Jan. 2, 2013
We're proud to pass along this request from our friends at the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, who are compiling photos of Ohio Veterans who served our nation during the Vietnam War.
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Oct. 22, 2012
Nonagenarians - people age 90 to 99 - comprise less than one percent of our state's total population, but their numbers are growing. As our population ages, of course, we are interested in learning what is driving this new longevity and unlocking these nonagenarians' secrets to long, fulfilling lives. Connie Springer, a freelance writer and photographer in Cincinnati, set out to do just that.
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Sept. 19, 2012
Ohioans were prescribed 767,763,408 doses of narcotic painkillers last year, according to the Columbus Dispatch. That's 67 highly addictive pills for every man, woman and child in the state. While that's down 6.7 million since 2010, that is still less than one percent improvement, so there is much left to do. Under the guidance of Governor John Kasich, state leaders have been pushing hard against the epidemic that causes hundreds of drug-related deaths and devastates families.
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Sept. 13, 2012
One of the Department of Aging's most vital partners is the Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging, or O4A. O4A represents the state's 12 area agencies that coordinate services for seniors and others on a local level. Each year, O4A sponsors a statewide conference to provide anyone working within the aging network an opportunity to learn about the latest issues, policy initiatives and more from state and national experts.
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Sept. 10, 2012
If you're like most Ohioans, you've probably noticed that computers are playing a larger role in your regular visits to the doctor. Your nurse may enter your vital signs into a laptop computer or other portable device, and the doctor may use a computer to read test results and send prescriptions directly to the pharmacist. So, does this reliance on technology benefit the health provider or the patient? In a guest post, Dr. Ted Wymyslo, Director of the Ohio Department of Health, explains how health information technology is good for Ohioans.
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Aug. 22, 2012
Seasonal farm markets and stands are increasingly popular in communities across the country and especially here in Ohio. Markets typically open around May, and their selection continues to change with the seasons. As we enter late summer, markets still have several good weeks left, and they will wrap up with a bounty of locally grown pumpkins and apples. Local farmers' markets teem with vibrant produce, vivid displays and people of all ages.
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Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012
According to an article released this week by the Gongwer news service, nearly all of Ohio's nursing facilities that receive Medicaid funding met the minimum number of quality measures to qualify for full reimbursement. In fact, only five facilities, out of nearly 1,000 statewide, failed to meet the minimum five of 20 measures established by the General Assembly last year. The majority of facilities (549) well exceeded the minimum by reaching 11 to 14 of the goals.
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Wednesday, July 11, 2012
The Ohio Department of Aging has been made aware of a possible scam attempting to cash in on confusion around the federal health care law. We know of at least one instance of a person contacting an older woman and claiming that she would be receiving $1,000 for "Obama Care." The caller claimed all the woman had to do to receive this benefit was to provide her checking account number and the last four digits of her Social Security number over the telephone. The woman was justifiably suspicious and refused to provide the information.
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Monday, June 25, 2012
When you need to describe how unlikely something is, do you compare it to your risk of getting struck by lightning? In reality, lightning is the number three storm-related killer in the country. Last year, 26 people died from lightning strikes in the U.S., including one man in Ohio. For older adults, the negative impact of lightning can be less direct, but no less devastating.
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Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Summer is officially here, but we've been experiencing summer-like weather for several weeks now in Ohio. While people's opinions will differ about at what point "warm" becomes "hot," and how hot is too hot, one thing we can't argue about is that our bodies deal with heat differently as we age/ Plus, medical conditions and prescription drugs also can affect our normal body responses to heat. As a result, people age 65 and older are at increased risk for heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
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Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Last week the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all baby boomers should be tested for hepatitis C. To help you understand what Hepatitis is and why you should be tested, we asked our friends at the Ohio Department of Health for more information.
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Monday, May 5, 2012
Gov. John R. Kasich and representatives from the Governor's Cabinet Opiate Action Team (GCOAT) today announced the establishment of statewide guidelines to prescribe Opioids and Other Controlled Substances (OOCS) in emergency departments and other acute care facilities. Ohio now joins other national leaders like the state of Washington in narrowing this pipeline to prescription drug abuse. he announcement was made during the afternoon kickoff of Ohio's 2012 Opiate Summit at the Hyatt Regency, with more than 250 health care professionals in attendance.
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Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012
Ohio's Reducing Disability in Alzheimer's Disease (RDAD) program will be featured in an upcoming edition of The Gerontologist, the renowned journal of The Gerontological Society of America (Teri et al, "Translation of Two Evidence-Based Programs for Training Families to Improve Care of Persons With Dementia" The Gerontologist Advance Access published Jan. 12, 2012, doi:10.1093/geront/gnr132). Noting the growing need for community programs to improve care of older adults with dementia and their caregivers, the article discusses the development of the RDAD program, highlighting its systematic, evidence-based methods. Ohio was one of only two states discussed in the article.
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Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012
Danielle is a responsible, dependable young lady who enjoys delivering Meals On Wheels to the elders in her community. She calls those on her route "young man" or "sweetie," and hopes it brightens their day. What is Danielle doing wrong?
Ohio's professionals and service workers are dedicated to providing excellent service to the state's elders. Unfortunately, many older people are not treated with the dignity and respect they deserve because of a lack of knowledge and understanding among health care professionals, social services workers and others who interact with them...
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