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Many patients over the age of 65 who are hospitalized with an acute illness experience a subtle change in their cognitive ability that often goes undiagnosed, untreated and underreported. As a result, a patient's ability to make decisions about his or her medical treatment may be negatively impacted.These findings by Sharon Inouye, M.D., M.P.H. [click link for full article]

APM's "Marketplace Morning Report" on Thursday as part of its "The Real Agenda" series on issues in the November elections examined the Medicaid program in Missouri, which according to APM, "went from being one of the best states for insuring its citizens to one of the worst. [click link for full article]

Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn in a letter to lawmakers on Wednesday said a five-year contract with an Accenture LLP group that administers enrollment for Medicaid, the state's SCHIP program and other social services "must be ended" because of mismanagement, the [click link for full article]

Views and concerns about state legislative issues regarding crime, economic security and health care are explored in this October 2006 AARP telephone survey of 802 self-identified age 50+ registered Maryland voters. (24 pages)

With North Carolina having the 21st highest number of identity theft victims, the level of concern among age 40+ Raleigh-Durham area computer users about providing personal information over the Internet and what they are doing to protect themselves are examined in this Fall 2006 AARP survey. (22 pages)

The extent of concern among 400 age 50+ residents in each of four New York State Senate Districts about the rapidly rising cost of prescription drugs, their support for legislative proposals to help make medications more affordable and how this could influence their choices in the November 2006 elections are examined in these October 2006 AARP telephone surveys.

Senate and House Democrats this week in a letter to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said that the Bush administration has used a Medicare handbook on coverage options for beneficiaries to promote Medicare Advantage plans, rather than to provide objective information, CQ HealthBeat reports. The letter -- signed by Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont. [click link for full article]

The issue of nursing home quality is getting more attention as baby boomers age. It is estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau that 35 percent of the total population will be older than 65 by 2020. A recent study by a University of Missouri-Columbia nursing researcher found that a shift in attitude is needed to improve the quality of care in nursing homes.According to the study, preventable errors in the healthcare system are the eighth most common cause of death. [click link for full article]

More than half a million Medicare beneficiaries in Texas are eligible to join Care Improvement Plus, Texas' first health plan to focus exclusively on chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries and their unique healthcare needs. [click link for full article]

Title: Acupuncture, Turmeric May Help Ease Arthritis
Category: Health News
Created: 10/31/2006 2:05:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 10/31/2006 2:05:07 AM