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Black Bags and Blackberries

House calls, once a staple of the medical practice, declined to fewer than 1% of physician encounters by 1980. But they're making a come-back as some physicians seek to deliver care at home to less mobile patients. The "Independence at Home" Act, introduced by Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey (HR 2560) with House colleagues Smith, Capps, Schkowsky, Mack, and Connolly, and by Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon (S 1131) joined by Senators Kennedy, Burr, Kerry, Cardin, Whitehouse, and Mikulski would encourage the trend by creating incentives to give great care to people in a timely way, where they prefer - at home. The bill, says Markey, holds out the promise of improving the quality of care, reducing hospitalizations and cutting costs.

The VCU House Calls program in Richmond is a local example of community-based, geriatric primary care. Peter Boling, medical director of the program and an ODP member, helped develop the bill. He encourages the public to write letters of support for the bills (HR 2560, S 1131), which enjoys bipartisan support. Read more.

There's No Place Like Home

We'd heard that Florida was losing its edge as America's retirement Mecca, but Forbes surprised us with its recent list of the "Top 10 Best Places to Grow Old." The ranking included only four sunny locales: two in Florida, one in Arizona, and one in Hawaii. The rest are located in Northeastern communities, with Montgomery County, Pa., leading the way. Forbes' methodology took into account such factors as the percentage of over-65 population, the cost of housing and the availability of medical care. Read more.

But don't expect a big reverse migration from southern states to northern. What's happening is that more people are staying put. ODP research shows that the vast majority of Baby Boomer Virginians want to age in place, living in their existing homes and/or same communities. Only 12% indicated a desire to move to another state. Our Age Wave isn't going anywhere -- we still need to prepare for it.

Sleepless in Seattle

SeattlePi.com columnist Joel Connelly wonders how Washington state politicians can sleep at night after making drastic budget cuts to services to the elderly. Writes Connelly: "The Washington Legislature seems to have embraced a disgustingly low definition of what our progressive state owes its physically and mentally disabled: three hot meals and a cot. A group of wheelchair-bound patients, several recovering from head injuries, heard Monday that the Elderhealth Northwest's downtown adult day-care center, which provides physical and mental health services, will shut down at month's end. Read more.

Virginia is not exempt from the revenue declines and fiscal stresses that tempt lawmakers to cut programs for citizens the least able to defend their interests. The example of Washington provides all the more reason to plan for the age wave in a way that involves not only government but business and the not-for-profit sector.

Smart Clothes?

First came clothing made from animal hides. Then apparel woven from natural fibers, and then from synthetic fibers. What new frontiers are left for clothing to conquer? How about "smart" shirts or blouses embedded with sensors that monitor the body's temperature and compensate with warming or cooling as needed? Or measure the heartbeat and notify the rescue squad in case of emergency? Those are the kinds of things scientists are thinking about in the University of Ulster, in Great Britain and other British universities as part of the New Dynamics of Ageing Program. Read more.

That's all well and good but if the Brits really want to help the elderly, they'd invent clothes that are smart enough to remember where their owners left their keys and glasses!