October 2012
 
Aging Together NY  

Connect. Collaborate. Advocate.

 

"Aging Together NY" is dedicated to educating the population -- young and old -- through news and analysis from the local, state and federal levels on any number of aging issues, everything from the economic juggernaut that is the aging population to Medicaid Redesign to the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act at the federal level. Read  more about it in "Aging Together NY."     

Best regards,
Crystal Carter Signature
Crystal L. Carter, President
Laura's sig NEW 2010
Laura A. Cameron Executive Director
Trending Topics  

Impact of Storm on Aging Network
NYSAAAA (10/29/2012)
Leaders in New York State's Aging Network postponed their three-day-long meeting in Saratoga Springs because disasters tend to have the greatest impact on the people they represent -- older New Yorkers. Read more.

Day One on the Edge of the Human Cliff  

The Huffington Post (10/1/2012)                                                   
Most people seem unaware of the urgent danger, in part because political spin masters disguise it with detached terms such as "fiscal cliff" and "sequestration." Read more.

Americans Rank Medicare Near the Top of Their Priorities in the Presidential Election, and Ahead of the Affordable Care Act

Health News Digest (September 27, 2012)
More than a third (36%) of Americans say Medicare is "extremely" important to their vote in the election, compared to 49 percent who describe the economy in such terms and 41 percent who say so about the federal budget deficit. Read more.

Disabled Patients to Benefit from Medicare Change
Associated Press (10/23/2012)
Thousands of Medicare patients with severe chronic illnesses such as Alzheimer's would get continuing access to rehab and other services under a change agreed to by the Obama administration, advocates said Tuesday. Read more.

E-health Care Beckons Older Americans
New York Times News Service (October 11, 2012)
Getting more seniors digitally connected, either personally or through caregivers, is expected to greatly enhance opportunities to protect the health and well-being of older people and, at the same time, reduce both individual and national health care costs. Read more.

Aging in New York  

Area Agencies on Aging and Association Testify on Olmstead Plan

NYSAAAA (September 2012)

New York State Association of Area Agencies on Aging Executive Director Laura Cameron and representatives of local Offices for the Aging testified during a forum held to solicit suggestions from seniors, individuals with disabilities, families, advocates and service providers on what should be included in New York State's Olmstead Implementation Plan.   

  • New York State Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Laura Cameron, Executive Director. Read testimony.  
  • County of Nassau Department of Human Services, Office for the Aging, Victoria Meyerhoefer, Director. Read testimony.  
  • Department of Human Services, Office for the Aging, Monroe County, New York, Julie Allen Aldrich, Acting Director.Read testimony.                                                                                

Cuomo's Medicaid Changes Are at Washington's Mercy

The New York Times (October 23, 2012)
Depending on who is doing the talking these days, New York State is either a national model of how to curb Medicaid spending, or the nation's prime example of Medicaid abuse. Read more.  

 

Senior Advocacy Has to be Reinvigorated by Every Generation

Capital Commons Quarterly (October 2012)
Of course, there have always been legislative and Congressional leaders who have pushed great causes, but they were almost always responding to a movement of committed citizens seeking change.  Read article. 

Click here to read the entire Capital Commons Quarterly.

Struggling Counties Want Some Rules Eased

WXXI News (October 11, 2012)
New York's counties are making a push to get Governor Cuomo and state lawmakers to take their growing fiscal crisis seriously, and let them off the hook for some state mandates that they say are bringing some counties to the brink of bankruptcy. Read more.

Senior Groups Rally Over Care Issue
Times Union (October 19, 2012)
Battling groups of senior citizens on either side of the debate over Medicare are making their voices heard in an effort to influence the outcome of several neck-and-neck congressional races in upstate New York.Read more.

