Does the mere act of going outside every day confer a health advantage? Researchers have long touted the benefits of exercise for older adults, but what about simply remaining active I daily life? In 1990 researchers at the Haddasah Hebrew Medical Center in Israel decided to answer this question.
They randomly chose 528 ambulatory residents aged 70 or 71 to participate in the study. 348 complete the 12-year data collection. Participants recorded the frequency and length of their outings and intermittently answered questionnaires about their health condition.
The results of the study showed that--yes: participants who go outside daily suffer fewer physical complaints and less of a decline in general health. While women went out day less than men, they still received marked health improvement from the activity.
The study did not trace the reasons the seniors went out, but did suggest that purpose driven activity had further reaching positive repercussions on health. In future studies they plan to research this aspect. Furthermore, the authors suggested that senior living facilities, whether at home or in communal settings, should be modified to encourage daily outings.
Going Outdoors Daily Predicts Long-Term Functional and Health Benefits Among Ambulatory Older People.By: Jacobs, Jeremy M.; Cohen, Aaron; Hammerman-Rozenberg, Robert; Azoulay, Daniel; Maaravi, Yoram; Stessman, Jochanan. Journal of Aging & Health, Apr2008, Vol. 20 Issue 3, p259-272, 14p.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Non-linear data about nursing home staff turnover
Not surprisingly, high staff turnover in nursing homes is associated with poor quality, according to a study published in the October 2007 issue of Gerontologist.
The more interesting part of the research articled, “Nursing Home Staff Turnover: Impact on Nursing Home Compare Quality Measures,” is that the relationship between turnover and quality might not be linear.
While reducing staff turnover from high to medium resulted in significant improvements, it was not clear that a similar quality change resulted from further reducing it from medium to low rates.
The authors investigated 2840 nursing homes in 2004 using 14 indicators of care quality from the Nursing Home Compare website, a reputable source for nursing home information.
What does this study mean for nursing homes? Nursing homes inherently rely on employees to provide care for their residents, thus staff turnover rates have long been hailed as a hallmark of quality.
The authors suggest that staff turnover should be more closely managed. But because not all staff positions affect nursing homes in the same way, and because the association between turnover and quality is non-linear, how information about turnover rates are presented to the public should be carefully considered.
The more interesting part of the research articled, “Nursing Home Staff Turnover: Impact on Nursing Home Compare Quality Measures,” is that the relationship between turnover and quality might not be linear.
While reducing staff turnover from high to medium resulted in significant improvements, it was not clear that a similar quality change resulted from further reducing it from medium to low rates.
The authors investigated 2840 nursing homes in 2004 using 14 indicators of care quality from the Nursing Home Compare website, a reputable source for nursing home information.
What does this study mean for nursing homes? Nursing homes inherently rely on employees to provide care for their residents, thus staff turnover rates have long been hailed as a hallmark of quality.
The authors suggest that staff turnover should be more closely managed. But because not all staff positions affect nursing homes in the same way, and because the association between turnover and quality is non-linear, how information about turnover rates are presented to the public should be carefully considered.
An Interview with Bill Flatt, D.W. Brooks Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Bio
Dr. William (Bill) P. Flatt is a D.W. Brooks Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Foods and Nutrition Department and the Department of Animal and Dairy Science. He taught Human Nutrition and Animal Nutrition, and is currently actively engaged in energy metabolism research, particularly as it relates to obesity. He was the Editor of The Professional Animal Scientist (PAS), a national refereed applied animal sciences journal published by the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists (ARPAS). He was also the Southeast Regional Associate Editor of the American Society for Nutritional Sciences Nutrition Notes. Bill was named a Senior Teaching Fellow, one of eight University of Georgia faculty appointed for FY 1997.
Interview
Bill Flatt is one of the most interesting and inspiring characters that I met while researching an article on exercise and aging. He has made tremendous improvements in his health over the years and frequently speaks about the process.
Below is an interview I conducted, after attending one of his lectures to an undergraduate fitness class:
In your class lecture you said you started working out at home: What motivated you to attend your first group class?
I was invited by Dr. Sylvia Hutchinson, the LIR Coordinator for Dr.
Cress' Strength Training class in 2003 to take the class. I had already
been working out alone, both at the Ramsey Center and at home, but this
seemed like an ideal opportunity to learn proper techniques for using
equipment and exercising.
What kept you going back? Friendly instructors? good music? quality instruction? social aspects?
All of the above. Dr. Cress is an exceptionally outstanding instructor,
and the KINS students have all been great. They are really interested
in helping us learn about how best to be physically fit. The
instruction is high quality, and the social interactions have been
especially good.
