Watch CBS News Videos Online

Caring for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease triples the average Medicare expenditure per person, reports CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook. Other highlights from his report, which also sources the Alzheimer’s Association:

• 1 in 8 Americans over the age of 65 will eventually develop Alzheimer’s disease.
• Starting next year, 10,000 baby boomers will turn 65 every day.
• Over the next four decade, the number of individuals being treated for Alzheimer’s disease could triple; with 16 million being treated by 2050.
• Deaths from other causes such as heart disease and stroke have dropped in the last decade, deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have risen by 47 percent.

Dr. LaPook also reports on the latest clinical trials. One drug being tested right now seeks to slow the brain’s production of amyloid, a “plaque” that slows synapse function in the brain and destroys brain tissue. Presently, about 50 drugs in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease are being tested in more than 100 clinical trials nationwide.

Read more about Alzheimer’s care strategies and best practices in Assisted Living Executive:

• “New Reality for Residents with Alzheimer’s“
• “Measures of Care“

Participants raised awareness of assisted living as a great  long-term care option for seniors in more than 470 individual meetings at 150 offices of senators, House members, and key committee staffers. The turnout was more than twice the size of last year’s fly-in.

“This federal fly-in marked a turning point for the senior living industry’s outreach to the U.S. Congress,” says Richard Grimes, ALFA’s President and CEO. “This show of strength established a platform for the philosophy of care we provide to America’s seniors: a philosophy that embraces independence, respect, dignity, choice and quality care.”

More than 120 senior living advocates converged on Capitol Hill in February for the biggest ALFA Advocacy Fly-In event ever. Participants raised awareness of assisted living as a great long-term care option for seniors in more than 470 individual meetings at 150 offices of senators, House members, and key committee staffers.

Among the many offices visited were those of Senator Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Aging; Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, a key member of the Senate Finance Committee; Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services; and Representatives Mike Acuri of New York and Jim Cooper of Tennessee.

Attendees included executives from more than 20 different companies, ranging from the largest to smaller providers. Also attending were representatives from many ALFA state affiliates and chapters including California, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Florida, and Texas.

In its sweep of Capitol Hill, ALFA members explained the differences between the philosophy of assisted living and other long term care options. A number of ALFA Board members noted that a significant number of key lawmakers and staff still did not fully appreciate the differences between assisted living and skilled nursing care.

ALFA members advocated for potentially life-saving measures such as the National Silver Alert Act which would create a national system for locating missing seniors who wander because of complications from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The measure is similar to the Amber Alert system for locating missing children.

They also engaged in frank discussions on the so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) which would eliminate the secret ballot for employees in deciding whether or not to join a labor union and the so-called Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act that would bar America’s seniors from engaging in voluntary pre-dispute arbitration agreements with senior living providers.

Attendees at the fly-in included executives from Emeritus Senior Living, Brookdale Senior Living, Sunrise Senior Living, Assisted Living Concepts, Five Star Senior Living, BMA Management, New Perspective Senior Living, Bell Senior Living, Benchmark Assisted Living, Brightview Senior Living, Chancellor Health Care, Country Meadows Retirement Communities, Direct Supply, Inc.,  Somerford Corp., Integral Senior Living, Senior Care, Inc., Silverado Senior Living, Signature Senior Living and Horizon Bay Retirement Living.

“Education is the key,” says Loren Shook, the founder and CEO of Silverado Senior Living. “If our legislators understand what we do, they will support us because it is the quality of life they wish for themselves and their loved ones. ”

ALFA’s Federal Advocacy Fly-In is just one piece of the Advocacy puzzle.  ALFA members and non-members alike can build on the success of the fly-in at home by using ALFA’s online action center to send personalized messages on policy matters to members of Congress.  

ALFA also encourages executives to invite lawmakers from every level of government to visit communities so they can fully appreciate the impact of abstract policies discussed in hearing rooms on the seniors they represent.  

By exposing lawmakers and policy makers to a variety of communities, they can see firsthand the wide variety of options available to seniors and the great work performed by the senior living industry.

“We are grateful to everyone who attended ALFA’s 2010 Federal Advocacy Fly-in,” says Maribeth Bersani,  leader of ALFA’s government relations team. “Every single meeting contributed to a broader appreciation and understanding of our industry.  We intend to continue to reach out and educate Congress throughout the year and double the fly-in participation for next year.”

View ALFA’s 2010 Federal Advocacy Fly-in photos on Flickr.

