SWK 310 News Journal

NATALIE SLOANE'S NEWS BLOG

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:34:05 -0500

Table of Contents:

Immigration- Articles 1-8

Geriatrics- Articles 9-24

Abortion- Articles 25-33

Adoption- Articles 34- 50

Poverty- Articles 51-68

Health Care- Articles 69-84

Photo

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:18:03 -0500

Immigration

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:15:40 -0500

It seems for every news article trying to disclaim the rights of immigrants there is another article arguing the importance of their presence. Throughout these next few articles you will see a number of various articles which describe the state of our immigration laws, and opinions today. There are articles which show the presence of support, negative attitudes, which mainly approach their opinions by showing the “costs” of illegal immigrants. There are also articles which address what is ethical to do with the immigrants who are already living here. These articles show the oppression that illegal imigrants face, from their houses being raided, to being denyed rights to an education, to fearing seeking help. It’s hard after reading the opposing thoughts on immigration throughtout the articles to form an opinion myself so it seems reasonable that the debate on immigration reform is still going on in the govenment and between members of society today.

Board Admits Illegal Immigrants Into College Under Strict Rules

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:08:01 -0500

Board to admit illegal immigrants

September 18, 2009 - 9:07am.

Illegal immigrants will be allowed back into the state’s community colleges.

All but one member of the the State Board of Community Colleges voted to allow them in at out-of-state tuition rates, Kristin Collins reports.

Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, a Democrat, was the only board member to vote no on the matter.

Other board members said the policy puts them in line with the UNC system policy.

“The whole economic prosperity of the United States depends on the education of the next generation,” said State Treasurer Janet Cowell.

A committee of the State Board of Community Colleges recommended Thursday that undocumented students be admitted to degree programs, but they would have to pay out-of-state tuition, be denied financial aid, and be enrolled in classes only after legal students are given slots.

The full board vote today caps nearly two years of controversy over whether to allow illegal immigrants to enroll in degree programs at the state’s 58 community college campuses.

http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/board_to_admit_illegal_immigrants

NY Daily News Argues That Immigrants DO Pull Thier Weight

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:06:30 -0500

The boon of immigration: Newcomers to America more than pull their economic weight

Editorials

Monday, November 30th 2009, 4:00 AM

What’s next on the White House’s domestic agenda after health care reform and the economy? How about comprehensive immigration reform? Remember that?

The need for combining secure borders with a rational policy for admitting newcomers is as pressing today as it was when the last attempted remake went down in flames under President George W. Bush, victim largely of the myth that immigration is a drain on the economy and a threat to native-born workers.

The truth is just the opposite. As documented by the Fiscal Policy Institute, immigration has, in fact, been a vital force in the American economy. Even in tough times, immigrants boost or replenish the labor pool and inject entrepreneurial energy that opens businesses and creates jobs.

Using data from the Census Bureau, the report looks at 25 major cities, from Los Angeles to New York to Miami to Seattle, and proves that immigrants more than pull their weight.

In New York - including suburbs - immigrants make up 28% of the population and are responsible for 28% of the economic activity. Miami is 37% immigrants; they produce 38% of that’s city economic output.

In L.A., the numbers are 35% and 34%. The pattern holds even for smaller cities such as Cincinnati and Minneapolis.

With the 25 cities providing half of the U.S. gross domestic product, even in tough economic times immigrants contribute mightily to the well-being of their adopted country.

The report found that immigrants are more likely than their U.S.-born counterparts to be of working age, defined as 16 to 64. While they make up 20% of the people in those 25 big cities, they compose 24% of the labor force.

And work they do, in high-end and low-paying jobs and everything in between. One-fourth are managers or professionals - executives, doctors, attorneys, engineers, teachers, artists. Another quarter are in technical, sales and administrative support. Twenty-one percent hold service jobs, ranging from cleaners and guards to cops and firefighters. Some 30% are blue-collar workers.

Beyond that, 22% of the money brought in by people who own their own businesses was earned by immigrants. In some small cities like Pittsburgh and Cleveland, the immigrants’ share of proprietors’ income was double their proportion in the population.

