Fountain Of Youth May Be Hiding In Common Prescription Drugs

A woman and an older lady standing next to each other.


For centuries, humans have searched for the Fountain of Youth.  The latest search for longevity may arrive in pill form.  Scientists are now trying to extrapolate life-prolonging experiments in animals to something which would work on a human being.  Two leading candidates are metformin—a common diabetes treatment—and rapamycin, a drug currently used to prevent transplant patients from rejecting organs.  There is also a new class of drugs called senolytics.  These clear the body of senescent cells, old cells that stop dividing but don’t die.  They accumulate in tissues throughout the body and damage healthy cells and have been linked to cognitive impairment.  Let’s hope at least one of these works!

https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-you-fight-aging-scientists-are-testing-drugs-to-help-11641913275

 

Nursing Homes Being Hit Hard Again By COVID-19

A close up of many viruses on a red background


The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is hitting the elderly and nursing homes particularly hard, with the highest number of cases ever documented among staff and a near-record number of residents falling ill with the virus.  This, on top of a worker shortage which has hit virtually every industry, has made this particularly difficult to deal with.  For the week ending January 9, there were 32,061 new confirmed COVID-19 cases among nursing home residents, nearly triple the number of cases the week before (6,406), according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-cases-surge-at-nursing-homes-11641924320

 

Medicare Deals A Blow To Those Wanting To Take The New Alzheimer’s Drug Aduhelm

A woman looking out of the window at her home.


Medicare officials announced yesterday that coverage for the new Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm should be restricted to patients that are participating in approved clinical trials.  After a thorough review of the scientific evidence and discussions with various stakeholders, their research team at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services concluded that there remain significant doubts as to whether the potential benefits of Aduhelm for patients outweigh the safety risk. Scientists are worried about side effects such as headaches, dizziness, falls and brain bleed.   The maker of the drug, Biogen, said that the decision “denies the daily burden of people living with Alzheimer’s disease†and that the clinical trial requirement “will exclude almost all patients who may benefit.â€

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/11/health/aduhelm-medicare-alzheimers.html?campaign_id=4&emc=edit_dk_20220112&instance_id=50069&nl=dealbook&regi_id=52105769&segment_id=79435&te=1&user_id=7052b81671c57203c64c377c7522baa7

Carmel-by-the-sea, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available

A woman and an older man sitting next to each other.


Carmel-by-the-sea, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available (Also Aromas, Big Sur, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Castroville, Corral-de-Tierra, Del Rey Oaks, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Prunedale, Salinas, Seaside, Soledad & Watsonville

We have developed a reputation for having the best caregivers (Home Care Aides or Senior Companions) in Monterey County over the past decade and have recently expanded into Santa Cruz County.   We are currently looking for qualified caregivers.

Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey is seeking compassionate, mature and dependable caregivers who want to improve the lives of our elderly Clients by providing in-home, non-medical care.  Our services include:

Caring companionship

Meal preparation

Incidental transportation

Running errands

Light housekeeping

Medication reminders

Monitoring of safety while bathing

Information and referral services

Other services that improve the safety, security and quality of life of seniors.

If you believe you would make an exceptional Home Care Aide, we would love to hear from you!  We prefer those with experience helping the elderly, disabled and others with mobility problems.  Having cared for those with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is a plus.  To work for us, you must have excellent references, a clear criminal record, a good driving record, and an insured reliable vehicle.  To apply, please visit our website www.fhcofm.com, click on home care aides, then careers where you can fill out an application online.  We have immediate openings all over Monterey County.

President Biden To Require Insurers To Pay For At Home COVID-19 Tests

A cvs pharmacy store front with the door ajar.


The White House has announced that private health insurers will soon have to cover the cost of in-home COVID-19 tests, as long as they are authorized, cleared or approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).  The new policy, which starts on Saturday, would allow for eight free tests per month.  “We are requiring insurers and group health plans to make tests free for millions of Americans.  This is all part of our overall strategy to ramp-up access to easy-to-use, at home tests at no cost,†Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a news release.  This is great news, because there are many people who have been vaccinated and had a booster which have been tested positive with the new strain of coronavirus which is spreading rapidly.

Assisted Suicide Becomes Easier In California

A person holding hands with another person in bed.


