October  2013


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Aging Together NY  

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Read all about it: Everything from the challenges of the federal health care exchange rollout to the best countries to grow old in and the impact of Big Box company downsizing on western New York's aging population.
  
Aging Together NY is a monthly newsletter dedicated to sharing news and analysis on aging issues and community-based care locally, in New York State and around the nation.

Best regards,
Crystal Carter SignatureLaura's sig NEW 2010
Crystal L. Carter, PresidentLaura A. Cameron, Executive Director

Trending Topics 

U.S. Health Exchanges Say Federal Data Hub Operating Again

Reuters (10/28/2013) 

The latest in the saga of the federal insurance exchange website rollout: A key link to federal data used by the websites that sell health insurance under the U.S. health reform law appeared to be working again after a data center failure blocked enrollment across the country. Read more. 

 

37,000 Enrolled in N.Y. Health Exchange So Far  

USA Today (10/24/2013)

Many of the 174,000 people who signed up so far likely are waiting to pick an insurance plan. When will they make a final decision? Read more.  

 

Aging America: Poll Shows Retirement Coming Much Later
Associated Press (10/14/2013)  
The big question today: What are you going to do for a living when you retire? Read more


The Best - and Worst - Places to Grow Old     

WSJ (10/22/2013)
To identify the best and worst countries to grow old in, 24/7
Wall St. reviewed HelpAge International's report which includes data from the U.N., the World Bank, Eurostat and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Click here to find out if the United States made the top ten best.  And for the complete story, click here.


Aging in New York    

Taking the Human Out of Human Services
Aging-NY (10/16/2013) 
The goal of Area Agencies on Aging is and has always been to help older New Yorkers age with dignity and independence, and that was never more evident than during the Association on Aging in NY's October Aging Summit in Syracuse. Read more
 
New Yorkers to Gain Nursing Home Access thru Managed LTCCC Plans
Long Term Care Community Coalition (10/15/2013)
Starting in January 2014, New York State begins its plan to mandate that everyone in Medicaid who needs nursing home care access this care through a private Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) insurance plan. Current residents excluded. Read more in a report issued by LTCCC.
  
Central New York's Poor and Disabled Faced with Fewer Options 
The Post-Standard (10/14/2013)  
Excellus notified doctors and other providers it is withdrawing "with great reluctance" from the Medicaid managed care and Family Health Plus programs because it expects to lose about $100 million on those programs this year. Read more 

  

Aging in the Community 

Director Profiles

Julie Allen Aldrich, New Monroe County Aging Office Director, Sees Nest Eggs Crack 
Aging-NY (9/29/2013)   
While most New York State counties are feeling the effects of an aging population, Monroe County is feeling the effects of an aging population coupled with the downsizing of corporations like Kodak, Bausch & Lomb and Xerox. Read more.
 
More Community News      
 

Waiting List in One County Goes from Zero to 359 in Three Years
 

The Post-Journal (10/24/2013)

Chautauqua County Office for the Aging Director Mary Ann Spanos shared county waiting list numbers with county
officials during annual budget presentations. Legislators approved half the funds needed to operate Chautauqua's aging office for the upcoming year. Read more.
 
Mary Ann Spanos answers questions for Chautauqua County Legislators. 
Mary Ann Spanos: "Does that answer your question?"

 

UHS Branches Out to Neighboring Counties to Provide Home Health Care 
pressconnects.com (10/7/2013)
UHS is also working on finalizing an agreement to take over the Tioga County-run home health care agencies, which the county has been trying to sell since September 2012. Read more.  

  

Genesee Office for the Aging is Business Partner of the Year 

The Daily News (10/3/2013)
The Genesee County Office for the Aging was recognized with the Business Partner of the Year Award. The honor is in recognition of the partnership between the Office for the Aging and ARC for the Genesee County Meals on Wheels contract. Read more

 

State Audit Reveals: Another Year, Another $11 Million in the Hole  

Times Union (10/7/2013)  

A state audit in Saratoga County revealed the county is experiencing increasing levels of fiscal stress related to what? Read more

 

Aging in the Nation     

Senate Panel Advances Older Americans Act  
Press Release (10/30/2013)
A Senate committee advanced legislation by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to reauthorize the Older Americans Act, which supports Meals on Wheels and other services for the country's rapidly-growing population of seniors. Senator Sanders Article and the HELP Committee.
  
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) offered an amendment to alter the Older Americans Act (OAA) funding formula by striking the "hold harmless" provision that creates a "floor" of funding for every state at FY 2006 funding levels. The amendment failed (14-7). Funding formula changes would result in cuts to New York State. Stay tuned!

Aging-NY New York Weighs in on Older Americans Act
Aging-NY (October 2013)
The Association on Aging in New York (Aging-NY) advocated in favor of S. 1562, the OAA Reauthorization Act of 2013. Read more.

Olmstead Plan Focuses on Outcomes
Governor's Office (10/11/2013) 
New York State's Olmstead Implementation Plan detailing how the State intends to comply with the Supreme Court's Olmstead v. L.C. decision of 1999 has been released. Read more and click here for the full report. Aging-NY contributed a report to the planning group several months ago. Click here to read Aging-NY's report.  

Steep Rise Seen in Deep Poverty Among Elderly
The Philadelphia Inquirer (10/10/2013)
Poverty among the elderly is growing. And deep or extreme poverty - defined by the government as a single person earning $5,700 a year or less - has taken a jump that even experts find astonishing.
Dementia Care Needs Major League Support
Keep in Mind (10/23/2013)
What do the Chicago Bulls, New York Yankees and Green Bay Packers have in common? The same thing you need to care for older adults with dementia.Read more.

Brown Study Finds Savings in Home Delivered Meals Programs
Press Release (10/7/2013)
Every state would enable more seniors, who could live independently except for meals, to remain in their homes regardless of whether they are on Medicaid. Read more. And for the entire study, click here.

Advice About Assisted Living for Aging Relatives, Part 1
NYTimes (10/16/2013)
Enhanced assisted living permits residents to fully age in place, even if they require complete assistance - even while using a wheelchair, something that is not permitted (at least in New York).Read more    
Aging in the World  
  
Woman Sues Children for Care as Population Ages and Family Loyalty Erodes
Washington Post (10/22/2013)
The world's population is aging fast, due to longer life spans and lower birth rates, and there will soon be more old people than young for the first time in history. This demographic about-turn has left families and governments struggling to decide: Who is responsible for the care of the elderly? Read more
Field Resources     

Members Only   

Aging Summit: Advancing Aging Issues  
(Aging-NY) 
In October, members of the Association on Aging in NY met with stakeholders in the health care and Aging Network communities for a strategic planning session. One of the goals of the summit was to develop public policy objectives that support the Area Agencies on Aging and ultimately the older New Yorkers they serve. Click here for the Aging Summit page.
 
Association Establishes Mentor Program for New Directors
(Aging-NY)
The Association on Aging in NY recently established a Mentor program for new Directors of Area Agencies on Aging. For more information on the program, click here for the Mentor section of our  website.          

 

Nutrition Survey: Final Results are in!
(Aging-NY 9/20/2013)
Click here to view the results of the 2013 survey "Nutrition Programs in NYS." We had an excellent response rate -- 49 of the Area Agencies on Aging answered the survey.    
   
Correction
September's Aging Together newsletter misidentified U.S. Congressman Chris Gibson.
In This Issue
Trending Topics
Aging in New York
Aging in the Community
Aging in the World
Aging Resources
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