Clearly, the larger the number of immigrants, the greater the economic activity. But the reverse is also true. Shutting the borders and throwing out those who have built productive lives here would do untold damage to the country. Maintaining the United States as an immigrant-friendly nation is essential to our economic health.

Providing a road to citizenship for those who are here, while fixing gaping holes in enforcement, is the way to guarantee continued economic benefit for all Americans.

Wait till next year, we hope.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/11/30/2009-11-30_the_boon_of_immigration.html

CNN Talks About the Costs of Illegal Immigrants

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:35:35 -0500

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY6t2ckpb5g

Immigration Bill Battle

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:33:19 -0500

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Video/playerIndex?id=3328227

Fear Deters Immigrants Getting the Help They Need

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:15:56 -0500

Illegal immigrants spurn benefits

Fear of immigration agents means available resources go unclaimedBy Alex Johnson and Marián AlbornozReportersmsnbc.com and Telemundoupdated 7:56 p.m. ET, Fri., July 18, 2008

Like many immigrants, Carmen Cruz of New York is having trouble making ends meet.

“Everything is very expensive,” Cruz said, speaking in her native Spanish. “How does one buy or eat anything? Everything is so expensive.”

Cruz did not know that she was eligible for food stamps — $80 a month for herself or $200 or more for her family.

At a time when the economic downturn is hitting immigrant communities especially hard, food stamps are the first line of defense against hunger for low-income families. But advocates and government officials have long known that legal immigrants are missing out on government benefit programs because of language barriers or ignorance.

And if you are an illegal immigrant, there is a third, crippling barrier — fear of arrest and deportation, especially in an anti-immigrant political climate that has fueled record numbers of arrests and deportations.

Most illegal immigrants have no idea that a limited number of benefit programs don’t exclude them, said Betsabé Pabón, director of the Food Stamps Program at the nonprofit Sunnyside Community Services in the New York borough of Queens.

By law, illegal immigrants are ineligible for food stamps — unless there is at least one U.S. citizen in their household, which describes all U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants.

In many cases, illegal immigrants can also receive emergency medical treatment, short-term government disaster relief and immunization against communicable diseases. Their children can attend public schools.

States may provide other benefits, such as driver’s licenses and worker’s compensation, In Kansas, for example, illegal immigrants can get tuition breaks at state universities and colleges.

And yet, estimates are that several million illegal immigrants — more precise figures are impossible to calculate, because illegal immigrants typically live under the radar — actively shun such support, fearing that government agents will swoop in and whisk them away.

“People are afraid, and any mail that they receive at their homes, they double-check what it is,” said Ernesto Campos, who works with the Latino community for the Arlington County, Va., public schools.

Anti-immigrant pressure builds
Activists say the fear is especially acute now, in a climate of popular attitudes against illegal immigration that have led to widespread government raids on employers and mass arrests of illegal workers:

In May, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials launched the largest immigration raid in the nation’s history, making nearly 400 arrests at a kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa.

In Florida, immigration authorities deported nearly 2,000 more illegal immigrants in the first six months of this year, 5,889, than they did in the same period last year, when they deported 3,942 people.

Deportations for Washington, Oregon and Alaska were up by 40 percent over the same period, ICE said.

In Missouri, meanwhile, Gov. Matt Blunt recently signed tough legislation prohibiting Missouri business owners from hiring any illegal immigrants and requiring applicants for government benefits to prove U.S. citizenship.

Eduardo Crespi, director of Centro Latino de Salud, a Hispanic outreach group in Columbia, said the new law would drive as many as 65,000 illegal immigrants from Missouri into neighboring states.

The attitude was summarized by Eugene Delgaudio, who represents Sterling Park, Va., on the Loudoun Board of County Supervisors in suburban Washington. He said his community’s quality of life was at stake.

“This is a cesspool,” Delgaudio said. “People are coming from outside of this culture, and they are dumping their crap on the streets of our town, and our town is outraged that they don’t get with the program.”

Rep. Seth Hammett, speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, said heat was building on lawmakers to kick out any and all illegal immigrants.

