Monthly Archives: December 2013

This New York Times article is about what happens after a fall, and why some recover more quickly than others from a fall injury.  The author describes research findings:

“A group of researchers at Yale, closely following a group of 754 older adults for nearly 14 years, has monitored disability before and after a fall injury and found that recovery is more predictable than we might think. The big clue, obvious only in retrospect: People with only minor disabilities, or none, before the fall are far more likely to recover, either quickly or gradually. Among those already severely disabled, the prognosis is much more grim.” 

Also, researchers learned that the most severe fall-related injury came from hip fractures.

How would a patient’s level of ability before a fall guide his/her treatment after a fall?  A geriatrician said that for those with no disability before the fall, “you really want to be aggressive” with treatment.

For those with greater disability before the fall, the chances of recovery are diminished.  “Palliative care — helpful in reducing the pain that often accompanies fall injuries — might make more sense, while extended physical therapy might be of little help.”

I wonder if the person who had greater disability before the fall, and therefore a poor prognosis at recovering after the fall, would be willing to accept palliative care, rather than extended physical therapy.  And I wonder if that person’s family would accept that treatment plan…?

Here’s a link to the article:

newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/predicting-a-falls-aftermath/

The New Old Age
Why a Fall Is Worse For Some
The New York Times
By Paula Span
15 November 2013

Robin

I saw this useful reminder in the Stockton Parkinson’s Disease support group newsletter sent out over the weekend.  It was written by Christy Carruthers, a caregiver in the group.  This is probably a good end-of-year activity every year.

Robin

Have you lined up all your ducks?
Christy Carruthers, Parkinson’s Caregiver
Stockton

Your named beneficiaries on your pension, portfolios, insurance policies, bank accounts, etc., that is.  Did you know named beneficiaries will trump whatever you stipulated in your trust or will? And you once you’ve passed on, you can’t fix it – sorry.  Pull out those documents and check them-is your first spouse named on your pension and you’ve remarried?  Did you have more children after you listed your first born as inheriting on your financial documents?

It’s a good idea to also visit your estate planning attorney and have your trust or will updated if your circumstances have changed.  Every five years is a useful guideline.

Is your current house in your trust (have you moved)?  Is your trust “funded?”-i.e. is your house, other assets, etc. listed with your trust named as the owner-not you.  (Don’t want to go through probate thank you very much and it’s expensive).

And a durable power of attorney for your spouse can be more important than you realize.

This post is only of interest to those who are eligible for Medicare.  Open enrollment ends next Saturday, December 7th.

Medicare Part D is the prescription drug plan benefit.  Apparently 90% of those enrolled in these plans don’t ever bother to re-consider their plan choice during the open enrollment period.  The 10% of people who do switch plans often lower their out-of-pocket drug costs.  When I was managing my father’s Medicare plans, I found that there was huge price variability among the hundred or so drug plans for which he was eligible.

The Kaiser Family Foundation released a report in November about the “inattention” of 23 million Americans who have a Part D drug plan.

For more, read the Kaiser report here:

kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/to-switch-or-not-to-switch-are-medicare-beneficiaries-switching-drug-plans-to-save-money/

Or there’s a related New York Times article here:

newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/slow-dancing-with-part-d/

Robin