reported that "two decades after the passage of a federal law to clean up the nation's nursing homes, bad care persists and good homes are still hard to find," in a September 2006 report.
OpEdNews.Com 9/18
- Transportation keeps seniors out of nursing homes -
A recent study led by Ellen Freeman of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine suggests the freedoms easy access to transportation allows could keep Austin and other seniors out of nursing homes. The study found that non-driving seniors were four times as likely to end up in long term care.
Keep Me Current 9/15
- Pennsylvania Sues Hearing Aid Firm For Elder Abuse -
Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has filed a 19-count civil lawsuit against a hearing aid fitter and seller accused of practicing medicine without a license and defrauding consumers by making misleading and deceptive claims.
Consumer Affairs 9/15
- Urgent action needed to deal with elder abuse -
The Minister lamented that there is currently an absence of statistical evidence on the incidence and/ or rate of abuse at the national level, as well as any numerical indication of the various forms of elder abuse... However, he said, reported incidences of neglect and abandonment and other reports to agencies clearly indicate that elder abuse is real.
Barbados Advocate 9/15
- Cashing in on immigration -
According to the World Bank, immigrants in developed countries last year shipped $250 billion back to developing countries - more than twice the amount sent as international aid. Today, one out of every six people get remittances in the world. They flow along all sorts of routes you wouldn't necessarily expect, like the U.K. to Poland and Italy to Kenya and Japan to North Korea. In some Latin American countries, remittances bring in more money than the nation's largest export.
CNN 9/15
- 3 Roads to Retirement -
Unlike Frost's famous work, the retirement superhighway can split into far more than two roads. Should you throw all your money into a savings account? Open up an IRA? Will Social Security be your savior? Are you waiting until you buy a house, pay off your credit cards, and hammer out a new budget before you begin your retirement plan?
Motley Fool 9/15
- Where you live can decide how long you live -
Longevity disparities were most pronounced in young and middle-aged adults. A 15-year-old urban black man was 3.8 times as likely to die before the age of 60 as an Asian-American, for example.
MSNBC 9/12
- When a home becomes a trap -
Homeownership is touted as the American dream, but for many senior citizens there comes a time when maintaining a house is more like a nightmare. Living alone can become overwhelming, but deciding whether to give up a beloved home can be difficult.
Modbee 9/11
- Security that counts in Senate race is Social Security -
According to the statistics offered by the show's moderator, Tim Russert, Social Security and Medicare, as well as other entitlements, make up 52 percent of federal spending. There are 40 million people currently on Social Security and Medicare. That number rises to 80 million in the next 15 years while the number of workers supporting the system shrinks. Meanwhile, the average life expectancy has risen from 65 to almost 80.
MCall 9/11
- Is Medicare means testing fair? -
Both supporters and opponents of making the wealthy pay more for parts of Medicare agree it opens the door for means testing in the future, but what they do not agree on is whether it will be the program`s salvation, or demise.
M&C News 9/11
- Taxing Offshore Investments Not the Answer for Social Security -
You're facing an aging population promised lifelong social security and health benefits. You're essentially taking on a demographic time bomb because there are simply too few workers to pay too many retirees the promised benefits. Your citizens are too tapped out from rising energy costs and mortgage payments to pay more taxes...But luckily for you, there's a brilliant scapegoat for your troubles. And it involves resurrecting an old misleading tale about those sovereign individuals who have the foresight to invest offshore, relying upon themselves, not their governments, for financial security.
Sovereign Society 9/10
- Elder abuse in the Friendly Village -
There are over 3.6 million persons over the age of 65 in the state of California. Researchers estimate that four to five percent of the elder population in California suffers from one or more episodes of elder abuse in their lifetime.
The Village News 9/07
- Scams targeting elderly a growing problem -
• 90 percent of elder abuse perpetrators are family members
• 47 percent of elder abuse perpetrators are victims’ children
• The next highest category of perpetrators are spouses, at 19 percent
• Females over age 80 who are unable to care for themselves are most at risk
• Elder abuse affects more than 500,000 people each year
Smokey Mountain News 9/07
- Parties fail to address bed shortage in nursing homes: seniors group -
A seniors rights group in New Brunswick wants to know what the two main political parties plan to do about the long waits to get into nursing homes.
CBC News 9/07
- LETTERS: Shame on nursing homes -
Your article “4 area nursing homes fare poorly in survey” (Aug. 9, Business) presents a problem with failure of care that occurs in far too many nursing homes in this country.
Kansas City Star 9/07
- Neighbors up in arms over elder-care home -
Elizabeth Falcon's plan to open a second senior home in the Temecula area has run into a buzz saw of neighborhood complaints.
Inland Southern California 9/04
- Long-term care goes home -
The shift toward long-term care in the home begins with the increasing age of the nation's population.
Kennebec Journal 9/04