“As long as Congress fails to act,” Hammett said, “this Legislature and others around the country are going to be under pressure from our constituents to take action.”

‘Immigrants are now afraid to report crimes’
Immigrants’ activists contend that the federal crackdown could lead to long-term problems for government authorities.

All sorts of local, state and federal programs are funded according to formulae based, in part, on population data: The fewer people in a given location, the less money is available.

Likewise, the same data govern apportionment of congressional seats. In districts with large immigrant populations, getting illegal immigrants to respond to census takers is crucial. Noting widespread fear of deportation among illegal immigrants, U.S. Census officials took the unusual step late last year of calling on authorities to end the crackdown in time for the 2010 census.

State and local officials have made similar calls.

In Virginia, for example, each student listed on a census card, legal or illegal, means about $2,300 for the child’s school system. The census is prohibited from asking about immigration status, but many illegal immigrants still refuse to take part.

“That is our concern, that people, because of what is going on in other jurisdictions, will feel we’re trying to gather information for some other purpose,” said Robert Smith, superintendent of the Arlington County schools.

Fear also hampers police, whom illegal immigrants particularly avoid, for the same reason.

“We’ve really seen an impact in public safety, because immigrants are now afraid to report crimes because of fear of detention or deportation,” said Caroline Keating-Guerra, an organizer for the Austin, Texas, Immigrant Rights Coalition. “That goes for witnesses or victims of crimes.”

Economic impact debated
Employers in low-paying industries join immigrants’ activists in saying the crackdown is short-sighted and insist that, if anything, illegal immigrants should get more help from the government.

Carol McDowell, president of McDowell Enterprises, a metal plating company in Elkhart, Ind., agreed. She said that immigrant workers were needed to keep the economy running and that the government should seek ways to help illegal immigrants survive and become naturalized.

“There are not enough Americans to do the jobs that are being created in America today by entrepreneurial companies,” McDowell said.

“The federal government has failed to provide a pathway to individuals who have been allowed to cross the borders to be legal so that they can fully contribute and give their tax dollars back to the nation,” she said.

And the government does collect plenty of tax money from illegal immigrants, said Tom Roach, an immigration attorney in Pasco, Wash.

“They pay sales taxes, federal income taxes, Social Security taxes, taken right out of their paycheck, sent right to the federal government,” Roach said. “Social Security is about to go broke, but thanks to the illegal aliens, there’s presently $345 billion in the Social Security fund, which is helping to keep it afloat.”

But proponents of crackdowns argue that those arguments are beside the point. Illegal immigrants, by definition, are criminals, they say, and should be brought to account.

“This is a rule-of-law issue,” said Jackie Walorski, a Republican member of the Indiana House of Representatives. “I cannot imagine that we’re going to … say to the children in this generation right now that it’s OK to pick and choose what law you want to abide by.”

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URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25727901/page/2/

Cold as "ICE": The Law Tearing Families Apart.

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:08:00 -0500

Advocates: Immigrant raids tear apart families

Arrests are up 750 percent — some wonder what will become of the kidsBy Rehema EllisCorrespondentupdated 7:54 p.m. ET, Wed., March. 21, 2007

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. - After Sept. 11, immigration officials began cracking down on undocumented workers in the name of homeland security. Immigration advocates harshly criticize the enforcement, saying it unfairly separates families from their children — many of whom were born in the U.S.

When hundreds of federal immigration agents descended on the Bianco leather goods plant in New Bedford, Mass., this month, 360 immigrants were arrested, many of them working mothers.

New Bedford is the latest in a series of workplace enforcement raids nationwide, which netted more than 3,600 illegal immigrants since last year. More than 1,100 were arrested at IFCO pallet plants in 26 states, some 1,282 at Swift meatpacking plants in six states.

With about 95 percent detained facing deportation, immigrant advocates say these raids are tearing families apart — families like Anna’s. Her arrest in New Bedford meant three days in detention and away from her U.S.-born son Diego.

Although he was with his father, Anna was still terrified she would never see him again.

In communities like New Bedford, people have come out to show support for families affected by the raids. At one church we visited, they have left donations of food and clothing.

