The last several weeks have been extraordinarily busy ones for policy proposals relevant to health care for older Americans. First, on March 31st, the long awaited proposed rule for the "Medicare shared savings program" authorized under section 3022 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was announced by Dr…
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Diana Mason Leads No Holds Barred Radio Interview with Amy Berman and New York Times Blogger Theresa Brown Diana Mason Since I was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer I have shared my journey openly and honestly. The hope is to inform providers, patients, and policymakers how best to improve…
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On March 6, 2011, Honey (Anna) Zimmer died. She was 89 years old and one of my earlier mentors. I met Honey when I worked at the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging of Hunter College in 1987, and we remained friends even after she retired in 2003 and moved…
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Week before last, my parents moved out of their home of almost 40 years and into a nearby high-rise tower that offers the services of a continuing care retirement community. While they will be using only minimal supportive services for now (dinner in the dining room and housekeeping), I think…
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It’s been a little more than a year since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed - a drama that is still unfolding in battles around its implementation and funding. Back when health reform was just a gleam in then Senator Obama's eye, the Hartford Foundation worked with…
Read full postDear friends and colleagues, We at the John A. Hartford Foundation, and our colleagues at Strategic Communications and Planning (SCP), are interested in learning more about how professionals in our field receive and share news and information online. We are particularly interested in knowing which sources of online information you…
Read full postHere are two truths: About 1 in 5 older adults (7.5 million) currently has a diagnosable mental disorder such as depression or dementia, and this number is expected to reach 15 million by 2030. The nation’s 3 million registered nurses represent the largest segment of the professional health care workforce…
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On Tuesday, I discussed the disappointing news that our efforts with our grantees and partners have not been successful in producing the academic capacity in geriatric medicine America needs. As promised, today I want to suggest a refinement to our theory of change and make a proposal for an…
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Late last year Libby Bragg, Greg Warshaw, and colleagues at the Geriatrics Workforce Policy Studies Center published a daunting report on the state of academic geriatrics. I've been trying to come to grips with its meaning and implications for months now and have some thoughts I'd like to get feedback…
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I have to be honest. I don’t particularly care for the “silver tsunami” metaphor that people in my field often use when talking about the dramatic demographic shifts underway as the baby boomers age. With recent natural disasters making the images all too horrific, I worry that the assets and…
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