Healthcare News Seniors Call for Lower Prescription Drug Prices
March 31, 2019 Herb

During the 116th Congress, legislation has been introduced to put the brakes on rising pharmaceutical costs. Recent poll results find that Americans want Congress to hammer out a bipartisan fix to this issue. Last month, AARP kicked off its Stop RX Greed campaign to lobby Congress to pass legislation to lower drug costs.  The goal of AARP’s sustained media campaign is to help drive down drug prices for all Americans by advocating for a variety of legislative, executive, and regulatory actions at both the federal and state level. As part of the campaign, the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit conducted a study to…

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Healthcare News Report Warns of Rise in Cases of Alzheimer’s and other Dementias
March 14, 2019 Herb

Last Tuesday, the Chicago-based Alzheimer’s Association announced the release of its 2019 Alzheimer’s Disease 2019 Facts and Figures.  The newly released report details both state and national specific statistics, useful to state and federal officials who are hammering out aging policy. The 90-page report warns that incidents of the Alzheimer’s and other dementias are skyrocketing.  This year, an estimated 5.8 million Americans of all ages are living with Alzheimer’s and related dementia and nearly 14 million will have the disease in 2050.  By 2050, the new report projects the total cost of care reaching over $1.1 trillion. The 2019 Alzheimer’s…

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Healthcare News Survey: Most Primary Care Providers Say Caregivers Play Vital Care Role
February 19, 2019 Herb

  Primary Care Providers Photo Credit: Centers for Disease Controls Family caregivers play a vital role in the nation’s health care system in delivering patient care, say primary care providers, almost unanimously, in a newly released AARP Research survey. However, providers say that time constraints and not knowing who or if there is a family caregiver prevent them from working with family caregivers for more of their patients. “Today, forty million Americans are caring for aging parents, spouses and other loved ones, and close to half of them are responsible for medical tasks like injections and…

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Healthcare News Dating My Grandma Premieres on Thursdays
February 17, 2019 Herb

Photo Credit: National Institute on Aging Just days ago, the Washington, DC based AARP announced a new YouTube series to debunk the stereotypes of older people being asexual.  AARP Studios’ latest original YouTube series Date My Grandma is all showing older viewers how to make new connections, even a love connection. In each of the six episodes, viewers meet a single grandma whose grandkids help vet suitors and set up a blind date. Date My Gradma, premiering each Thursday on AARP’s YouTube Channel, celebrates love, family and companionship. Grandkids, age 10 to 25,quiz would-be suitors on everything from…

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Healthcare News AARP Puts the Spotlight on Internet Relationship Scams
February 12, 2019 Herb

Photo Credit: FBI.Gov With Valentine Day approaching, many seniors seek their soul mate on matchmaking websites, dating apps and social media.  The Washington, DC-based AARP warns those seeking love and affection from internet romances, “be cautious.” Twenty seven percent of those polled in a new AARP survey say a family member or a friend have encountered attempted financial scams while looking for love online. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reports there were 15,000 victims of confidence fraud/romance fraud in 2017, with more than half over age 50.  Financial losses in these scams totaled $220 million…

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Healthcare News New Jersey Health Department Celebrates American Heart Month
February 5, 2019 Herb

  Photo Credit: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention With February being recognized as the American Heart Association’s American Heart Month, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) calls on New Jerseyans to make heart health a key lifestyle goal. Some risk factors for cardiovascular diseases like age, race, gender and family history can’t be controlled, but others like high blood pressure, lack of regular physical activity and diabetes can be treated or managed. According to NJDOH, heart disease is the leading cause of death for Americans across the nation.  For the Garden State, it’s…

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Healthcare News Booker Pushes to Lower Drug Costs
January 31, 2019 Herb

Cory Booker, U.S. Senator (D-NJ) Photo Credit: Wikopedia Democratic New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has joined U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif) and more than two dozen colleagues in the House and Senate to introduce sweeping pharmaceutical reforms to reduce skyrocketing consumer drug prices for millions of New Jerseyans and Americans who struggle to afford their medicine. “There is no reason that, in a country as rich as ours, Americans should be choosing between paying for prescription drugs and paying for food and other necessities,”…

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Healthcare News Preparing for New Jersey’s Frigid Weather
January 22, 2019 Herb

Photo Credit: City of South Amboy, New Jersey Before the first winter storm of the year last weekend, New Jersey’s top health official reminded  residents to prepare for possible power outages and hazardous conditions. “Snow, rain, sleet and ice is expected in many areas of the state, it is important that residents take steps to protect themselves and their families,’’ said Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal. There are things you can do to avoid cold-related illness and injury, says Elnahal.  Dress in layers when going outside and in frigid  weather and wear a hat to help retain body…

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Healthcare News Digital Retirement Coach Helps You Save for Retirement
January 21, 2019 Herb

Nearly 1 in 3 people near age (28%) think they’re more likely to learn Bigfoot is real than to save enough to retire comfortably, according to recent survey findings detailed in an AARP and the Ad Council statement released last week.  The statement announced the release of new public service advertisements (PSAs) and resources on AceYourRetirement.org, to assist older American’s to save for their retirement years. Seven in 10 Americans (68%) approaching retirement have less than a year’s income saved for retirement, says the Washington, D.C.-based National Institute on Retirement Security, revealing that person’s age 60 and over are not saving…

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Healthcare News CDC Reports Wide-Spread Flu in New Jersey
January 9, 2019 Herb

With the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting the geographic “widespread” of the flu in 24 states including New Jersey, the New Jersey Department of Health has received notification of a confirmed the first pediatric flu death, one of seven pediatric deaths reported by the CDC so far this season. ““I am deeply saddened for the family of this young child, who experienced an unthinkable loss,” said New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal in a January 8th statement. The child, from the central region of the state, died in late December. For reasons of medical privacy, the…

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