Immigration authorities insist the arrests — up 750 percent in the past four years — are mandated by law and are conducted as humanely as possible.

“We want to ensure the safety of all children out there, and we want to ensure that they are not left without a sole caregiver,” says John Torres, director of detention for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.

“If ICE is doing their job according to the law, it is incredibly clear that we need to change the law,” says Ali Noorani, an immigrant advocate with Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy.

Meanwhile, with Anna due in immigration court next month, her family, like so many others, is afraid they’ll be separated again by immigration law that could force her to leave the country they now call home.

© 2009 msnbc.com Reprintsvar url=location.href;var i=url.indexOf(‘/did/’) + 1;if(i==0){i=url.indexOf(‘/print/1/’) + 1;}if(i==0){i=url.indexOf(‘&print=1’);}if(i>0){url = url.substring(0,i);document.write(‘<p>URL: <a href=”’+url+’”>’+url+’</a></p>’);if(window.print){window.print()}else{alert(‘To print his page press Ctrl-P on your keyboard \nor choose print from your browser or device after clicking OK’);}}

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17725842/

Battle for In-State-Tuition For Undocumented Immigrants

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:04:06 -0500

Mass. immigrant tuition bill to get new push

Posted: Nov. 15, 2009

CHELSEA, Mass. —It seemed like a given that Mario Rodas would go to college.

The Guatemalan-born student certainly had the academic credentials, going from English as a second language classes to taking advanced placement exams for college credit his senior year at Chelsea High School.

But paying for it was another matter. As an undocumented immigrant in 2005, Rodas would have had to pay out-of-state tuition fees to go to a public college in Massachusetts, and he couldn’t afford that. If he had lived in Texas or Utah, states that allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates, Rodas, now 22, might have graduated already.

“Every year we have more and more students in limbo here,” Rodas said. “And every year we have more and more students taking advantage (of in-state tuition) elsewhere. I don’t understand.”

Nearly three years after Massachusetts House lawmakers soundly rejected a bill that would have allowed illegal immigrants to attend college at in-state tuition rates, lawmakers are preparing to revisit the issue.

Activists say 10 other states, some dominated by conservative lawmakers, have passed legislation with bipartisan support, and advocates see no reason why Massachusetts, a state controlled by Democrats, can’t do the same.

That has been a frustration for advocates in this left-leaning state, which was the first to legalize gay marriage and the only so far to require health insurance for all its residents.

“Massachusetts is out in front of so many things,” said Harris Gruman, executive director of the Service Employees International Union Massachusetts State Council. “But Massachusetts is behind on this.”

Undocumented students say they plan to launch a campaign by lobbying key lawmakers and sharing their stories in face-to-face meetings. Meanwhile, activists have cultivated a broader coalition of supporters that includes union members, business leaders and academics - something lacking in 2006.

State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, D-Boston, said the state’s Higher Education Committee is expected to hold hearings on the matter later this year or early next. Chang-Diaz, a co-sponsor of the bill, says it stands a better chance this time, with increased lobbying efforts and support from Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick. Former Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican, opposed the measure in 2006.

“Time is our friend here,” Chang-Diaz said. “We’ve had more time to talk to more people collectively … and get them more comfortable with it.”

On Tuesday, the governor is scheduled to release a list of recommendations from his Advisory Council for Refugees and Immigrants that is expected to include in-state tuition for undocumented students. Patrick sent the panel around the state last year to take public comment and to come up with suggestions for new immigration policy.

Currently, 10 states - California, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin - have such in-state tuition laws for undocumented students. Oklahoma repealed its law in 2008.

Meanwhile, four states - Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and South Carolina - have passed laws specifically banning undocumented students from being eligible for in-state tuition.

Steve Kropper, co-director of the Massachusetts Coalition for Immigration Reform, a group that seeks immigration restrictions, said Massachusetts residents have shown to be generally sympathetic to immigration. But he said the public remains resistant to granting illegal immigrants in-state tuition or driver’s licenses.

