Trend is troubling, experts say

From HealthDay News/Business Week, RAND Corp. news release, Health Affairs:

The proportion of Americans aged 50-64 who say they need help with personal care activities has increased significantly, according to a study by the RAND Corporation and the University of Michigan. The reason for the increase is not clear, but many reporting disabilities said they were caused by health problems that began in their 30s and 40s.

“This a disappointing trend with potentially far-reaching and long-term negative consequences,” said Richard Suzman, director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging, which funded the study. “If people have such difficulties in middle age, how can we expect that this age group – today’s baby boomers – will be able to take care of itself with advancing age? If it continues, this trend could have a significant effect on the need for long-term care in the future.”

Related post here.

From the New York Times:

“A little-remarked but potentially transformational provision” of the new health care law is the Class Act, which provides for people with long-term disabilities, writes Paula Span.

The measure sets up the first national government-run long-term care insurance program, allowing workers to pay into a fund that would pay a stipend if they need care. Because the program is set up to provide cash payments, it will allow recipients to choose the kind of assistance that best suits their needs.

Advocates for seniors and people with disabilities lobbied for the measure, which they say will help people stay in their own homes instead of being forced into nursing facilities. The private insurance industry opposed it, saying it will be too costly to be supported by premiums.

Earlier posts here.

From the New York Times:

Internet-based social networks are playing a vital role in the lives of people with chronic illness, researchers say, allowing them to share information and provide emotional support to one another.

“It’s really literally saved my life, just to be able to connect with other people,” said a man with multiple sclerosis.

Research released this week found that people with chronic illnesses are more likely than others to blog, participate in online discussions about health problems, and seek social connections on the Web, even though they are less likely to have Internet access. The research was conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project and the California HealthCare Foundation.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Members of pediatric medical groups say there is a critical shortage of pediatric sub-specialists, forcing sick kids to face lengthy waits before they can get medical care. Among the reasons: lower salaries, shrinking Medicaid reimbursements, and a rising tide of children who survived premature births to live with ongoing and complex medical problems.

Of particular concern, given the rise in autism-related disorders, is a shortage of development-behavioral experts; half of hospitals in the survey reported that it takes more than three months to see a developmental pediatrics specialist, one of the longest wait times.

Families report that they often must wait months to see a needed specialist and may also have to travel long distances, often to another state.

By Robert Pear in the New York Times:

A proposal to provide long-term coverage to people with disabilities and chronic illness is roiling debate in Congress. The measure was included in health care legislation passed by the House.

Advocates say the proposal, drafted several years ago by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, is long overdue and would help people with severe disabilities who want to live in the community. Critics on both sides of the aisle say it is financially unsustainable and would rack up huge debts.

Senator Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT) said the benefits would allow people with disabilities to “live out their lives with decency and dignity.”

“What’s the alternative?” Mr. Dodd asked. “Getting rid of all your assets, impoverishing yourself, relying on your family or friends to take care of you in order to try to survive.”

Congress considers adding school nurses

From the [Newark] Star-Ledger:

As more kids with more complicated health issues are attending mainstream public schools, school nurses are being called upon to provide care they once administered only in hospitals. A bill pending in Congress would offer grants to states to help pay for more school nurses.

Federal statistics say the number of students with chronic or acute health problems like leukemia, diabetes and asthma has doubled in recent years. “They’re actually managing more children with special needs, and we’re able to keep them in the school setting as a result of the school nurses,” said a doctor who serves 15 school districts in central New Jersey. “The kids have more complex medical issues. It’s not uncommon for kids to have feeding tubes, tracheostomies.”

By David G. Savage and James Oliphant in the Los Angeles Times:

The historic confirmation Thursday of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the nation’s newest justice will bring new perspectives to the Supreme Court, and not just because she will be its first Latino.

… Her diabetes and daily insulin shots it requires were not much discussed during the hearings, but that experience is bound to influence her views, some lawyers say.

“She may be a strong voice for access to healthcare,” said Sylvia Lazos, a law professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “She will be a real player in the debates over what is a disability.”

Advocates for those with disabilities have suffered some big defeats in the court in the last decade, and they have high hopes for Sotomayor. “We’re very excited. We don’t feel we have had a champion on the current court,” said Andrew Imparato, president of the American Assn. of People with Disabilities.

See also: Judge Sotomayor’s confirmation to Supreme Court is historic moment for people with disabilities — Press release from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

Earlier posts here.

(AP photo)