Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Caregivers / Homecare News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/caregivers/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156290.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156290.php Help for families with sick and disabled children in Wales is now available at the click of a mouse, Deputy Minister for Social Services Gwenda Thomas will announce. Ms Thomas will officially launch a new online scheme from the Family Fund Trust called Family Fund Extra, which gives disabled children's families discounts at leading retailers. Pediatrics / Children's Health Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156253.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156253.php Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas announced her plans to implement the next phase of the mandatory registration of the Social Care Workforce in Wales in the interest of public protection. Registration will become compulsory for managers of adult residential care homes by 1 July 2010 and for managers of the domiciliary care sector by 1 July 2012. The Care Council for Wales will be responsible for executing this mandatory registration. Caregivers / Homecare Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156254.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156254.php Closing residential homes affects quality of life. Care providers must protect the elderly by ensuring those most in need have access to residential homes. That's according to Nick Bruce, owner of Nightingales Retirement Care, who has spoken out after a glut of home closures. "Around the UK there are a large number of homes being shut down and replaced by homecare services," says Bruce. Caregivers / Homecare Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155950.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155950.php Caring for an elderly family member can be stressful and can pose health threats to caregivers. Steven Zarit, professor and head, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Penn State, received a $3 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to study the effects of caregiving on familial caregivers. He will look at people who care for family members with dementia and how adult day care impacts the stress levels of all individuals involved. Caregivers / Homecare Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155787.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155787.php A long-term care program could produce some needed dollars, at least in the short range, CQ Politics reports: "A new insurance program for long-term care that Democrats have included in a Senate health overhaul bill would produce about $58 billion in revenue for the government over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office, helping to offset the cost of the legislation. Seniors / Aging Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155613.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155613.php The New York Times reports on a proposal for a new health care reimbursement model that offers warranties to patients, a topic also examined in a piece by Francois de Brantes in the journal, Health Affairs. Caregivers / Homecare Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155615.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155615.php "A federal judge on Thursday blocked a $2 hourly wage cut for California in-home care workers that was slated to begin July 1, potentially increasing California's budget deficit by another $98 million," The Sacramento Bee reports. In an oral injunction, the judge ordered the state "to continue paying up to $12. Caregivers / Homecare Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155069.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155069.php What are the costs of caring? A new project in the School of Psychology explores nurses' experience of distress and aims to determine if empathy with patients is associated with traumatic experience in nurses. Researcher Jenny Watts said nurses can develop symptoms such as flashbacks, sleeping difficulty and emotional detachment which can have serious consequences for both their personal and professional lives. Nursing / Midwifery Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155028.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155028.php Select Rite Aid stores nationwide will host Diabetes Solutions Days on June 23 and 25 offering patients living with diabetes valuable health screenings and self-management solutions. Caregivers and patients alike can benefit from this free chance to get professional advice on the symptoms and treatments for diabetes as well as watching hands-on demonstrations. The free events and store locations are listed online based on zip code at Diabetes Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154669.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154669.php In Los Angeles County, being disabled can cost a year's income. That's because the annual cost of in-home care services for seniors living alone is now $319 more than this group's median income of $17,029. Seniors / Aging Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154305.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154305.php Utopia Home Care, Inc. has announced that Michelle Harris will be its 2009 Caregiver of the Year. At the company's annual corporate breakfast meeting this morning, Utopia Home Care, Inc. President and CEO Manuel F. Martinez and Executive Vice President Manuel G. Martinez presented Ms. Harris with a commemorative plaque and a check for $1,000. Caregivers / Homecare Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153886.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153886.php Lawmakers want federal rules to cover home health care workers while Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., plans to introduce legislation in Congress today to better educate the public on end-of-life care. The Palliative Care / Hospice Care Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153319.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153319.php Almost three-quarters (74%) of people providing unpaid care for a loved one who is ill, frail or disabled have reached breaking point due to the pressures of their caring role, according to new research issued to launch Carers Week 2009 (8-14 June).