“It doesn’t make economic sense to us,” Kropper said. “If they can’t get a job when they’re done (with college), then it doesn’t make sense for the state to invest in them.”

Gruman said advocates are optimistic in Massachusetts because some of the more vocal opponents are now gone.

For example, former Rep. Marie Parente, D-Milford, who was an outspoken opponent of the bill in 2006, was ousted by John Fernandes later that year. Still, Fernandes has not committed to support the bill and questions whether it should also include provisions for assimilation or enforcement.

“It only speaks to one side of the issue,” said Fernandes, a Democrat. “I think we need a balanced approached that speaks to comprehensive immigration reform.”

Others who voted against the measure last time also remain opposed. Rep. Demetrius Atsalis, D-Barnstable, still opposes the bill because he believes it will make the state’s college fee structure meaningless and will take away the incentive for undocumented students to legalize their status, said spokesman Tom Bernardo.

Rodas, who was granted asylum in the United States after becoming a poster child for the bill in 2006, said most of the immigrant students who would benefit from the proposal arrived in this country when they were young and are culturally American already.

“Most of these students speak English better than their native language now,” Rodas said.

The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation estimates that 400 to 600 students might enter Massachusetts schools as a result of the bill and that it likely would result in $2.5 million of extra revenue.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, current average in-state tuition at state universities is $9,704 compared with out-of-state tuition of $22,157. Average in-state tuition at state community college is $4,305 compared with out-of-state tuition of $10,811.

Stella Flores, a professor of public policy and higher education at Vanderbilt University, said one of the reasons the bill has struggled in Massachusetts is because the foreign-born population is younger than in other states, and because a large percentage of the state’s Latinos are Puerto Ricans who aren’t concerned about immigration issues since Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory.

She said states that have adopted in-state tuition laws have seen a small number of immigrants take advantage of the opportunities, mainly at community colleges.

“It’s usually a small jump,” Flores said, “but over time, as news spreads through word of mouth, you’ll see an increase.”

http://www.wral.com/news/national_world/national/story/6423571/

The Strong Few Who are Striving to Break Down the Borders

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:00:37 -0500

Pro-immigration reform PACS growing in influence

Posted: Nov. 25, 2009
Updated: Nov. 25 2:01 p.m.

MIAMI —Two fledgling political action committees that support allowing some illegal immigrants to become citizens are raising more money than their immigration-control counterparts, signaling a possible fundraising shift ahead of next year’s congressional races.

Immigrants’ List and ImmigrationPAC, both established less than four years ago, have raised $100,000 combined this election cycle. That’s a relatively small amount in the influential realm of PACs but still more than established groups that back enforcement-only policies, who have seen donations slow to a trickle.

“Even a small amount of pro-immigration reform PAC money, pro-immigration muscle, makes it a two-sided debate,” said Tamar Jacoby, who heads ImmigrationWorks USA, a federation of mostly small and medium businesses that support a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants and streamlining the employment visa process.

The power of PACS goes far beyond their direct contributions to candidates. They also wield power by bundling smaller donations from individuals nationwide and directing those funds to politicians sympathetic to their causes.

The PACS - formed by immigration lawyers and other immigrant advocates - are among pro-immigrant groups seeing donations on the rise. Large foundations are donating millions to nonprofits that work with immigrants, although that money can’t be used for campaigns.

Allen Brandstater, head of the PAC Americans Against Illegal Immigration, acknowledged the changing mood. His group, which raised $850,000 during the 2008 election cycle for mostly issue ads and mailers, the most of any of the immigration PACs, is “pretty much dormant right now,” he said. Brandstater blamed the lack of support on the weak economy and on President Barack Obama and the Democratic-led Congress, which he believes are more likely to back legalization.

Brandstater also lamented that some donors have grown wary about associating themselves with his organization because of what he said was negative publicity in 2008.

“In the last election, you were called racist if you wanted to protect the sovereignty of our borders,” he said.

Miami-based immigration attorney Ira Kurzban co-founded Immigrants’ List, the nation’s first major PAC to support legalization and other efforts to help U.S. residents and asylum seekers, in 2006. Kurzban says he looked around and saw nearly half a dozen political fundraising groups dedicated to enforcement-only immigration policies that appeared to have the ears of lawmakers.