New York Statewide Senior Action Council Recognizes Senior Advocates                                                                      
NYSAAAA (October 15, 2012)                                                   
The New York Statewide Senior Action Council celebrated its 40th anniversary during its annual convention in Saratoga Springs, culminating in an Awards Banquet recognizing several individuals in the field of aging. Read about award recipients.
Read westchester.com article on Mae Carpenter 


Aging in the Community   
 
Seniors Left to Find Care                                                    
Times Union (October 24, 2012)
A health care company that arrived in the Capital Region in 2008 with ambitions to care for the area's sickest people is pulling out
. Senior Whole Health, a for-profit company based in Massachusetts, is leaving the upstate market, where it has 800 members. It plans to focus its efforts downstate. Read more
 
Area Agency on Aging Director Profiles

Lewis County's Brenda Bourgeois Brings Personal and Professional Experience to New Role
NYSAAAA (October 2012)
As with many people who grew up in rural settings, Brenda Bourgeois expected to leave but returned after graduating from the University at Albany, SUNY and never left, which has been a plus her mother and the Lewis County Office for the Aging. Read more.

New Director Ken Genewick Reintroduces Niagara County to NY Connects
NYSAAAA (October 2012)
When Ken Genewick became the Director of the Niagara County Office for the Aging he recognized the need to help people make decisions about their own long term care and re-established the vehicle for doing that - NY Connects. Read more.

 

Other Community News

UB TCIE Helps Prevent Older Adults in Genesee County from Falling 
                                                                            
University at Buffalo (October 1, 2012)                                
Prevention is now on the radar screen thanks to two grants totaling $110,000 from the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York (the former Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York) that were awarded to the OFA and a consortium of organizations. Read more. 

Older Adults Learn About Fall Risk Factors and Prevention at a Community Health Forum  
                                              
Rockland County Times (October 11, 2012)
Seniors are a growing demographic in the county and when education programs like this keep them healthy, millions of taxpayer dollars are
saved. Read more.


Aging in the Nation 

Senators Introduce Older Americans Act Reauthorization  
U.S. Senate (September 19, 2012)
Comprehensive legislation was introduced today in the Senate to reauthorize and expand the Older Americans Act, the landmark law that supports Meals on Wheels and other essential programs for seniors. Read more. For a summary of the Bill, click here. To see the entire Bill, click here.

Social Security Announces 1.7 Percent Benefit Increase for 2013   

U.S. Social Security Administration (October 16, 2012)
The 1.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits that more than 56 million Social Security beneficiaries receive in January 2013. Read more. 

n4a and Partners Receive Funding to Assist the Aging and Disability Networks                                                                  
(October 11, 2102)                                                                
The goal of the project is to leverage the Aging and Disability Networks' extensive infrastructure, service capacity and expertise, to ensure the delivery of efficient, high-quality MLTSS to older adults and people with disabilities. Read more.

New Resources Help Older Americans and People With Disabilities Maintain Their Independence                   
ndependent Living (September 2012)                                       
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced $12.5 million in awards to Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) to support older Americans and people with disabilities stay independent and receive long-term services and supports. Read more.

U.N. Urges Protection for Elderly as World Grays 
USA Today (October 1, 2012)
Having the world's highest percentage of older people is creating unique challenges for Japan, but a report released Monday by the U.N. Population Fund warns that they will not be unique for long.  
 
Field Resources     

New York State Association of Area Agencies on Aging
Aging and Disability Resource Center (ARC)
Administration for Community Living (ACL)
ACL Grant Funding Opportunities
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging



Members Only 
 
Calculating Cost per Unit for Aging Services in a Managed Care World: Tips from AAA Colleagues
The October 25th webinar was provided for AAA members. A recording and PowerPoint are available for members, click here (password required) to download the materials or contact karen@nysaaaa.org
 
Caregiver Coordinator Forums in November    
The Association is holding several regional forums in November for Area Agency on Aging Caregiver Coordinators and NY Connects staff. For more information on the forum, called "Navigating Change: Seizing the Trend of Evidence-Based Programs," contact Karen Thornton, karen@nysaaaa.org or 518-449-7080.
 
In This Issue
Trending Topics
Aging in the Community
Aging in the Nation
Aging Resources
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The Older Americans Act
 
 


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