Physician Specialist Referrals: An Unseen Issue

A recent study in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice finds that a disturbingly low number of patients referred to a specialist actually see that specialist. Only 71% of the patients referred to a specialist were actually scheduled for an appointment and only 70% of THAT group of patients actually made it to the appointment. Reasons varied: failure of the primary care physician's office to actually make the appointment, failure of the specialist's office to receive that consultation request, failure to confirm the visit with the patient and also some problems on the patient's end, such as the lack of transportation.

Read the full study here.

The New Old Entrepreneurs

Americans age 55 and above represent almost 20% of those who are starting new businesses. As the number of Americans in the 55-and-over age category rises rapidly, many are not ready to go into retirement but would instead like to try something new with their experience, passions, hobbies and resources.

Read the full article here.

Positive Testing of Alzheimer's Drugs

Faster drug testing could help with faster development of Alzheimer's treatments. Historically, the problem has been that it takes a long time to artificially develop the brain plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer's disease. Now the big guys of science are looking to a little squirt to speed up the process.  Sea squirts may be our closest invertebrate relatives; in their immature tadpole form, they resemble proper vertebrates, and they share about 80% of their genes with us. Turns out that sea squirts are model organisms to model Alzheimer's disease.

In a recent study reported in the Disease Models and Mechanisms Journal, it was found that in only one day, dosing the sea squirt tadpoles with a mutant protein found in human families with hereditary Alzheimer's resulted in aggressive development of plaques. More importantly was that these could be reversed by treating with an experimental anti-plaque forming drug. Why is this SO important? It is a real possibility that using the sea squirt could result in excellent testing for new drugs in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.

Access Disease Models and Mechanisms Journal: http://dmm.biologists.org

Read the full article here.

Ways To Protect Seniors' Finances

• Destroy old credit cards.
• Do not give anyone access to your ATM cards or passwords.
• Use a paper shredder to destroy old receipts, bills, and financial information.
• Never respond to unsolicited mail or email, including those that appear to be from your bank or financial institution.
• Purchase a locked mail box. Mail all mail at a post office, and retrieve mail from your own mailbox promptly.
• Never give out your Social Security number, credit card number or other personal information over the phone, by mail or on the internet unless you have a trusted business relationship with the company and you initiated the call.
• Get registered on the national "Do Not Call Registry" one of two ways:
  
• Online at www.donotcall.gov
• Call toll-free 1-888-382-1222
• Remove your name and address from the phone book and reverse directories.
• Pick checkbook orders up at the bank rather than through the mail.
• Order a credit report once a year.
  
• Review your bank statements, credit card statements and phone bills every month for unauthorized use.
• Always check out unfamiliar companies with your local consumer protection agency, Better Business Bureau, state Attorney General, the National Fraud Information Center, or other watchdog groups.
• Obtain a salesperson's name, business identity, telephone number, street address, mailing address, and business license number before you transact business. Some con artists give out false names, telephone numbers, addresses, and business license numbers. Verify the accuracy of these items.
• Always take your time making a decision. Legitimate companies won't pressure you to make a snap decision.
• Don't pay for a "free prize." If a caller tells you the payment is for taxes, he or she is violating federal law.
• Never sign a contract without having a trusted friend, family member or attorney review the document.
• Ask for and check references when doing business, no matter who it is.
• Do business with reputable local businesses rather than out-of-state businesses.
• Arrange for direct deposit of Social Security checks and other retirement benefits.
• Take great care in choosing someone to appoint as power of attorney and in completing or revising a will.
• Be careful about permitting family, friends or tenants to live in your house. Have a written agreement about expectations of services to be performed or rent paid.
• Treat home attendants like employees, not friends.
• Keep valuables hidden if someone comes into the house on a regular basis.
• Maintain contact with family, friends, neighbors, and/or your local senior center. The more active you are, the less likely you are to be exploited.
  

If you are a caregiver of a senior or an adult child of someone you feel may be vulnerable to scam artists, do not hesitate to step in and provide protection by helping them or find someone you trust who can help them if you do not live close enough to provide that support.