Two years later, immigrant advocates in Illinois started ImmigrationPAC, now run by the Raben Group, a New York-based lobbying firm.

So far this election cycle, Immigrants’ List and ImmigrationPac have raised $81,000, compared to about $71,000 by three enforcement-only committees, according to Federal Election Commission data compiled by the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics. That’s minuscule compared to the National Rifle Association’s PAC, which has $7.4 million in the same period, or to the financial might on both sides of the health care debate.

Still, Jacoby said she is seeing growing cash support from businesses. And major donors such as the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation and liberal financier George Soros’ Open Society Institute have also allocated more to immigrant advocates and their allies.

Maria Teresa Rojas, who manages the Open Society Institute’s immigration portfolio, said her foundation alone has allocated an extra $15 million to be spent over the next three years “to take advantage of what looks to be a historic opportunity to reform our immigration system.” She cited the combination of a Democratic president and Congress.

Kurzban’s group would like amnesty for those already in the U.S.; waivers for laws that automatically bar illegal immigrants from returning to the U.S.; statutes of limitation on some low-level crimes; overhaul of the visa system to accommodate changing demand (such as allowing India to have a few more spots than Switzerland); permission for illegal immigrants married to U.S. residents to adjust their status; and greater judicial oversight of rogue immigration agents.

Winning on any of those points will be a challenge. Enforcement-only PACs have been operating in Washington since the early 1990s. And there’s no clear sign that the Democratic-led Congress has the stomach for a tough immigration debate any time soon, though the Obama administration has signaled that it wants to take up the issue next year.

Amy Novick, who heads Immigrants’ List, said she is preparing for a long fight. Most of the initial donors to the committee were immigration lawyers. Now the group is looking to take a page out of the Obama campaign playbook, tapping into small, online contributors.

“There are tens of thousands of people in the U.S., citizens and residents, who have been touched by the immigration system,” Novick said. “Their spouses, siblings, children may be here legally but may be stuck in the backlog and need relief.”

http://www.wral.com/news/national_world/national/story/6495934/

Photo

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:55:11 -0500

Geriatrics

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:52:46 -0500

From walkers to wheelchairs to unanticipated sex, these next sixteen articles are all about the elderly. Surprisingly there are lots of articles out there that debunk the stigmas our society usually portrays towards the aging and elderly. It shows the many different faces of the elderly and how they are proving America wrong. Some articles and videos show geriatrics giving back to the community, they talk about how the elderly are active still int he bedroom and on the fields. In many cases I found articles that pertained to the health of the elderly, new studies that are linked to living longer, living healthier, and specific vitamins and activities that the elderly should be focusing on. Within some of the articles it is clear that ageism still exists a great deal in America, but with the baby boomers on the rise will we see a revolt?

Studies On Alzheimers

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:34:25 -0500

Alzheimer’s Studies Tackle Omega Threes and Alcohol

Get the Latest Information on Alzheimer’s From the Newest Studies

By RAQUEL HECKER

July 13, 2009 —

“Good Morning America” medical editor Dr. Tim Johnson has broken down brand new studies on Alzheimer’s disease. and wants you to know what they mean.

Find out his thoughts on the new research below.

Alzheimer’s and Omega Three Fatty Acids

The findings from an 18-month, government-backed study suggest taking supplements of docosahexenoic acid, or DHA — an omega-3 fatty acid — does not arrest Alzheimer’s in people who have already developed the mind-robbing disease.

DHA is an omega three fatty acids that you get from eating certain fish like salmon and tuna, or from certain plants or supplements that include fish oil. In the past there have been some suggestions that this particular fatty acid might reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s or even help treat it.

The research looked at 400 randomized patients. One group got a two gram dose of fatty acid every day. The other group got a placebo for 18 months. The results showed no difference in outcome between the two groups.

This is the best study done on Alzheimer’s and DHA far and away.

Alzheimer’s and Alcohol Intake

Experts at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina examined and interviewed 3,069 people aged 75 or older — most with no memory problems — about their drinking habits and whether they drank beer, wine or spirits.

