State regulators in Alaska are working with a Native organization that wants to serve its nursing home residents seal oil, a traditional staple that’s banned in public settings because of its high risk for botulism. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation says it would grant an exemption to the Kotzebue-based Maniilaq Association if it can…
Aging
Elderly Inmates Burden State Prisons
Health care for aging prisoners costs far more than it does for younger ones, just as it does outside prison walls. Corrections departments across the country report that health care for older prisoners costs between four and eight times what it does for younger prisoners.
Doctors Ponder Delicate Talks As Medicare Pays For End-Of-Life Counsel
Physicians can now bill Medicare $86 for an office-based, end-of-life counseling session with a patient for as long as 30 minutes. Medicare has set no rules on what doctors must discuss during those sessions.
Aging Southeast: Pioneer homes can’t meet demand
Alaska’s pioneer homes have far fewer beds than needed to meet demand. The region and state’s rapidly-growing senior population means waitlists have grown longer and longer.
UCLA Freshmen Learn About Growing Old
April Pearce is in the middle of her freshman year at UCLA, settling into life away from home for the first time. But instead of thinking about dorm food or exams, the 19-year-old is focused on something a little more abstract: old age.
Public pushes back against House’s proposed budget cuts
The Republican-led majority released a budget proposal this week that included $145 million more in cuts than Governor Bill Walker’s budget.