Disability News and Research

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New findings on "successful aging"

What, exactly, does "successful aging" mean? For more than a half century, researchers and gerontologists have argued whether successful aging is better defined subjectively or objectively (physical disease-related disability or mental decline). Answering this question is more than an academic exercise. As the first members of the famed "baby boom generation" reach age 65, understanding what it means to remain healthy and independent in later life could have an enormous impact on health care delivery and medical policy.

23 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: The challenge of medicare spending; Two views of Massachussets; Regulating premiums

Health reform can be assessed from the perspective of four groups that collectively include most Americans. For those who are now in Medicaid or who are uninsured, reform will be a major gain. For those who obtain health insurance in the individual and small-group markets, reform should bring improvements. For those who have health insurance from midsize- and large-group insurers, reform will bring little change. Finally, for Medicare beneficiaries, reform promises to bring positive change.

23 Jul 2010

VA approves $2.8M for Gulf War Veterans' illness research program

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has approved $2.8 million to fund three new research projects that focus on testing or developing new treatments for illnesses affecting Veterans who served in the Gulf War 1990-1991. The research incorporates recommendations of the department's Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force.

22 Jul 2010

SWHR hosts briefing on urinary incontinence, overactive bladder

The Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) hosted the Capitol Hill briefing, The Bladder Matters: What Women Need to Know on Thursday, July 15, which highlighted startling statistics and an insightful patient perspective. Featuring noted researchers, physicians, Hill staff, and a UI-afflicted patient, the aim of this widely attended briefing was to detail current research on urinary incontinence (UI) and present future outlooks.

22 Jul 2010

Washington University's new Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center to focus on children

Improving the lives of infants and children with developmental disabilities will be the focus of Washington University's new Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (WUIDDRC).

21 Jul 2010

Tool kit for non-experts to measure ADA compliance

Twenty years after the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, there is finally a "tool kit" for non-experts to measure whether public facilities are in compliance.This is designed to meet the needs of anyone who is reasonably intelligent but not necessarily a techie,explains Denis Anson, director of research for the Assistive Technology Research Institute (ATRI) at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania, and the kit's developer.

20 Jul 2010

Phase 3 study: Tapentadol ER lowers incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events

A Phase 3 open-label study, recently published online by Pain Practice, has compared tapentadol extended release tablets, an investigational pain medication, to an existing prescription pain medication, oxycodone controlled release tablets.

20 Jul 2010

Vertos Medical announces 12-week data from MiDAS I clinical study for lumbar spinal stenosis

Medical device company Vertos Medical Inc. has announced the unveiling of 12-week clinical data from its prospective, 75-patient MiDAS I (mild Decompression Alternative to open Surgery) study that further validate the safety and efficacy of mild for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Consistent with the positive six-week study results released in March and May, the new MiDAS I data demonstrate that mild patients continued to experience statistically significant improvement in pain, physical function and mobility 12 weeks following treatment.

20 Jul 2010

Homewood announces acquisition of Human Solutions

Homewood Corporation today announced it has acquired Human Solutions International Inc., based in Vancouver, one of Canada's leading providers of Employee Assistance Programs (EAP).

19 Jul 2010

Funding ART in Québec is highly justified and ethical use of public funds, says IAAC

Following the announcement on July 13 by Québec's Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr. Yves Bolduc, that assisted reproduction treatments (ART) will be covered by the public health system of Québec as of August 5, 2010, many comments have been made about how this new policy will stress the public health system, and neonatology units in particular.

16 Jul 2010

Citizens Bank, HealthPlus of Michigan engage employees in workplace wellness program

Two mid-size companies headquartered in Flint—Citizens Bank and HealthPlus of Michigan—recently put their heads together to creatively engage employees in a workplace wellness program.

16 Jul 2010

DNA copying error in autism sufferers discovered

Rubicon winner Dalila Pinto discovered a copying error in the DNA of trial subjects who suffered from autism or a similar condition. Some segments of their DNA were copied either once too often or missed out of the copying process. This is a highly promising result from the world's largest investigation into autism. The top journal Nature placed the results online on 9 June.

16 Jul 2010

Scientists discover gene mutation responsible for CDG

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has discovered the gene mutation responsible for a condition in which eye and brain development is severely disrupted in affected infants.

16 Jul 2010

Dance works all over for health, researcher says

Can elderly Latinos who have limited mobility and face elevated risks of disability dance their way to better health? A University of Illinois at Chicago researcher wants to find out.

15 Jul 2010

Justice Department announces settlement agreement to improve access for persons with disabilities

The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement with the city of Milton, Wash., under the Americans with Disabilities Act to improve access to city parks and recreational activities for persons with disabilities. The agreement resolves a complaint alleging that the city's parks and annual parade and festival are not accessible to individuals with mobility disabilities.

15 Jul 2010

Telecare management intervention improves pain, depression in cancer patients

Cancer patients receiving care in geographically dispersed urban and rural oncology practices who participated in a program that included telephone-based care management and home-based automated symptom monitoring had greater improvement in pain and depression compared to patients who received usual care, according to a study in the July 14 issue of JAMA.

14 Jul 2010

Drugs taken for common medical conditions cause long term cognitive impairment in older adults: Study

Drugs commonly taken for a variety of common medical conditions including insomnia, allergies, or incontinence negatively affect the brain causing long term cognitive impairment in older African-Americans, according to a study appearing in the July 13, 2010 print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

14 Jul 2010

PTSD treatment claims process eased, some remain skeptical

NPR: The Department of Veterans Affairs announced a new rule Monday that aims to make it easier for troops who return from battle to get the PTSD support they need. "Veterans will no longer have to prove that a certain attack, bomb explosion or event in a combat zone triggered post-traumatic stress. It's a change that most agree has been a long time coming.

14 Jul 2010

Deaf, hard of hearing individuals to be provided equal access at N.Y. nursing and rehabilitation facility

Under an agreement announced today by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing will be provided equal access to a nursing and rehabilitation facility in New York State and will be provided interpretation services when necessary for effective communication.

13 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 13, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include a report about state preparations to cut Medicaid spending as the federal funding stalemate continues and a status check on the start up of high-risk pools.

13 Jul 2010

Disability News and Research

New findings on "successful aging"

Today's OpEds: The challenge of medicare spending; Two views of Massachussets; Regulating premiums

VA approves $2.8M for Gulf War Veterans' illness research program

SWHR hosts briefing on urinary incontinence, overactive bladder

Washington University's new Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center to focus on children

Tool kit for non-experts to measure ADA compliance

Phase 3 study: Tapentadol ER lowers incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events

Vertos Medical announces 12-week data from MiDAS I clinical study for lumbar spinal stenosis

Homewood announces acquisition of Human Solutions

Funding ART in Québec is highly justified and ethical use of public funds, says IAAC

Citizens Bank, HealthPlus of Michigan engage employees in workplace wellness program

DNA copying error in autism sufferers discovered

Scientists discover gene mutation responsible for CDG

Dance works all over for health, researcher says

Justice Department announces settlement agreement to improve access for persons with disabilities

Telecare management intervention improves pain, depression in cancer patients

Drugs taken for common medical conditions cause long term cognitive impairment in older adults: Study

PTSD treatment claims process eased, some remain skeptical

Deaf, hard of hearing individuals to be provided equal access at N.Y. nursing and rehabilitation facility

First Edition: July 13, 2010

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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