Can you tell me about the social aspects of group fitness?
New friends? interesting people?
The social aspects of group fitness are a major benefit. I have become
well acquainted with a number of older adult retirees as well as with
the undergraduate and graduate students. They are VERY interesting
people from a wide range of backgrounds, experience and interests. It
has been fun!
Why do you think older adult fitness classes, like Dr. Cress's are so popular nowadays?
Because they are so much fun and are exceptionally effective in helping
older adults increase their physical fitness. The class activities are
beneficial, and we receive positive feedback about improvements. Dr.
Cress' class is the most popular LIR class, and is the first to fill to
capacity each time it is offered.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Balance-Use it or Lose it
Balancing is an art most of us learned so long ago that we take it for granted. I was reminded of this the past couple of weeks while trying to teach my five-year-old son how to ride a bike without training wheels. He fell over and over again--during the many days and hours of trials--hopping back up happily each time.
Watching him, I was amazed at his tenacity and the beauty of the human body to recover and learn.
For me or for many of my elders, even one of the falls he experienced might have lead to a disabling injury; broken ankles, knees, arms or even hips.
But thankfully, we already have good balance, or do we?
As we get older a number of things can knock us off balance, so to speak. We experience a decline in muscle mass, changes in posture and vision. Medical conditions such as stroke, arthritis or even the medication that we take can affect our ability to remain upright. Many of these things can happen so gradually that we may not even notice ourselves becoming unsteady.
This is not an inevitable process. Regular exercise is required for older adults wanting to maintain their equilibrium exercise, but not necessarily riding bikes.
Tai chi is one workout proven to be particularly safe and helpful. Tai chi is a form of Chinese martial arts that involves a series of slow gently movements designed to improve strength, balance, and coordination.
A study published in the February 2005 edition of Geriatrics showed that regular Tai chi practice reduces fall in older adults by improving functional balance. The dance-like movements are coordinated with breath-work and mediation: a much more serene way to practice balancing that we did when we were kids.
Watching him, I was amazed at his tenacity and the beauty of the human body to recover and learn.
For me or for many of my elders, even one of the falls he experienced might have lead to a disabling injury; broken ankles, knees, arms or even hips.
But thankfully, we already have good balance, or do we?
As we get older a number of things can knock us off balance, so to speak. We experience a decline in muscle mass, changes in posture and vision. Medical conditions such as stroke, arthritis or even the medication that we take can affect our ability to remain upright. Many of these things can happen so gradually that we may not even notice ourselves becoming unsteady.
This is not an inevitable process. Regular exercise is required for older adults wanting to maintain their equilibrium exercise, but not necessarily riding bikes.
Tai chi is one workout proven to be particularly safe and helpful. Tai chi is a form of Chinese martial arts that involves a series of slow gently movements designed to improve strength, balance, and coordination.
A study published in the February 2005 edition of Geriatrics showed that regular Tai chi practice reduces fall in older adults by improving functional balance. The dance-like movements are coordinated with breath-work and mediation: a much more serene way to practice balancing that we did when we were kids.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Geting Quotes and FOIA Fridays
I've never had any trouble getting people to talk. I have that kind of face or something. People like telling me their stories and I usually like hearing them.
But last semester I tried to write several stories about the local Veterans Administration health care system. I say tried, because I had a hell of a time getting access to information, and to people.
I learned a lot, the hard way. So I was hoping that the AHCJ panel on Getting Quotes would give me some new information.
There were a lot of fun war stories going around about 'the quote that got away' etc...
But the best thing about the workshop: learning about FOIA Fridays. Seth Borenstein of the AP is responsible for instigating this little fad. The idea is that every Friday journalists should try to submit at least one Freedom of Information Act request to a government agency on a subject they think will make a good news story. By exercising our rights maybe they’ll actually get used to responding.
(Seth will even provide you with a generic FOIA letter if you email him at sborenstein@ap.org)
Seth began by reminding us that, “no matter what the history, I always start out assuming the agency will be helpful and cooperate.” This is advice that several panelists reiterated.
Many of them recommended that reporters should be open and honest about what you are doing and why you are asking questions. Other advice was to build a relationship with your local officials. Let them know that you are serious and most of all, understand that some non-response is just miscommunication or individual problems.
That being said, persistence is key!
p.s. Seth also has a list of Escalation tools and Colombo tricks that he promises to email anyone who asks.