It looked for a correlation between people who drank one to two alcoholic beverages a day. Those people had a 40 percent less chance of developing dementia compared to abstainers.

The study, which was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association 2009 International Conference, also found that those who had a mild impairment did not benefit from moderate alcohol consumption, and the impairment got worse with alcohol.

There are other benefits from moderate drinking. You can reduce your risk for heart disease, for example. But you shouldn’t start drinking if you don’t. Ten percent of people who start drinking become alcoholics. And more than one to two drinks daily can damage your brain and heart tissue.

Alzheimer’s and PTSD

Researchers looked at 50,000 veterans who were diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and 125,000 vets who were not diagnosed with PTSD.

The study, which was reported at the Alzheimer’s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer’s disease, followed the veterans for seven years.

Vets who had been diagnosed with PTSD had a 1.8 times greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s than those who did not have PTSD.

That’s just one more reason to monitor these people carefully.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=8065791&page=1

Power Walking Can Add Years

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:27:22 -0500

Slow Walkers More Likely to Die of Heart Disease

By David Freeman

Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Slow walking may not only mean getting to your destination later, according to a new study by French scientists: Older people who walk slowly are almost three times more likely to die of heart disease and related causes than older people who walk faster.

“The main message for the general population is that maintaining fitness at older age may have important consequences and help preserve life and (muscle) function,” one of the study’s authors, Dr. Alexis Elbaz, director of research at the Paris-based medical research institute Inserm, told Reuters Health by email.

He said the study, which appeared in the journal BMJ, also suggests that a test of walking speed might be used to test the health of elderly patients.

Previous studies had linked slow walking speed with increased risk of death over a given period, as well as with falls and other bad health outcomes, but hadn’t shown whether it was heart disease or another cause that accounted for that higher risk.

The five-year study, part of Inserm’s ongoing Three City Study, involved more than 3,200 relatively fit men and women, 65 to 85 years of age, living in three French cities. At the start of the study in 1999, the scientists used questionnaires and face-to-face interviews to assess the health of each participant. They then clocked the participants’ speeds as they walked down a corridor as fast as possible without running.

Over the next five years, 209 of the participants died — 99 from cancer, 59 from heart disease, and 53 from infectious diseases and other causes - for an overall death rate of almost 7 percent. The death rate among the slowest-walking one-third of participants - those men who walked at the equivalent of about 3.4 miles per hour or slower and women who walked at about 3 miles per hour or slower — was 44 percent higher than that among the two-thirds of participants who had walked faster.

Death from heart attack, stroke, and related causes was 2.9 times more common among the slowest one-third of participants than among the participants who had walked faster.

The increase in death from heart disease was seen in both men and women and was unrelated to the ages of participants or how physically active they were.

The researchers found no connection between walking speed and other causes of death, including cancer.

What explains the link between slow walking speed and death from heart disease? One possibility, Elbaz told Reuters Health in an email, is that the same risk factors that raise heart disease risk — high blood pressure and diabetes, in particular — also cause “silent strokes” that make it hard to walk fast. This idea “deserves additional studies to be confirmed,” he wrote.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Rowan H. Harwood of Queen’s Medical Center in Nottingham, England, and Dr. Simon P. Conroy of the University of Leicester, also in England, said that slow walking can be caused by problems in a number of body systems, from bones to muscles to lung and the brain. Some of those are linked by blood vessel problems, and by smoking.

SOURCE: BMJ, published online November 11, 2009.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wirestory?id=9095859&page=1

A Man Who Proves You're Never too Old to Pusure Your Dreams

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:38:46 -0500

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=9067427

Life Span "Cheat Sheet"

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:15:00 -0500

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,185010,00.html

Sometimes the Sun isn't Enough for the Elderly

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:10:30 -0500

Low Vitamin D May Be Deadly for Older Adults

Thursday , September 24, 2009

Low levels of vitamin D appear to increase the risk of death in older adults, researchers report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Skin produces vitamin D when directly exposed to the sun. But older people, particularly those living in northern regions, rarely obtain sufficient sun exposure for adequate vitamin D production and need supplements to achieve healthy vitamin D levels.

