Faculty in the News
HAP Faculty Partnership Featured on Governor's Aging Initiative Website
To encourage Virginians to plan for their futures,
Gov. Timothy Kaine announced last week that Virginia has launched the Own
Your Future campaign and Long-Term Care Partnership program. The goal
of the long-term care program is to help maximize the independence and
functioning of individuals at a time when they are unable to be fully independent.
Virginia's program grew out of the Long-Term Care Partnership Expansion project, initiated by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the Center for Health Care Strategies, a nonprofit organization focused on quality and cost issues surrounding publicly financed health care. HAP faculty Dr. Mark Meiners is part of this team of organizations dedicated to helping more states develop a new public-private approach to long-term health care insurance. The project has provided 10 states seed grants of $50,000 and technical assistance to help them develop a partnership long-term care program. Read more in the Mason Gazette.
HAP Faculty featured on NPR
Andy Carle was interviewed on the NPR show "To The Point" on September
12, 2007. Listen
to the Podcast on KCRW's site. Mr. Carle's segment begins at approximately
42:00 minutes.
Two New Publications Accepted for Publication from the Center for Discovery
Science and Health Informatics
The Health Informatics area of the Center have produced two articles accepted
for publication.
Wojtusiak, J. and Michalski, R. S., "Analyzing Diaries for Analytical
Relapse Prevention Using Natural Induction: A Method and Preliminary Results," Quality
Management in Health Care, 16, 4, 2007.
Wojtusiak, J., Michalski, R. S., Simanivanh, T. and Baranova, A. V., "The
Natural Induction System AQ21 and Its Application to Data Describing Patients
with Metabolic Syndrome: Initial Results," Proceedings
of the International Conference on Machine Learning and Applications,
Cincinnati,OH, 2007.
George
Mason University Professor To Address Challenges For Treating People With
Chronic Illnesses
George Mason University professor Mark Meiners was recently awarded a $535,000
grant with the San Diego Long-Term Care Integration Project and the University
of California San Diego to develop a coordinated approach to chronic care management
that advocates team-based care in a health care system that is increasingly fragmented
and built to deliver acute care. If the program is successful in San Diego, the
research may be used to help develop programs nationwide. Read
the full press release.
Mason Professor Lists Top 'Brain Games' for Older Adults
Responding to a study estimating a quadrupling of individuals suffering
from Alzheimer’s disease by 2050, Mason professor Andrew Carle has
released a list of the best “brain games” available for those
seeking to maximize cognitive function. Read
more of this article in the Mason Gazette.
Online
Extra: Brain Aerobics
With a boomer turning 60 every seven seconds, gaming companies are
targeting an older market. Andrew Carle, assistant professor and director
of George Mason University’s Program in Assisted Living/Senior Housing, takes a look at
Nintendo’s Brain Age.
Policy Brief: Long-Term Care Partnership Expansion: A New Opportunity for
States
The Center for Health Care Strategies, the National Association of State
Medicaid Directors and George Mason University are working to inform states
about new long-term-care options made available through the Deficit Reduction
Act of 2005. This brief reviews the origins and structure of the Partnership
for Long-Term Care program, and presents design and implementation issues
for states’ consideration. Ten states, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia,
Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, and Virginia
will participate in this new Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) initiative.
The national effort will help states work with private insurers to create
affordable insurance options that protect both consumer assets and minimize
the risk to state Medicaid program budgets. For more information, contact Mark Meiners.
Video:
Dive Into This Techno-World
In this Video from AARP Bulletin, Andrew Carle talks about how he thinks technology
can be used to enhance the lives of older people.
Buying Old-Age Insurance
Dr. Mark Meiners and the Partnership for Long Term Care are featured in
this Wall Street Journal article (registraton required). From the article
- "Under the partnership program, you buy a private long-term-care policy
that has received your state's stamp of approval. If those insurance
benefits run out, you can apply for Medicaid to help cover any additional
costs -- and keep assets equal in value to the insurance benefits received."
The program is available in California, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana and
New York. The other states have leeway to start similar programs, and
at least 25 are expected to do so in the next few years.
Train
your Brain - Alzheimer's Research
Fox News recently aired three video segments on the subject of "Brain Training" featuring
Andy Carle. View the clips here:
Niche
Homes: Aged Care Living to Suit All Tastes
Highlights of Andrew Carle's keynote address at the Aged Care Association
Australia’s
25th Annual Congress in Perth, Australia are featured in Insite
Newspaper.
Professor Names Top
10 'Nana' Technologies for Seniors
Responding to adult children who may be shocked at the decline
in an older parent’s skills noticed during a holiday visit, Andrew
Carle, assistant professor and director of Mason’s Program in Assisted
Living/Senior Housing, has developed a list of the top 10 “nana” technologies
capable of assisting in daily needs. Read more in the Mason
Gazette. This information also appears in the January
15, 2007 Edition of Assisted Living Director.
Medicare
Special Needs Plans: Lessons from Dual-Eligible Demonstrations for CMS,
States, Health Plans, and Providers
Presented by Mark R. Meiners, director of the Center for Health Policy
Research and Ethics at The 59th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological
Society of America, in Dallas, Texas, November 20,2006.
The
Long-Term Care Partnership Program: What Role Will It Play in Broader
Long-Term Care Policy?
Mark R. Meiners, director of the Center for Health Policy
Research and Ethics at George Mason University, and an expert
on the Partnership program was a panelist for The Alliance
for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation sponsored
luncheon briefing on Nov 9th.
Team Investigates
Strategy for Better Health Services in Local Public Schools
HAP Faculty Dr. PJ Maddox is featured in this article from the November 5, 2006
edition of the Mason Gazette.
Mason Experts
Weigh in on Obesity
CHHS Faculty Dr. Farrokh Alemi and Dr. Lisa Pawloski are featured in the
October 26, 2006 edition of the Mason Gazette.
Funding Award - September 1, 2006
Congratulations to Dr. P. J. Maddox, Department of Health Administration and
Policy, on her funding award to develop a Strategic Plan for School Health
Services in Fairfax County.
Nana Tech Aimed at the Elderly - August 9, 2006 USA Today article featuring Andy Carle
Seniors on
Campus - July 21, 2006
Andy Carle is interviewed in the radio show
"Forum with Michael Krasney" on KQED San Francisco.