Local Author Among Growing Trend of Alzheimer's Books for Children

It seems the number of children’s books devoted to explaining Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in a kid-friendly way is growing, not surprising since the number of people with Alzheimer’s continues to increase along with the number of older Americans. The New York Times recently reported that a trip to a local children’s book store stocked revealed at least half a dozen titles on the shelves.  A more formal study by three doctoral students at Washington University, analyzing the way storybooks describe the disease, found 33 of them published for 4- to 12-year-olds from 1988 to 2009.

Among the books is one authored by Linda Scacco, a West Hartford mother of three, clinical psychologist and an adjunct professor at the University of Hartford, who drew on her professional and personal experience.  Her book, "Always My Grandpa," was published in 2005.  The roots of the story come from the death of Scacco’s uncle from the disease in 1988.   Reviews of the book highlighted its “gentle narration and easy-to-understand explanations,” about Alzheimer's disease and “how it affects children, and families.”

While acknowledging the challenge of presenting explanations in a way that children can absorb, the Wash U graduate students found that overall, the books tend to “provide little information about the diagnostic process or treatments. Clinical presentations are diverse among characters with AD, and no single book presented a comprehensive depiction of the cognitive, behavioral, affective, and functional symptoms of the disease.”  They suggest that more be done to “ensure health literacy about AD in young children.”

The Times pointed out that the study indicated that generally absent were “symptoms like wandering, agitation sleep disturbances and depression. Only about a third of the books depicted anger or irritability, and very few showed functional limitations — the inability to drive, feed oneself, walk.”

Holistic Chamber of Commerce to Launch in Connecticut

The Connecticut chapter of the Holistic Chamber of Commerce (HCC) will have its first meeting later this month, one of three new chapters around the country that are being launched.  (The others are in Houston and Washington State.)  The HCC – which began in California - is a growing national network of holistic professionals and businesses, and the organizations that encourage and promote a holistic lifestyle. The Connecticut chapter - led by local business owners - will kick-off at an inaugural meeting on Tuesday, October 23 at 6 PM at Sacred Rivers Yoga, 2934 Main Street in Glastonbury.  The newly forming Connecticut chapter becomes part of a member-based organization representing and promoting holistic and eco-friendly products, services and solutions for health, lifestyle and business, and supporting the professionals and practitioners who make holistic/eco-friendly choices available.

The organization promotes community outreach and social awareness of holistic and eco-friendly alternatives. Members also take part in networking opportunities, educational forums and learn business development skills designed to enhance business, life and community.  Individuals or business owners interested in learning more may contact Chapter President Kimberly Gedney at 860-965-1559 or CT@HolisticChamberOfCommerce.com.

AARP Forums, Survey Focus on Need for Social Security, Medicare Funding

The Connecticut chapter of AARP will hold public forums in the 4^th and 5^th Congressional Districts in the coming weeks, just prior to Election Day, highlighting the decisions that will need to be made next year by the newly elected administration and Congress regarding future of Medicare and Social Security.   The forums – which will detail the issues involved to assist people to decade amongst candidates  - will take place on October 29 in Waterbury and November 2 in Bridgeport. As a backdrop to the forums, AARP commissioned the development of a website focusing on the future of Medicare and Social Security, earlier this year.  More than 10,000 Connecticut visitors to the site have responded to AARP’s questionnaire to date.

Interestingly, 86 percent said they believe that Medicare and Social Security will need some combination of more funding or benefit changes. The majority of respondents (58 percent) think Social Security is okay as is or needs only minor changes, while 54 percent feel the same about Medicare. Only 18 percent of respondents believe Social Security is in immediate crisis and only 14 percent believe Medicare is in immediate crisis.

Report: CT Lacks 'Top Performing' Hospital

Connecticut is the only New England state - and one of just three nationally - to have no hospitals designated as "Top Performers" by The Joint Commission. The organization issues an annual report gauging the performance of more than 3,300 accredited hospitals on 45 accountability measures linked to positive patient outcomes. The Connecticut Health I-Team reports that the commission evaluated 620 hospitals in 47 states that it says are "leading the way nationally in using evidence-based care processes closely linked to positive patient outcomes." The Joint Commission report notes that many hospitals not recognized as top performers "are still performing well on accountability measures, but there is room for improvement."

Every state has at least one hospital on the list except Connecticut, North Dakota and South Dakota.  Ten hospitals in Massachusetts, four in Maine, four in New Hampshire, three in Vermont and one in Rhode Island were designated as top performers. The top-performer designation is based on performance related to accountability measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care, children's asthma care, inpatient psychiatric services, venous thromboembolism (VTE) care, and stroke care.

Of the 620 hospitals recognized as 'Top Performers on Key Quality Measures," 26 percent are rural hospitals, 45 percent are nonprofit hospitals, and 49 percent have between 100 and 300 beds.  Major teaching hospitals account for 5 percent of the recipients.  The number of hospitals recognized by the Joint Commission increased more than 50 percent from the list's debut last year, when one Connecticut hospital - Griffin, in Derby - was included.   The full list of Top Performers on Key Quality Measures is available at www.jointcommission.org.