Increasingly, evidence points to health risks from inadequate vitamin D.

In the current study, Dr. Adit A. Ginde, at the University of Colorado Denver, in Aurora, and colleagues assessed the risk for death, according to vitamin D levels, in 3,408 men and women who were 73 years old on average when they participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES III.

During more than 7 years of follow-up, 1,493 people died — nearly 44 percent. A little more than half of the deaths were due to heart disease.

After taking into account a variety of factors that could influence the results, low vitamin D was independently associated with an increased risk of death from any cause, but particularly from heart disease, the researchers found.

Optimal vitamin D levels are considered to be somewhere between 80 and 110 or 120 nmol/L (nanomoles per liter) of blood, although there are no set guidelines. On average, people in the current study had vitamin D levels of 66.0 nmol/L of blood.

Ginde’s team found that, the risk of death from any cause was 83 percent higher among people with vitamin D levels less than 25 nmol/L, compared with people with vitamin D levels of 100 nmol/L or higher.

The risk of death was 47 percent higher among those with vitamin D levels between 25 and 49.9 nmol/L, relative to those with vitamin D levels of 100 or higher.

Low vitamin D levels, were particularly hard on the heart, the researchers note, with the risk of death due to heart disease more than twofold higher in people with vitamin D levels less than 25 nmol/L.

Current vitamin D recommendations for people 65 years and older appear inadequate, Ginde and colleagues note in their report, and they suggest large scale research to determine the effects of higher-dose vitamin D supplementation.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,555141,00.html

The Knowledge the Elderly Needs

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:46:37 -0500

Older People Lack Knowledge of Stroke Signs, Risk Factors

Tuesday , August 18, 2009

Older people poorly understand most of the important warning signs of stroke and factors that increase risk for this medical emergency, researchers from Dublin, Ireland, have found.

Among 2033 older men and women, fewer than half knew that dizziness, numbness, weakness, and headache are common warning signs of stroke, report Dr. Anne Hickey, of Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and colleagues.

Just 54 percent listed slurred speech as an indicator of stroke, the researchers report in the online journal BMC Geriatrics.

When asked to list the most common risk factors for stroke, about three-quarters of the men and women accurately listed high blood pressure. By contrast, 40 percent or fewer knew high cholesterol and smoking also increase stroke risk. Only about 10 percent knew diabetes and alcohol use are also risk factors for stroke.

These findings highlight the significant gaps in elders’ understanding of early stroke warning signs and risk factors, Hickey and colleagues report. “As such, many older adults may not recognize early symptoms of stroke in themselves or others,” they warn. Thus, they may lose “vital time” in getting help.

On average, the study sample was 74 years old and 57 percent female. Overall, 25 percent of the men and women had a history of heart disease and 6 percent reported a prior stroke.

Another 36 and 17 percent were past and current smokers, respectively, and this group was more likely to identify smoking as a stroke risk factor than never smokers.

However, consistent with the findings of other investigators, this study revealed the generally poor understanding elders have regarding factors leading to or indicative of stroke, Hickey and colleagues note.

Since effective stroke care requires rapid identification and medical intervention, Hickey’s group suggests the need for substantially improved public education with regard to stroke prevention
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,540261,00.html

The Differance Between Giving and Teaching

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:29:24 -0500

47,000 senior falls in U.S. tied to walkers, canesDocs should spend more time correctly fitting walking aids, researchers sayThe Associated Pressupdated 12:56 p.m. ET, Mon., June 29, 2009

ATLANTA - Health officials say more than 47,000 elderly Americans end up in emergency rooms each year from falls involving walkers and canes.

That’s almost 3 percent of all falls among people 65 and older. Government researchers came up with the estimate by looking at six years of emergency room medical records. Nearly 9 out of 10 of the injuries involved walkers, rather than canes.

Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday their study shows that doctors should take more time to better fit patients with walking aids and to teach how to use them safely. The study is being published this month in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31613713/ns/health-aging/