But last semester I tried to write several stories about the local Veterans Administration health care system. I say tried, because I had a hell of a time getting access to information, and to people.
I learned a lot, the hard way. So I was hoping that the AHCJ panel on Getting Quotes would give me some new information.
There were a lot of fun war stories going around about 'the quote that got away' etc...
But the best thing about the workshop: learning about FOIA Fridays. Seth Borenstein of the AP is responsible for instigating this little fad. The idea is that every Friday journalists should try to submit at least one Freedom of Information Act request to a government agency on a subject they think will make a good news story. By exercising our rights maybe they’ll actually get used to responding.
(Seth will even provide you with a generic FOIA letter if you email him at sborenstein@ap.org)
Seth began by reminding us that, “no matter what the history, I always start out assuming the agency will be helpful and cooperate.” This is advice that several panelists reiterated.
Many of them recommended that reporters should be open and honest about what you are doing and why you are asking questions. Other advice was to build a relationship with your local officials. Let them know that you are serious and most of all, understand that some non-response is just miscommunication or individual problems.
That being said, persistence is key!
p.s. Seth also has a list of Escalation tools and Colombo tricks that he promises to email anyone who asks.
Show Me the Money!
A good journalist can dig up just about any information. I love that about my colleagues.
At the, “How to Track Lobbying Money,” panel at AHCJ Paul Singer started Googling websites as fast as we could jot down the addresses. He showed us several databases where the money, “hides,” like FEC.gov or, lobbyingdisclosure.house.gov. The majority of them he found by simply typing in Lobby Disclosure Act of Secretary of Defense.
There is so much information out there that he gave us interesting tips on using Excel spreadsheets to compile, track and look for trends in things like, earmarks.
Here is an earmark database: http://earmarks.omb.gov/
What is an earmark you ask?
The U.S. Office of Budget and Management defines them as this: “funds provided by the Congress for projects or programs where the congressional direction (in bill or report language) circumvents the merit-based or competitive allocation process, or specifies the location or recipient, or otherwise curtails the ability of the Executive Branch to properly manage funds. Congress includes earmarks in appropriation bills - the annual spending bills that Congress enacts to allocate discretionary spending - and also in authorization bills.”
Yeah, so earmarks are what the lobbyists are lobbying for. At the bottom of every bill that is passed there is a list of earmarks. There can be thousands of earmarks on a bill. The earmarks determine how much money is spent, where and on what.
And, did you know that pharmaceutical companies have spent more money on lobbying than any other Industry?
http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/02/the-big-spenders-tracking-the-lobbying-dollars/
http://www.lobbywatch.com/
Armed with all this useful information, I was pretty excited to go home and start digging around on the Internet. Until the last member of the panel Dan Boston, an actual lobbyists, began speaking. “Earmarks are kind of baby dollars,” he said. He used the analogy of an Onion, and pointed out that this is just the 1st layer of information when you are tracking lobbying money. He cautioned us to “keep money in perspective,” and told us that there are, “things that won’t ever be reported,” such as: crisis communications firms, public relations, grasstop firms, etc.
How can you track the money that isn’t reported? You have to get someone to talk.
At the, “How to Track Lobbying Money,” panel at AHCJ Paul Singer started Googling websites as fast as we could jot down the addresses. He showed us several databases where the money, “hides,” like FEC.gov or, lobbyingdisclosure.house.gov. The majority of them he found by simply typing in Lobby Disclosure Act of Secretary of Defense.
There is so much information out there that he gave us interesting tips on using Excel spreadsheets to compile, track and look for trends in things like, earmarks.
Here is an earmark database: http://earmarks.omb.gov/
What is an earmark you ask?
The U.S. Office of Budget and Management defines them as this: “funds provided by the Congress for projects or programs where the congressional direction (in bill or report language) circumvents the merit-based or competitive allocation process, or specifies the location or recipient, or otherwise curtails the ability of the Executive Branch to properly manage funds. Congress includes earmarks in appropriation bills - the annual spending bills that Congress enacts to allocate discretionary spending - and also in authorization bills.”
Yeah, so earmarks are what the lobbyists are lobbying for. At the bottom of every bill that is passed there is a list of earmarks. There can be thousands of earmarks on a bill. The earmarks determine how much money is spent, where and on what.