"Pink Party" Launches Focus on Breast Cancer Awareness

The stark statistics underscore the importance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Connecticut, which kicks off with a “Pink Party” in the thriving Blue Back Square in West Hartford on Thursday, October 4 from 5:30 to 7:30.  The festivities – including food, music, dancing and fashion - have a serious backdrop encouraging financial support for education, prevention and treatment:

• About 3,140 Connecticut women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.
• About 20% of breast cancers nationwide occur among women younger than age 50.
• Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among U.S. women.
• One in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer curing their lifetime.
• Most women with breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease.

Numerous hospitals, radiology facilities and clinics - as well as some retail outlets - throughout Connecticut have special programs throughout the month, aimed at ensuring that women take preventative steps such as screenings and mammograms.  The Pink Party supports  Komen Connecticut, which provides about $1 million in grants annually to support the work of health care organizations statewide.  The American Cancer Society is sponsoring additional awareness events, many with the support of local media and businesses.

Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday; 60 CT Sites Ready

State and local law enforcement officials in more than 60 cities and towns across Connecticut will join with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) this Saturday, September 29, to give residents the opportunity to prevent drug abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. Attorney General George Jepsen joined the DEA, the state Departments of Consumer Protection and of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and the Governor’s Prevention Partnership in detailing the state’s growing prescription drug problem and encouraging state residents to take part in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by visiting a nearby collection site.  Connecticut’s  collection sites will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that 90 percent of addictions start in the teenage years. Prescription medications are now the most commonly used drugs among 12 to 13 year olds. Two-thirds of teens who abuse pain relievers say they get them from their family members and friends

“Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States, and the problem is here, at our doorstep,” said Attorney General Jepsen. “Safe disposal of unused and unwanted prescription medications is an effective way of getting potentially dangerous substances out of medicine cabinets.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more Americans die from drug overdoses than in car crashes, and this increasing trend is driven by prescription painkiller overdoses.

“National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is an opportunity for us to increase awareness of the simple steps we all can take to slow the growth of prescription drug abuse, which is a 365-day a year problem, and to encourage everyone to use safe drug disposal practices every day,” Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner William M. Rubenstein said, noting that Connecticut has sites for unused prescription medication to be turned in throughout the year, beyond the nationwide event  this Saturday.

This past April, Americans turned in 552,161 pounds – 276 tons – of prescription drugs at over 5,600 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,300 state and local law enforcement partners. In its four previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 1.5 million pounds – nearly 775 tons – of medication.

“The Governor’s Prevention Partnership commends the leadership of the Attorney General and the DEA in bringing focus to the need for proper disposal of unused medicine in order to reduce the risk of youth drug abuse,” said Jill Spineti, president and CEO of the Governor’s Prevention Partnership. “We also remind parents and caregivers to have open communication with their children and to remain vigilant throughout the teenage years, so that misuse or abuse of medicine can be avoided.”

Property Tax Overreliance in Connecticut Slows Economy

The per capita property tax burden in Connecticut is $2,473, an amount that is almost twice the national average of $1,388 and second highest in the nation, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) says in a new report highlighting the state’s overreliance on property taxes to fund municipal government.  Connecticut ranks eighth in property taxes as a percentage of median home value, but CCM says property taxes are not covering the costs of running the state’s cities and towns. Connecticut's 169 cities and towns, along with their boroughs, fire districts and other political subdivisions, levied about $8.7 billion in property taxes in 2009-10, the last fiscal year for which CCM has complete records, the CT Mirror reported, adding that the total, once updated, likely would clear $9 billion for the current year, according to CCM.

Property taxes provide about 72 percent of the revenue for municipalities, while state aid -- which stands at about $3 billion -- represents 24 percent, CCM indicated.  In another breakdown, the CCM report found that:

• 20 towns depend on property taxes for at least 90 percent ofall their revenue
• 48 municipalities rely on property taxes for at least 80 percent of their revenue

CCM's five-point plan calls for expanding the new revenue-sharing arrangements that began last year and allows cities and towns to get some revenues from state sales and real estate tax increases.

Deaf Child Bill of Rights is Focus at State Capitol

The focus at the State Capitol on Thursday, September 20 will be Connecticut’s deaf and hearing impaired children, with a particular spotlight on the Deaf Child Bill of Rights, approved by the General Assembly earlier this year and signed into law in June by Gov. Malloy. Represented at the Capitol on Thursday, with information for the public as well as legislators and staff, will be:

• Disabilities Network of Eastern CT Informational
• CREC Soundbridge Educational
• Relay Connecticut Telecommunication Services

Approval of the Deaf Child Bill of Rights made Connecticut, the birthplace of deaf education, the 12th state to have the Deaf Child Bill of Rights. The new law became effective on July 1, 2012. It was widely viewed as a historic day for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities in Connecticut as well across the country, because the DCBR law creates an environment that will allow deaf and hard of hearing children “to become who they really are, develop, learn, expand and shine in all education settings,” officials said.