There are several effective strategies caregivers and family members should use in these situations, experts say, including consultation with a geriatric psychiatrist. However, like many medical fields, there is a lack of psychiatrists who specialize in treating seniors.

According to the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, there are only 1,800 board-certified geriatric psychiatrists—that’s nearly 5,000 fewer than needed, reports The New York Times. Additionally, the number of geriatric psychiatrists varies widely from state to state. For example, Idaho, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming have only one or two board-certified geriatric psychiatrists each.

The Institute of Medicine cites two main reasons for the lack of geriatric psychiatrists:

• In general, physicians tend to avoid geriatric fields because of “financial disincentives.” Because many seniors rely on Medicare, geriatric medicine is not as profitable as other medical fields.
• There can be “negative stereotypes” associated with working with older people “and how depressing it can be.” The Times notes that many fellowships to train geriatric psychiatrists go unfilled.

In a related blog post, The Times interviewed Dr. Cornelia Cremens, a psychiatrist who says “people in general are reluctant to see a psychiatrist, but old people even more so. Part of it comes from the culture that developed during the Depression; the strongest survived”—meaning seniors often think they should be able to help themselves by bucking up, not through professional consultation.

Adult children and frontline caregivers are often the best-equipped to notice mood swings, subtle changes in disposition, and other potential signs of depression in seniors. Being sympathetic, accepting, and openly recognizing these signs is the best place to start, experts say, and certainly conversations with clinicians should follow.

Read “Words for Seniors Facing Loss” from The New York Times and the related article, “In Need of Psychiatric Care, and Resisting.”

ALFA Re:source 2.0 is glad to share his response here, and get the conversation started about Elmer’s job well done.

To The Editor:

I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that a number of my staff appear to read your newspaper. The bad news is that what they read recently was so inaccurate that they brought it to my attention.

In your editorial “A Big Step for Adult Day Center” you said ” No one should be forced to go from being an active, independent adult straight to assisted living if there are options.” Before I go any further, I’d like to invite you to come and have lunch with us so you can determine for yourself how many of our residents you think have lost their independence or are no longer active.

I’ll even let you go door to door and talk to each one. I’ll warn you ahead of time that if you choose the wrong day Ernestine may not be here because she’ll be with her art group. Barbara and Ann may be playing bridge at the senior center, Ed may be out for his daily walk, Ellie may be at morning aerobics or tai chi classes, and Pricilla could be at a yoga class.

From boat trips in Narragansett Bay and cruises on the Connecticut River to trips to the theater and shopping, I can assure you that assisted living residents are more active than any of their contemporaries that are home alone.

In our 25 years of serving seniors, not one of our residents was “forced” to come here. We certainly understand that they would like to be home, but when being home puts them in danger then it’s not the best place for them to be. Furthermore, when they make the transition from home to assisted living they actually become more active and more independent because we’ve eliminated all of those “bumps in the road” like medication management, transportation, food shopping, housekeeping, and more.

One of our newest residents came to us because she fell up the stairs when she was bringing her laundry up from the basement. While in rehab she realized that stairs were becoming an obvious problem for her. Not wanting to fall down the stairs the next time, she called us. She still drives her own car, runs her own errands, but on those days when it snows she knows we’ll take her to her appointments and shopping, and she knows we’ll clear the ice and snow off of her car all at no charge. Did I mention that when she had a cold recently we brought her room service at no charge?

Trust me when I say that after a couple of weeks of life here you aren’t going to get our residents to leave for love or money. So let me know when you can make it for lunch. I’m going to seat you with a few members of the residents council. As you’re enjoying the rack of lamb or chicken picatta or fresh grilled salmon you’ll also learn why our residents haven’t lost a thing by coming here. What they have done is improved their quality of life by leaps and bounds.

Respectfully submitted,

Robert E.P. Elmer III
The Elms Retirement Residence, Inc.

In an interview with CNN.com’s Alina Cho, Stewart – whose mother, also named Martha, passed away two years ago at age 93 – explains her reasons for creating the strategically named Center for Living. Stewart talks about the “silver tsunami” – or the aging baby boomer population that will soon start turning 65 – that will need more health-care and other wellness resources.

See the CNN.com video report about the Martha Stewart Center for Living and the kinds of services it provides for seniors. What could the senior living business take away from a successfull initiative like this one?

