Information Library

Women's Health

As You Age...A Guide to Aging, Medicines and Alcohol, 2004 (PDF)

As we age, the need to take more and different kinds of medications tends to increase. Also, growing older means that our bodies respond differently to alcohol and to medication than when we were younger.

Caregiving Reports

Culturally Competent Healthcare Brochure (PDF)

Demographic Reports (West Virginia, US, World, etc.)

Health and Aging Reports

Legal Resouces: incl. Living Wills, Advance Directives, etc.

Libraries in West Virginia

A comprehensive list of links to all West Virginia Libraries from the West Virginia Library Commission.

LifeLine - newsletter for people with Medicare (WVMI.org)

Lifeline is a free newsletter for people with Medicare that offers information to help you stay healthy. It also helps you become aware of your rights and responsibilities under Medicare.

LifeLine is a publication of the West Virginia Medical Institute (WVMI).

Pets for Senior Citizens

You've probably noticed that when you pet a soft, warm cat or play fetch with a dog whose tail won't stop wagging, you relax and your heart feels a little warmer. Scientists have noticed the same thing, and they've started to explore the complex way animals affect human emotions and physiology. The resulting studies have shown that owning and handling animals significantly benefits health, and not just for the young. In fact, pets may help elderly owners live longer, healthier, and more enjoyable lives.

Resource Directory for Older People (PDF)

The Resource Directory for Older People is intended to serve a wide audience including older people and their families, health and legal professionals, social service providers, librarians, researchers, and others with an interest in the field of aging. The directory contains names, addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers of organizations which provide information and other resources on matters relating to the needs of older persons. Inclusion in the directory does not imply an endorsement or recommendation by NIA or AoA.

Rural Aging Reports

AARP Report on Medicaid Estate Recovery

Medicaid is experiencing a financial crisis. Given the economic downturn from 2001 to 2004, double-digit rate increases in private health insurance costs, the growing numbers of people with disabilities who need acute and long-term care services, and the escalation in Medicaid enrollment and costs, states are caught in a squeeze. State policymakers increasingly are concerned about the portion of their budgets devoted to Medicaid. To reduce costs in their Medicaid programs, several states are considering expansions of estate recovery. Because policymakers are looking for ways to reduce the costs of Medicaid, estate recovery has received considerable attention. AARP is publishing this report to develop a clear picture of how states are implementing their estate recovery programs with the hope that this information will lead to informed decision making and recognition of the program’s impact on low income Medicaid beneficiaries and their families.

AARP Report: Sexuality at Midlife and Beyond: 2004 Update of Attitudes and Behaviors (PDF)

AARP Report: "Sexuality at Midlife and Beyond: 2004 Update of Attitudes and Behaviors," (May 2005, .pdf format, 126p.).

Assisted Living Facilities Regulations - State by State

Assisted living is a significant provider in the long term care spectrum and continues to receive attention nationwide. Assisted living is no longer a provider category “in its infancy.” It is a long term care option that is preferred by many individuals and their families because of its emphasis on resident choice, dignity and privacy. There are federal laws that impact assisted living but oversight of assisted living occurs at the state level. The varying laws and regulations affecting these settings have created a diverse and fluid operating environment for providers and a mix of terminology, settings, and available services for consumers. Overall, these variations reflect the development of assisted living to meet the needs of the individuals in each particular state. There are 37 states that use the licensure term “assisted living” and some states use a similar term (e.g., Tennessee uses “assisted care living facilities”). This report summarizes regulation of assisted living in each state and the District of Columbia. Because many states are developing and refining their assisted living rules and guidelines, readers are encouraged to contact the identified state agencies for additional information.

Connecting Youth to their Rural Roots by Shannon Bell, MSW (PDF)

Like many rural areas in the United States, West Virginia has suffered a great deal of out-migration over the past fifty years. With fewer and fewer jobs available in the industries that once defined the towns of this rural state, young people have continued to move to urban centers in search of new opportunities. Since 1950, West Virginia has experienced a net outmigration of 40% of its people, most of whom have been young adults (West Virginia Health Statistics Center, 2002). This has left behind an increasingly aging population. In fact, with a median population of 38.9 years, West Virginia has the oldest population in the nation (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). How can we reverse the trend of out-migration? How can we keep our young adults in West Virginia? The easy answer that politicians and economic developers repeat again and again is to bring in more jobs to the state. More jobs will mean more opportunities, a stronger economy, and a better quality of life. More jobs will mean that our best and brightest will stay in state instead of moving elsewhere. However, then thinking in terms of this model, how does one explain the workforce shortages we are experiencing in the state, especially among the health professions? How do we explain the fact that West Virginia has three medical schools and still does not have enough physicians to adequately serve the health care needs of its people? There is more to the story than a need for job opportunities. Our young people have to want to be here in order to stay. They need to feel a deep connection to the towns in which they grew up so that instead of seeing their home communities as places from which to escape, they see their communities as places desirable to live, work, and raise a family.

FTC: 12 Scams Most Likely to Arrive Via Bulk Email (PDF)

Source: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/doznalrt.htm

Email boxes are filling up with more offers for business opportunities than any other kind of unsolicited commercial email. That's a problem, according to the Federal Trade Commission, because many of these offers are scams.

In response to requests from consumers, the FTC asked email users to forward their unsolicited commercial email to the agency for an inside look at the bulk email business. FTC staff found that more often than not, bulk email offers appeared to be fraudulent, and if pursued, could have ripped-off unsuspecting consumers to the tune of billions of dollars.

Implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act: Delivering Prescription Drugs to Dual Eligibles (March 2005 US Senate Hearing)

US SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING HEARING PUBLICATION: "Implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act: Delivering Prescription Drugs to Dual Eligibles," a hearing held March 3, 2005 (Serial No. 109-36, .pdf and ASCII format, 82p.). http://www.gpo.gov/congress/senate/senate22sh109.html

Improving the Use of Hospice Services in Nursing Homes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

"Improving the Use of Hospice Services in Nursing Homes: A Randomized Controlled Trial," by David Casarett, Jason Karlawish, Knashawn Morales, Roxane Crowley, Terre Mirsch, and David A. Asch (_Journal of the American Medical Association_, vol. 294, no. 2, July 13, 2005, .pdf and HTML format, p. 211-217). http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/294/2/211

Older Americans and the Internet - March 2004 (PDF)

Pew Internet and American Life Project study. Just 22% go online, but their enthusiasm for email and search may inspire their peers to take the leap.

Provider Perspective: long term care news - WVHCA Winter 2006 Edition

Inside this Issue: Legislative Update, Update from WVHCA Vice-President, CNA Pins, SOS Day at Capitol, Administrator News, New Associate Members, WVHCA Annual Convention and Trade Show 16.5 CEUs, My Innerview.

Visit www.wvhca.org for more information.