Aging News:

It seems that late bloomers may finally have their day in the sun. Vivian Diller, Ph.D., examines how the unique experiences of adolescents may parlay into a positive (or negative) aging experience. Those concerned with looks and status during their younger years may have a harder time accepting the aging process. Learn more at the Huffington Post.

Just because you’re getting older, doesn’t mean you have to give up the things you once loved doing, but you may need to modify them. Aging athletes are finding it’s still possible to compete, but they have to accept that they may not be able to do so in the same way they as when were in their physical prime. Check out more at the Bellingham Herald.

Senior Living News:

According to a Senior Housing News, it’s important that high-volume areas of the home are adapted to help seniors age-in-place. For example, the kitchen can easily be modified to help assist those with movement impairments. For great tips on how to transform your kitchen, read here.

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The Harbor’s Edge retirement community in Norfolk, Va., reversed’ a policy that restricted its residents receiving skilled nursing or assisted living care from dining in portions of the independent living center. Now, anyone willing to sign a waiver and obtain doctor’s consent can eat anywhere within the building, allowing families and friends to enjoy meals together. Check out The New Old Age for the full story.

Caregiver Stories and Advice:

Are you finding yourself wishing for more hours in the day? If you are, consider designing your own caregiver blueprint to help you reflect on important caregiving tasks such as providing hand-on care, balancing work and life, providing safety adaptations and a nurturing environment. Read more from Dr. Chill at ChicagoNow.com.

Despite reporting high levels of stress, caregivers of veterans report being satisfied with their responsibilities. According to the University of Missouri study, only eight percent of caregivers report having high levels of depression. Caregivers who reported the highest levels of satisfaction tended to have the most outside help. Get the details from HealthCanal.com.

Tech Roundup:

In a new survey, 84 percent of caregivers feel that electronic medical records and other healthcare IT solutions are proving beneficial. Doctors and nurses say the availability of better information, the accuracy of care and the opportunity track follow-up care as the top three benefits. However, those providers requiring massive IT overhauls are not seeing the benefits as readily as their tech savvy counterparts. Get more details on the study from ThirdAge.com.

Operations and On the Political Beat:

The advantages and disadvantages of advanced health IT are regularly debated. Learn how one hospital improved efficiency, reduced waste and provided better patient outcomes by using its data in new ways and making important information more readily accessible.Forbes.com has the full story.

Things that make you say, “Huh?” and our favorite unexpected news of the week:

A 31-year old was killed after a portable meth lab exploded in a nursing home resident’s room. The three residents were not injured, according to MSNBC, but were hospitalized. The investigation into the meth lab is continuing and the Ohio Department of Health is investigating the nursing home, which was cited for multiple violations in its annual state survey. A meth lab in a nursing home? No, we’re not kidding.

This Week in Senior Living News

Aging News:

Can being overweight actually be good for your health? Only if you’re over 85, according to DailyRx.com. It turns out that the same extra weight that can contribute to early death and risk factors like diabetes and heart disease can actually help stave off death in the elderly. Read more to find out exactly why overweight 85-plus-ers tend to live longer.

Now this is lifelong learning! Marilyn Zorn is the oldest student at CMU, at the age of 84. Zorn has taken 29 classes at CMU since 1996, as part of the university’s senior citizen audit program, which provides free classes (for no credits) for adults over 60. Read more at Central Michigan Life.

Senior Living News:

The first full-service senior center dedicated to LGBT aging adults celebrated its grand opening on Thursday. The SAGE Innovative Center caters to specific needs faced by this community during the aging process, such as the loss of a partner. Read more at the Huffington Post.

Many seniors are ready to make the move to senior housing, yet they’re stuck where they’re at due to less than ideal real estate market conditions. Our own Joan London reports on her latest stint in her search for senior housing and tells us why she’s feeling stuck in Baltimore.

Caregiver Stories and Advice:

Social media can provide a way for caregivers to cope with the daily challenges they face, particularly the element of feeling alone in their plight. Naples News points out that caregivers are free to be themselves and share their emotions when they connect with others via social channels. Read the full story.

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Anthony Cirillo, a member of our panel of expert judges for the SeniorHomes.com 2012 Best of the Web contest, has an informative guest post on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News. Cirillo speaks to caregivers, noting its time to come out of the closet in the workforce. He points out that employers must do a better job of readily accepting caregiving situations and providing support for employees in these situations.

Tech Roundup:

They say electronic health records (EHRs) will save healthcare millions, but implementation isn’t so cut-and-dry. CMS has issued Stage 2 guidelines for meaningful use in a document published in the Federal Register. Get the details from eWeek.com.

Operations and On the Political Beat:

So when will ICD-10 come into play? According to Seattlepi, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is considering a delayed compliance deadline for some entities. However, an implementation delay could increase costs and wouldn’t prove beneficial in terms of readiness, according to the article.

Things that make you say, “Huh?” and our favorite unexpected news of the week:

Is the nightstand the window to the soul? An article at McKnight’s says you can tell a lot about a person just by looking at their nightstand. The same holds true after the passing of a loved one, when family members are forced to go through a loved one’s belongings. The article is an incredibly insightful read about the many things that can be discovered and questions that can arise just from looking at a person’s nightstand.