And, did you know that pharmaceutical companies have spent more money on lobbying than any other Industry?
http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/02/the-big-spenders-tracking-the-lobbying-dollars/
http://www.lobbywatch.com/
Armed with all this useful information, I was pretty excited to go home and start digging around on the Internet. Until the last member of the panel Dan Boston, an actual lobbyists, began speaking. “Earmarks are kind of baby dollars,” he said. He used the analogy of an Onion, and pointed out that this is just the 1st layer of information when you are tracking lobbying money. He cautioned us to “keep money in perspective,” and told us that there are, “things that won’t ever be reported,” such as: crisis communications firms, public relations, grasstop firms, etc.
How can you track the money that isn’t reported? You have to get someone to talk.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Speed Dating for Freelancers
This year, for the first time ever the Association of Health Care Journalists offered a pitchfest at their annual conference. Attendees had 7 minutes to pitch story ideas to editors of Health, WebMD, USAToday, Shape, Prevention, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Scientific America, MSNBC, and the Washington Post.
Sign-up was first come first served via the AHCJ website prior to the conference, with a few places reserved for onsite registration the morning of the event.
I decided to try it. I signed up to speak with WebMD, Health and USAToday. (Mainly because those were some of the only time slots available by the time I decided to do it.)
About a month before the event I began preparing: brainstorming ideas, researching the places I’d chosen to pitch to, freshening up my resume and copying some of my favorite clips.
For each editor I prepared 3-5 ideas, with a paragraph describing each, thinking they would want a written copy of them. So Friday afternoon of the conference, a half hour before my appointment with WebMD, I took one last look at my pitches and tried to print them out.
It was futile. I ran out of time fighting with the hotel printers. So I arrived 2 minutes late, out of breathe for my first interview, with no “cheat sheet” to pitch my ideas from.
Imagine me sitting in my new business suit, sweating, stuttering, dropping my papers on the floor, spitting out my ideas in a rush, shaking nervously...yeah, it was an awesome moment for me.
The editor was polite enough. He liked a couple of my ideas, the ones I actually managed to tell him about, gave me some hints and filed away my card before the minder rang the timer at 7 minutes.
I left discouraged and a little defeated, dreading the next interviews. During the hour and a half before my next interviews I managed to rally.
Chatting in the hallway with the other journalists that were pitching helped a lot. Many of them had signed up for all 6 organizations and there was a wide range of experience among us. But, very few had ever been to a pitchfest. We were all excited at the prospect of selling a story idea, and many of us were nervous.
The second and third interviews went much smoother. I was relaxed and actually spent some time talking with the editors. At first I was a little baffled by how quickly they decided whether an idea would work or not. But later I realized that they simply knew their publications quite well.
The editors all gave good feedback on how to frame my stories, so that the next time I pitch to their publication, Ill have a better idea what the want.
Overall it was a good experience and I’m hoping to do it again next year. Of course, the best part was that I actually sold a story!
Sign-up was first come first served via the AHCJ website prior to the conference, with a few places reserved for onsite registration the morning of the event.
I decided to try it. I signed up to speak with WebMD, Health and USAToday. (Mainly because those were some of the only time slots available by the time I decided to do it.)
About a month before the event I began preparing: brainstorming ideas, researching the places I’d chosen to pitch to, freshening up my resume and copying some of my favorite clips.
For each editor I prepared 3-5 ideas, with a paragraph describing each, thinking they would want a written copy of them. So Friday afternoon of the conference, a half hour before my appointment with WebMD, I took one last look at my pitches and tried to print them out.
It was futile. I ran out of time fighting with the hotel printers. So I arrived 2 minutes late, out of breathe for my first interview, with no “cheat sheet” to pitch my ideas from.
Imagine me sitting in my new business suit, sweating, stuttering, dropping my papers on the floor, spitting out my ideas in a rush, shaking nervously...yeah, it was an awesome moment for me.
The editor was polite enough. He liked a couple of my ideas, the ones I actually managed to tell him about, gave me some hints and filed away my card before the minder rang the timer at 7 minutes.
I left discouraged and a little defeated, dreading the next interviews. During the hour and a half before my next interviews I managed to rally.
Chatting in the hallway with the other journalists that were pitching helped a lot. Many of them had signed up for all 6 organizations and there was a wide range of experience among us. But, very few had ever been to a pitchfest. We were all excited at the prospect of selling a story idea, and many of us were nervous.
The second and third interviews went much smoother. I was relaxed and actually spent some time talking with the editors. At first I was a little baffled by how quickly they decided whether an idea would work or not. But later I realized that they simply knew their publications quite well.
The editors all gave good feedback on how to frame my stories, so that the next time I pitch to their publication, Ill have a better idea what the want.
Overall it was a good experience and I’m hoping to do it again next year. Of course, the best part was that I actually sold a story!
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