One of the many laws that Governor Gavin Newsome is about to sign into law is SB-380 which will make it easier for terminal patients to end their own life.  In 2016, California became one of a small number of states to allow people to end their lives with a prescription from a doctor.  Now that the public has come to accept the concept, lawmakers are streamlining the process.  Instead of requiring that the patient make two separate requests for fatal medicines 15 days apart, the person can now make the requests only two days apart.  The new law will also eliminate the need for a written statement from the patient.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB380&campaign_id=49&emc=edit_ca_20220111&instance_id=49985&nl=california-today&regi_id=52105769&segment_id=79349&te=1&user_id=7052b81671c57203c64c377c7522baa7

Centenarian Kane Tanaka, Celebrates 119th Birthday, Is The Oldest Person In The World


Kane Tanaka celebrated her 119th birthday in Japan, continuing her run in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest woman in the world.  Eiji Tanaka, her 62-year-old grandson, told the Japanese outlet Kyodo, “I hope she remains healthy and has fun every day as she grows older.â€Â  Tanaka born in 1903 (the same year the Wright brothers made their first powered flight) loves carbonated beverages and posed for photographers last year with a peace sign, drinking a can of coke.  Tanaka has seen five Japanese imperial reigns and two world wars.

Montage Health To Hold Advance Planning Health Care Directive Workshop January 10

A large fountain in the middle of an indoor area.


Join Joy Smith, a Registered Nurse and a member of the Palliative Medicine Service team at Montage Health Care on January 10 for an Advance Planning Health Care Directive Workshop on January 10 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Ryan Ranch location of Montage Medical Group in the Hazen Education Center.  At the meeting, you either start or update your Advance Health Care Directive and other important documents, and then submit your paperwork to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP).  For more information, call 625-4977.

https://www.montagehealth.org/classes-events/search-results-detail/?eventId=b7650967-b63d-ec11-a843-000d3a611ea2

Future of New Alzheimer’s Drug, Aduhelm, Up To Medicare

A close up of some blue and yellow cells


Despite a recent price drop of roughly 50% for Aduhelm, the new drug for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, it is still extremely expensive at $28K per year, and its future now lies in the hands of Medicare.  They will meet this month to decide whether or not the government will cover this infusion drug for senior citizens.  Because the vast majority of prescriptions for this drug are likely to be for those on Medicare, this will be a very important decision for Biogen, the manufacturer of the drug.  Although the FDA has approved the drug, clinical trials showed the drug had significant safety risks and the benefit to patients is unclear.  Therefore, its approval for Medicare reimbursement is anything but a shoe-in.  Medicare almost always approves drugs which have received the stamp of approval of the FDA, but in this case it has not—researchers at Medicare have been studying the drug for over a month.  “It’s truly unprecedented,†James Chambers, a researcher at the Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health at Tufts Medical Center, told the Wall Street Journal.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/31/health/aduhelm-alzheimers-medicare.html?campaign_id=4&emc=edit_dk_20220103&instance_id=49255&nl=dealbook&regi_id=52105769&segment_id=78510&te=1&user_id=7052b81671c57203c64c377c7522baa7

Carmel, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Caregiver Jobs Available : Alzheimer’s & Dementia Experience A Plus : Set Your Own Hours : $2 Per Hour Extra On Weekends

A woman and an older lady standing next to each other.


Carmel, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Caregiver Jobs Available : Alzheimer’s & Dementia Experience A Plus : Set Your Own Hours : $2 Per Hour Extra On Weekends (Also Big Sur, Carmel-by-the-sea, Carmel Highlands, Castroville, Corral-de-Tierra, Del Rey Oaks, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Prunedale, Salinas, Seaside, Soledad & Watsonville)

Monterey & Santa Cruz Counties Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available

We have developed a reputation for having the best caregivers (Home Care Aides or Senior Companions) in Monterey County over the past decade and have recently expanded into Santa Cruz County.   We are currently looking for qualified caregivers.

Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey is seeking compassionate, mature and dependable caregivers who want to improve the lives of our elderly Clients by providing in-home, non-medical care.  Our services include:

Caring companionship

Meal preparation

Incidental transportation

Running errands

Light housekeeping

Medication reminders

Monitoring of safety while bathing

Information and referral services

Other services that improve the safety, security and quality of life of seniors.

If you believe you would make an exceptional Home Care Aide, we would love to hear from you!  We prefer those with experience helping the elderly, disabled and others with mobility problems.  Having cared for those with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is a plus.  To work for us, you must have excellent references, a clear criminal record, a good driving record, and an insured reliable vehicle.  To apply, please visit our website www.fhcofm.com, click on home care aides, then careers where you can fill out an application online.  We have immediate openings all over Monterey County.