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A Well-Kept Secret: Elderly Alcoholism
By Cheryl Funkhauser, Sound Options Inc.
It comes as a surprise to many people that alcohol dependency in people over 60 is much more common than you'd expect. Older adults who have never had a problem with alcohol may begin to drink to excess after they have reached the "golden years." The older person may be vulnerable following a crisis, such as retirement or the death of a spouse, or may begin to abuse alcohol as a way to deal with loneliness. Body changes that occur as a part of the aging process, and metabolism changes, allow alcohol to affect older people more strongly than their younger counterparts. Alcohol treatment is very successful with older adults. If you know of an elder who may have an alcohol problem, encourage them to seek help. |
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Working Caregivers |
Developing an EAP Response to Help Working Caregivers
How do EAP’s develop an effective workplace response to caregiver stress, at a time when corporate budgets are growing tighter and employee health benefits are increasing at a double-digit rate? To offer employers an integrated service product that covers the mental health, resource, informational, and service needs of employees.
[FULL STORY]
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Paying for Long Term Care |
Obtaining Long Term Care Insurance at Work
An increasing number of employers are offering employees the opportunity to purchase long term care insurance at work. Buying a policy that protects you and your spouse from the catastrophic costs of a chronic illness can be less expensive than purchasing the same coverage elsewhere.
[FULL STORY]
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Current Trends in Elder Care |
This month we look at current trends with three separate articles: one focusing on elder care issues at work, one about the current nursing home crisis, and the last about helping elderly remain independent in their own homes.
[FULL STORIES
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Care Management |
THE EMERGENCE OF PRIVATE SECTOR GERIATRIC CARE MANAGEMENT
Geriatric care management (GCM), a multidisciplinary profession made up primarily of nurses and social workers first emerged as a profession about 15 years ago when experienced clinical professionals across the country began to leave traditional third party settings. Disillusioned with the large caseloads typical in non-profit and publicly funded agencies, and the limitations of third party payers such as Medicare, a group of about 100 practitioners in 22 states had begun to set up private consulting practices to help family caregivers of frail elders.
[FULL STORY]
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Book Reviews |
Check in with us to see the latest reviews on topical resources for elder care planners, givers and administrators. [CLICK HERE]
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Ageless Wisdom |
Last but not least, an assortment of interesting perspectives on this process called "aging".
[FULL STORY]
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Those 65 years or older - currently number more than 35 Million. They are now more than 13% of the US population. This Age group is growing by 8% annually. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2000)
People reaching the age of 65 in good health can now expect to live 16-19 more years.
The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) conducted a survey utilizing Yankelovich Partners to determine to what extent elders and family caregivers plan to use private, professional eldercare providers, rather than rely on care provided by government agencies.
51% of higher income Americans said they would be extremely or very likely to use private eldercare services.
Americans interested in private eldercare services were large users of home healthcare (92%) and Assisted Living (80%).
Higher income Americans age 40 to 64 express more concerns regarding their parents growing older than 65 to 75 year olds express themselves. This is especially true for handling emergencies, traveling to appointments, and taking medication properly.
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