The New York Times reports on a new George Washington University study, which shows that the “the so-called experiential marketplace – sensation, education, adventure, and culture” is estimated at $56 billion and growing, and that the bulk of the growth is in the 65 and older age group. And with the first wave of baby boomers heading toward their golden years, experts expect the experiential sector to continue to swell with older consumers.

Senior living communities may want to take a fresh look at the scope of activities they currently offer residents, and consider reaching out to companies that specialize in older adventure travelers.

Here’s a quick look at some of those companies, as reported by The New York Times:

• The Grand Circle Corporation, a Boston-based company that specialized in older travelers, adventure tours have gone from 16 percent of passenger volume in 2001 to 50 percent for advance bookings this year, even as the average traveler’s age has risen to 68 from 62.
• At Exploritas, a nonprofit educational travel group previously known as Elderhostel, the proportion of people over 75 choosing adventure-tour options is up 27 percent since 2004. The sharpest growth has been in the over-85 crowd, more than 70 percent.
• At VBT, a bike touring company in Vermont that does rides in countries around the world, the number of bikers over 70 has doubled in the last 10 years.

And while there are some special challenges that come with experiential activities among older consumers – including travel medical insurance and how to pack and protect medications – those who have experience in the experiential marketplace say that, for the most part, older people are no less safe than young people engaged in the same activities.

“Some emergency medicine and rescue experts also say that older people might in fact be safer in adventurous, high-exertion activities and environments than their younger counterparts, or at least no less safe,” says The Times. “And some use an old-fashioned word to explain why: wisdom.”

Are senior living communities finding that residents are increasingly interested in activities that are more physically demanding? Or are rising acuity levels starting to create different activity categories for residents? Comment here or send feedback to ALFA’s editorial team (editor@alfa.org). Your input could be fodder for a future story in Assisted Living Executive magazine.

Read “Seeing Old Age as a Never-Ending Adventure,” from The New York Times.

January/February 2010 issue

Here are some key points from this article:

The rate of overall economic recovery continues to be a moving target, but those companies that take a critical look at operations now will eventually make the greatest gains.

• Assisted living’s potential for organic growth in 2010 is considerable – all the more reason to plan for incremental gains and efficient operations.
• There are two areas offering significant growth opportunities this year, including optimizing occupancy in challenging markets.

Access the entire January/February 2010 digital edition of Assisted Living Executive at www.alfapublications.org.

In 2009, one of the five ALFA Hero Award recipients was Curtin Bond, LPN, Southerland Place Midlothian (a Brookdale Senior Living community in Midlothian, VA). He and his fellow 2009 Heroes exemplify operational excellence in senior living, and each is a source of pride for their communities and companies. More importantly, they are doing the work that inspires senior living professionals every day.

Learn more about Curtis Bond in this video:

Curtis Bond, LPN, is the 2009 ALFA Nurse Hero

So don’t delay another minute. Send in your nominations for the ALFA Hero and Best of the Best Awards. Both programs will accept nominations until January 15, 2010. For more information, visit www.alfa.org/heroes and www.alfa.org/best.

No other event in the senior living business can match the first-rate executive sessions, top-level networking opportunities, peer-to-peer discussions, new solutions from cutting-edge industry partners, and timely and insightful keynotes. And starting in early 2010, ALFA will start delivering all the exciting details in Assisted Living Executive magazine, ALFA Update, a dedicated conference Web site, and other high-profile outlets.

So as you and your colleagues set course for 2010, mark your calendars for the ALFA 2010 Conference & Expo. Check back here often for pre-conference discussions, highlights, sneak previews, conference Web site links, and much more. It’s the best investment you and your company can make in 2010. After all, your company and the seniors you serve are worth every minute.

“This is major reform,” White House senior political adviser David Axelrod said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “It’s not perfect. And over time, it may improve,” he said.

Two more procedural votes await the Senate, each requiring 60 votes. The first of those votes is scheduled for Tuesday morning, according to an Associated Press report. Final passage of the bill requires a simple majority, and that vote could come as late as 7 pm on Thursday, or the day before if there is consensus.

See the video of the most recent vote from The Washington Post:

House and Senate versions of health-care reform are vastly different. After the full House and Senate pass their versions, members will meet in conference to resolve the differences between the two bills. Both chambers must approve the conference bill before it can be sent to President Obama.

What are seniors – and more specifically – what are senior living residents saying about the health-care reform bill? Post comments here – and check out ALFA’s Public Policy online resources.