The new law states that “The individualized education program for any child identified as deaf or hearing impaired shall include a language and communication plan developed by the planning and placement team for such child.

Such language and communication plan shall address:

(1) The primary language or mode of communication chosen for the child,

(2) Opportunities for direct communication with peers and professional personnel in the primary language or mode of communication for the child,

(3) Educational options available to the child,

(4) The qualifications of teachers and other professional personnel administering such plan for the child, including such teacher's or personnel's proficiency in the primary language or mode of communication for the child,

(5) The accessibility of academic instruction, school services and extracurricular activities to the child,

(6) Assistive devices and services for the child, and

(7) Communication and physical environment accommodations for the child.

Report: Adult Obesity Rate in CT Could Reach 46.5% by 2030

The number of obese adults, along with related disease rates and health care costs, is on course to increase dramatically in Connecticut over the next 20 years, according to a new report by Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).  For the first time, the annual report includes an analysis that forecasts 2030 adult obesity rates in each state and the likely resulting rise in obesity-related disease rates and health care costs.  Public health funding and preparedness data is also provided for all 50 states.  Connecticut, the data indicates, ranked 33rd in state funding per capita in 2011. The analysis also shows that states could prevent obesity-related diseases and dramatically reduce health care costs if they reduced the average body mass index of their residents by just 5 percent by 2030.   The analysis, F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012, was commissioned by TFAH and RWJF and conducted by the National Heart Forum, is based on a peer-reviewed model published last year in The Lancet.

Findings include:

• Projected Increases in Obesity Rates

If obesity rates continue on their current trajectories, by 2030, the obesity rate in Connecticut could reach 46.5 percent. According to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2011, 24.5 percent of adults in the state were obese.  Nationally, by 2030, 13 states could have adult obesity rates above 60 percent, 39 states could have rates above 50 percent, and all 50 states could have rates above 44 percent.

• Projected Increases in Disease Rates

Over the next 20 years, obesity could contribute to 412,641 new cases of type 2 diabetes, 1,014,057 new cases of coronary heart disease and stroke, 941,046 new cases of hypertension, 597,155 new cases of arthritis, and 147,883 new cases of obesity-related cancer in Connecticut.

Currently, more than 25 million Americans have type 2 diabetes, 27 million have chronic heart disease, 68 million have hypertension and 50 million have arthritis. In addition, 795,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, and approximately one in three deaths from cancer per year (approximately 190,650) are related to obesity, poor nutrition or physical inactivity.

• Projected Increase in Health Care Costs

By 2030, obesity-related health care costs in Connecticut could climb by 15.7 percent, which could be the 22nd highest increase in the country. Nationally, nine states could see increases of more than 20 percent, with New Jersey on course to see the biggest increase at 34.5 percent.

In the United States, medical costs associated with treating preventable obesity-related diseases are estimated to increase by $48 billion to $66 billion per year by 2030, and the loss in economic productivity could be between $390 billion and $580 billion annually by 2030.

How Reducing Obesity Could Lower Disease Rates and Health Care Costs

If BMIs were lowered by 5 percent, Connecticut could save 7 percent in health care costs, which would equate to savings of $ 7,370,000,000 by 2030. The number of Connecticut residents who could be spared from developing new cases of major obesity-related diseases includes:

• 83,932 people could be spared from type 2 diabetes,
• 79,528 from coronary heart disease and stroke,
• 75,911 from hypertension,
• 38,564 from arthritis, and
• 6,374 from obesity-related cancer.

Earlier this year, the Connecticut Coalition Against Childhood Obesity formed to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity and the urgent need to address its connection to Connecticut’s educational achievement gap. The Coalition, comprised of more than 30 health advocacy organizations, stresses that the connections between better health and better academic achievement make action against childhood obesity an education as well as health imperative.  Among the initiatives approved by the Connecticut General Assembly, with the support and advocacy of the coalition, was a pilot program for school health coordinators in a number of districts, highlighting the links between children’s health and academic performance.

Nursing Numbers Highlight Need for More Educators, Nurses

Embedded in an interview with Lynn Babington, dean and professor in the School of Nursing at Fairfield University, featured in the latest issue of Hartford Business Journal, are a stream of statistics about nursing and our aging population that are worth noting:

• People 65+ represented 12.4 percent of the population in the year 2000 but are expected to grow to be 19 percent of the population by 2030.
• The average age of the registered nurse in this country is 48 years old. As the population ages and continues to live longer and chronic health conditions increase, there is a growing demand for nurses in all care settings.
• There are a shortage of doctorally prepared nurses and an aging faculty workforce. The average age of nursing faculty in the U.S. is 57 years old.

If these stats spark your interest in the professional, take a look at the Department of Public Health detail on education programs available in Connecticut, and the latest numbers on how they're doing.