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The bill also requires a pet animal owner to designate a caregiver for the owner’s pet animal. The caregiver is responsible for the care and safekeeping of the pet animal during an emergency that incapacitates the pet animal owner. First responders will use the system to identify the designated caregiver of the pet animal and notify the caregiver of the incapacitation of the pet animal’s owner. A caregiver must agree to be responsible for the pet animal. If a caregiver later refuses to take custody of the pet animal or cannot be located, a first responder will place the pet...

If you are elderly or disabled, would you feel safe having caregivers with inadequate English-language skills? The recent death of Barbara Rymell in England, as reported in The Telegraph, shows us the danger of bringing in foreign caregivers and medical personnel with inadequate English skills. Against the residential home’s own policy, Barbara was left alone on a stairlift for five minutes. She got off the machine and attempted to walk up the staircase, but she fell back downwards, getting her head caught under the stairlift chair. This predicament was bad enough, but it wasn’t helped by the inadequate English skills...

WASHINGTON, DC — Alzheimer’s Disease [AD] has an insidiously disproportionate effect on senior citizens and their families. Surveys conducted over the past several years show that a diagnosis of AD sparks terror in the hearts of patients, families and friends, more so than just about any other fatal or chronic illness, according to the Association of Mature American Citizens. In fact, a Marist Poll conducted in 2012 concluded that Alzheimer’s was America’s most feared illness. And, says AMAC, it still is. The association’s president, Dan Weber, says that for patients, perhaps it is “the idea of losing their identity and...

WASHINGTON, DC – As the population ages, incidents of elder abuse increase, according to the World Health Organization. WHO estimates that almost 17% of seniors 60 years of age and older have experienced some form of abuse over the past 12 months. “Nearly 42 million residents of the U.S. are 60 years old. That means more than seven million seniors were ill-treated by caregivers, family members and even friends last year. But, the alarming fact is that segment of the population is growing exceptionally fast. In fact, each day 10,000 more citizens turn 65. The Census Bureau estimates that by...

‘It is no longer unusual for us to live to be as old as 80, 90 and 100 years or more’WASHINGTON, DC – Reports of physical and financial abuse of the elderly are on the rise throughout the country. It’s a crime that, experts say, is largely under-reported. But, a new light needs to be shed on this dirty little secret, says Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC].“Older Americans are easy targets in most cases. Many of them depend on caregivers for survival and that makes them beholden and vulnerable. It also can make them...

Norma Evanston is an 88-year old widow who had remained healthy until two years ago, when she suffered a fall. Since her children live out of state, the family made several long-distance calls and ultimately, hired a local caregiver. However, several months later, after a concerning phone call, the family realized that the caregiver was not providing the professional care they expected. Despite the fact that the caregiver was hired from a “reputable” company, Norma’s doctor reported that Norma had suspicious bedsores and had missed a scheduled appointment. Fortunately, the family was able to make alternate arrangements to ensure that...

Chemotherapy warning as hundreds die from cancer-fighting drugs (cancer drugs may kill up to 50 % patients) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/08/30/chemotherapy-warning-as-hundreds-die-from-cancer-fighting-drugs/ Sarah Knapton, Science Editor 30 August 2016 Patients should be warned about the dangers of chemotherapy after research showed that cancer drugs are killing up to 50 per cent of patients in some hospitals. For the first time researchers looked at the numbers of cancer patients who died within 30 days of starting chemotherapy, which indicates that the medication is the cause of death, rather than the cancer. In Milton Keynes the death rate for lung cancer treatment was 50.9 per cent,...

Loretta Lynch's DOJ looks to further federal control of elections in ways that benefit the Democrats. The Obama Justice Department has quietly launched an effort to erode traditional state powers over elections. In the first instance, Attorney General Loretta Lynch has drafted and sent a bill to Congress which would force state election officials to turn over power to tribal governments to determine the location and number of polling places on Indian reservations in state-run elections. In the second instance, the DOJ is seeking to erode the power of states to prohibit the mentally incompetent from voting, as long as...

Newsmax Professor: Robots Are the Future of Elder Care Sunday, July 20, 2014 10:01 AM By: Sandy Fitzgerald Many older people need someone who is always there to help them with their everyday tasks, to listen to their stories, and to help them live independently — in other words, a robot caregiver, writes an associate professor of geriatrics in Sunday's New York Times. "That may sound like an oxymoron," writes the University of California's Louise Aronson in her opinion piece. "In an ideal world, it would be: Each of us would have at least one kind and fully capable human...