* The results show that the strain of caring is causing carers such extreme levels of stress and depression that they are suffering breakdowns and, in some cases, even attempting suicide. Caregivers / Homecare Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153036.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153036.php More than one million Americans are living in nursing homes, but many would prefer to receive the services they need in their own homes, where they would be more comfortable and potentially save the health care system money in the long run. Unfortunately, many Americans who want to be cared for at home can't because of a costly institutional bias in Medicaid, which pays for nearly two-thirds of the country's nursing home residents. Caregivers / Homecare Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153057.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153057.php The recession has increased the number of uninsured Americans and made it more difficult to access health care programs while also placing special burdens on caregivers. The Roanoke Times reports on concerns that "aid available to the newly unemployed to help lower the cost of health insurance isn't reaching everyone, leaving many without affordable access to medical care. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Mon, 08 Jun 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152959.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152959.php New research launched today (Monday) to mark the start of national Carers Week (8-13 June) shows that almost three-quarters (74%) of carers have reached breaking point due to the pressures of their caring role. The shocking research shows the importance of recognising the unmet needs of carers - the theme of this year's Carers Week. Caregivers / Homecare Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152660.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152660.php MRSA is a major problem in nursing homes with one in four residents carrying the bacteria, a study by Queen's University Belfast and Antrim Area Hospital has found. Its authors say that the findings, which have been published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, highlight the need for infection control strategies to be given a higher priority in nursing homes. MRSA / Drug Resistance Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152609.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152609.php South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT) is hosting an all day event for carers on Wednesday 10th June 2009. The event - You care We care - is taking place at the Towngate Theatre in Basildon and doors will open at 09:30. The event will showcase the new Department of Health backed Caring with Confidence (CwC) Programme for carers, part of the commitments made within the National Carers Strategy. Caregivers / Homecare Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152277.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152277.php In a new study, young children and their adult caregivers uttered fewer vocalizations, used fewer words and engaged in fewer conversations when in the presence of audible television. The population-based study is the first of its kind completed in the home environment, guided by lead researcher Dimitri A. Pediatrics / Children's Health Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152262.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152262.php The Wall Street Journal reports that "the federal government is stepping up efforts to improve the quality of nursing-home care and now has an online tool consumers can use in evaluating facilities. Caregivers / Homecare Sat, 30 May 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151879.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151879.php Viewing a video showing a patient with advanced dementia interacting with family and caregivers may help elderly patients plan for end-of-life care, according to a study led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers. Alzheimer's / Dementia Thu, 28 May 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151639.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151639.php Financial contracts to care for sick or aging relatives nearly unthinkable just a decade ago are drawing new interest as everyday Americans wrestle with the time and expense of providing long-term health care, a University of Illinois legal expert says. Law professor Richard L. Caregivers / Homecare Wed, 27 May 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151545.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151545.php U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) introduced an effort aimed at updating the U.S. Census' current function questions to better improve our nation's long-term care services and support systems. By replacing a small portion of the survey with standardized function questions used by medical providers, the Disability Data Modernization Act will provide more accurately collected data used for planning the future health care needs of elderly and disabled Americans. Seniors / Aging Wed, 27 May 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151413.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151413.php The UK Autism Foundation has backed the call for a substantial increase in the carer's allowance. There are six million carers in the United Kingdom who look after family members or friends at home and often struggle to pay for their basic needs. Carers are finding it difficult to apply for the allowance because of the restrictions -you have to be caring for more than 35 hours a week. You cannot study for 21 hours or more. Caregivers / Homecare Mon, 25 May 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151276.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151276.php Following the lead of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act in the U.S., government regulations regarding syringe needle handling and disposal continue to proliferate worldwide, fostering increased demand in the use of safety syringes. Retractable syringes represent the most elegant approach to addressing the caregiver sharps risk issue by lowering the risk of user error and de-emphasizing the need for a separate sharps disposal step. Medical Devices / Diagnostics