Dementia Care Programs Help, If Caregivers Can Find Them

Some people believe that dementia care should be provided through programs that are based on proven methods. These should focus on important aspects of care, including support for those who are taking care of dementia patients. This approach could lead to better results and lower costs. 

The article also mentions that paying attention to important parts of the program design can help ensure that the way we pay for these programs works as intended and supports equal health opportunities for everyone.

---

Payment For Comprehensive Dementia Care: Five Key Recommendations

These authors believe care could be improved, and costs could be reduced, if all community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries living with dementia could enroll in a comprehensive dementia care program. Congressional leaders and dozens of experts have urged the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (the Innovation Center) to test a nationwide alternative payment model (APM) to provide comprehensive care to those living with dementia.

Why Your Grandparents Might Move to Your College Campus

I grew up in a large, extended family; intergenerational living was all around me. And so I just love the thought of institutions perpetuating the trend of intergenerational, university-based living.

The health benefits of intergenerational interaction are well-documented: middle-aged and older adults live longer lives and enjoy better cognition when they spend more time with young people and children. We also see individuals in these environments exhibit decreased inflammatory proteins and increased antiviral ones at a biochemical level. Read more here.

---

A Silent Crisis in Men’s Health Gets Worse

Although we know boys and men are more likely to die than girls and women, we don’t often read why. This article provided food for thought.

---

U.S. Authorizes a New Round of Covid Boosters

The latest information about COVID-19 boosters, here.

Atul Gawande is someone I feature often in this newsletter.

His guest essay about the aftermath of the pandemic on primary care is a must read.

---

At the start of the pandemic, Congress enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which included a requirement that Medicaid programs keep people continuously enrolled through the end of the month in which the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) ends, in exchange for enhanced federal funding. 

When the continuous enrollment provision ends, millions of people could lose coverage. This brief describes 10 key points about the unwinding of the Medicaid continuous enrollment requirement.

I was intrigued by a recent article concerning a new health care practice that plans to tackle weight bias. I hope for its success.

---

This is a good discussion about the use of Paxlovid for Covid-19 infections in older adults.

---

The Inflation Reduction Act is already helping many individuals who take insulin. Recently, new details about another provision of the act were released. They outline how Medicare plans to claw back refunds from drugmakers for price increases that outpace the rate of inflation.

I mentioned earlier that for me, this year is about reconnection. Well, last week I visited a high school teacher that I had not seen since graduation! She had tremendous influence over who I became as a person, and I think of her often. So, I finally followed through on something I’d been thinking about doing for years. She had no idea of my admiration and all that she had taught me.

Soon after, I read an article titled, “The 7-Day Happiness Challenge.” I was so pleased to learn that I had inadvertently met the Day 4 challenge: “Thank someone special.”

---

Over the course of my career, I have had many jobs. I am fortunate to have made wonderful friends along the way and remain close to many of them. On the one hand, I loved reading in this article that scientific studies affirm my belief in the value of friendships. On the other hand, I wonder if those friendships would have “clicked” if we had been working virtually.