 A World Without America's Military Caregivers In the classic film It's a Wonderful Life, protagonist George Bailey has to see—literally see with his own eyes—what life would be like without him before realizing his true worth. As an alternate reality unfolds before him, a despondent George slowly learns that the sacrifices he's made for his family and community are undeniably heroic. George Bailey's heroism is quiet. It is everyday. Right now, 5.5 million Americans are serving in similar anonymity. They are America's military caregivers: family and friends who care for America's ill or wounded service members and veterans. Military caregivers provide a range of indispensable...

FULL TITLE: Two teenage nursing assistants 'filmed themselves laughing as they beat up 98-year-old woman in care home they worked at' Two teenage girls have been charged with abuse after filming themselves laughing as they hit an elderly resident at the Illinois care home they worked in. Chemyra Barnett and Jacqueline Santos, who are both 18, were charged with aggravated battery of a person over 60, and unlawful videotaping in court on Friday. The teenagers have also been banned from the Rosewood Care Center, where they were alleged to have hit a 98-year-old woman.

This would be a ping list for survivors and caregivers to share information with each other on treatments. If you are interested in your name being added to this ping list, please post below.

Americans should expect an enormous shortage in caregivers for older people in the coming decades, with a dearth of friends and family members available to care for the baby-boom generation as it ages, according to a report released Monday by AARP. The report, “The Aging of the Baby Boom and the Growing Care Gap,” projects that by 2030 there will be only four potential caregivers available for each person 80 or older, down from a high of more than seven in 2010. By 2050, when boomers are between 86 and 104, the ratio will drop below 3 to 1. Currently,...

Kathy Keith has cared for a son with Down syndrome for 23 years and never dreamed that one day organized labor would consider her a prime candidate for a union card. So she was skeptical when representatives from two of the nation's largest unions began competing for her attention over the last few weeks with unannounced visits to her home, mailings and phone messages promising to fatten her state stipend.

Skimpy supplies of flu vaccine and public panic are not the only concerns among officials charged with managing a potential pandemic. Some vital caregivers could be no-shows.

11/18/2008 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Department of Defense officials here Nov. 17 launched the National Resource Directory, a collaborative effort between the departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs. The directory is a Web-based network of care coordinators, providers and support partners with resources for wounded, ill and injured servicemembers, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them. "The directory is the visible demonstration of our national will and commitment to make the journey from 'survive to thrive' a reality for those who have given so much. As new links are added each day by providers...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2008 – When injured servicemembers return home after spending time in a hospital or rehabilitation center, family members often take on the role of caregiver. While this new role can be rewarding for some, to others it can be a daunting task. The Given Limb Foundation, founded in 2007 to improve the lives of amputees, particularly those affected by war, is in the early stages of developing a caregiver education program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. The program initially will include educating families on traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, wound care and the...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2008 – Many servicemembers who have experienced combat, and their families, are familiar with the term “combat stress.” The effects of combat, however, aren’t limited to those directly connected to the experience. Dr. Joseph Bobrow, a clinical psychologist, addresses representatives of more than 100 troop-support groups on compassion fatigue, Jan. 25, 2008. Bobrow was one of several experts and officials to speak at the Pentagon for the third annual America Supports You National Summit. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Stress can affect anyone who cares for those individuals, Dr. Joseph...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2007 – A Texas-based group is working to give caregivers of war wounded and military spouses the support they need as they transition from the military community to the civilian sector. “Our goal is to empower achievement, independence, and the assurance of renewed hope,” said Tania Mercurio, an Air Force spouse who serves as executive director of Operation Life Transformed. In working to help every caregiver or military spouse achieve that goal, the group provides virtual or classroom training and education. The training programs allow better job marketability and retention, Mercurio said. The training focuses on...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20942178/ County officials concerned donated pastries will contribute to health ills Updated: 11:41 a.m. MT Sept 23, 2007 MAHOPAC, N.Y. - It was just another morning at the senior center: Women were sewing, men were playing pool — and seven demonstrators, average age 76, were picketing outside, demanding doughnuts. They wore sandwich boards proclaiming, "Give Us Our Just Desserts" and "They're Carbs, Not Contraband." At issue is a decision to refuse free doughnuts, pies and breads that were being donated to senior centers around Putnam County, north of New York City. Officials were concerned that the county was setting a...