Nov. 9,2003 - 5 pm: (please note time change) SD American Indian Community Thanksgiving Dinner to celebrate "harvest time." Please bring a side dish to share. United Methodist Church Hall, 4650 Mansfield Ave. San Diego.

Sunday, November 9:

3 pm: a Healing Circle with songs, prayer and sharing for community members to offer support for all those affected by the California Fires. This gathering is sponsored by the SD American Indian Health Center so that we can come together to find strength and healing through tradition. Normal Heights Community Center, 4649 Hawley Blvd. San Diego. Info: Ellen or Jeanette at 619 234-0648.

5 pm: (please note time change) SD American Indian Community Thanksgiving Dinner to celebrate "Harvest time." Please bring a side dish to share. United Methodist Church Hall, 4650 Mansfield Ave. San Diego.

Locations are right next to each other south of Adams Ave. (nearest major cross street is 35th) in Normal Heights.
We are asking that community members who are able to donate and cook a turkey for the dinner to please call June at IHRC (619) 281-5964. This service will permit NAC to divert urgent resources to fire victims. Thank you!

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched http://www.NIHSeniorHealth.gov a new talking web site with formats and topics tailored to the needs of elders. The senior friendly site takes advantage of techniques developed by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) designed to encourage older people to use the Internet, and this site in particular, as a resource for the best information on health and medical research.

• A report from the International Longevity Center, Walk to a Healthy Future advocates pedometers for all. It's on line at: www.ilcusa.org/_lib/pdf/walkingib.pdf.

• The Brookdale Foundation is pleased to announce the Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP) State Seed Grant Initiative for the year 2004. This initiative is designed to encourage and promote the creation or expansion of services for grandparents and other relatives who have taken on the responsibility of surrogate parenting when the biological parents are unwilling or unable to do so. Copies of the State RFP guidelines and application form may be downloaded directly from the Foundation's website at www.brookdalefoundation.org. The deadline for the submission of State proposals is Thursday, February 12, 2004.
• Brookdale also announces the Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP) Local Seed Grant Initiative for the year 2004. RAPP is designed to encourage and promote the creation or expansion of services for grandparents and other relatives who have taken on the responsibility of surrogate parenting when the biological parents are unwilling or unable to do so. Copies of the Local RFP guidelines and application form may be downloaded directly from the Foundation's website at www.brookdalefoundation.org The deadline for the submission of local proposals to the Brookdale Foundation is Thursday, January 15, 2004.

• The National Quality Forum has developed Nursing Home Performance Measures which can be found at: http://www.qualityforum.org/txbrief+SC3-4-03.pdf

• Located in Senior Centers in Chicago, Mather Café Plus is a combination of a restaurant, gathering place, educational center, and source for interesting programs, and helpful services for older adults. To see a video of this innovative idea, on line go to: http://www.matherlifeways.com/default.asp?url=com_programs
• Making the Link: Connecting Caregivers with Services through Physicians, is a project of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), that brings together the aging network and health care providers to benefit family caregivers across the country. For information see: http://www.n4a.org/mtl_projectsummary.cfm

• Three new policy briefs from the National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance examine current critical caregiving issues and trends.

These briefs are available at no charge on the FCA website, http://www.caregiver.org

• The Mathematica Inc. report, Medicare's Experience with PPOs and Private Fee-for-Service Plans, can be found at: http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/press%20releases/opinsights12.htm
• The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: Rethinking and Retooling for the Future is a report from the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center, and is on line at: http://longtermcare.state.wi.us/home/whitepaper03_FINAL.pdf
• Social Security: Proposed Totalization Agreement with Mexico Presents Unique Challenges is online at http://www.gao.gov; type the report # into their search engine-GAO-03-1035T
• UCLA Study of California's Seniors Finds Low-Income, underserved areas report poorest health. Using data culled from the California Health Interview Survey, a new 137-page report - Health of Older Californians: County Data Book prepared by Steven P. Wallace, Nadereh Pourat, Vilma Enriquez-Haass, and Alek Sripipatana with funding provided by the Archstone Foundation and The California Endowmet - provides detailed profiles of health behavior, health status and preventive care among California's oldest residents. It can be seen at: http://www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pubID=77
• Commonwealth Fund publications on Medicare

As congressional leaders continue to work through some of the knottier issues in the proposed Medicare prescription drug legislation, the Commonwealth Fund has updated its Medicare chart pack to include the latest Commonwealth Fund-supported research on this and related topics. The chart pack now has new information on how the proposed legislation would affect Medicare beneficiaries, particularly those with chronic illnesses or low incomes.

· Trends in Medicare expenditures

· Medicare performance

· Characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries

· Medicare beneficiary expenses not covered by Medicare

· Medicare's experience with private plans

· Prescription drugs

· Medicare prescription drug legislation

• The GAO report, Medicare: Most Beneficiaries Receive Some but Not All Recommended Preventive Services (GAO-03-958) is online at http://www.gao.gov. Type the report number in their search engine.
• The National Bureau of Economic Research publishes a Bulletin on Aging and Health. The Bulletin summarizes selected Working Papers recently produced as part of the Bureau's program of research in aging and health economics. It can be found at: http://www.nber.org/aginghealth/
• The following reports from AARP's Public Policy Institute were among the new research prepared for - and featured at - the AARP International Forum on Long-Term Care.

· Consumer-Directed Home Care in the Netherlands, England and Germany - Joshua M. Wiener, Jane Tilly and Alison Evans Cuellar http://research.aarp.org/health/2003_12_eu_cd.html

· Consumer-Directed Personal Care Services for Older People in the U.S. - Barbara Coleman http://research.aarp.org/health/ib64_cd.html

· Long-Term Care in Developed Nations: A Brief Overview - Mary Jo Gibson, Steven R. Gregory, and Sheel M. Pandya http://research.aarp.org/health/2003_13_ltc_dv.html

The following Census 2000 Data on the Aging can be found on the AoA site at: http://aoa.gov/prof/statistics/census2000/2000pop/2000pop.asp

· Older Population by Five year Age Groups

· Older Population by Selected Age Groups (50+, etc.) (Number of Persons)

· Older Population by Selected Age Groups (50+, etc.) (Percent Distribution by Age Group)

· US Map with Percent 65+ by State

· Older Population by Selected Age Group (50+, etc.) (Rank Based on Number of Older Persons in State)

· Older Population by Age Group (50+, etc.) (Rank Based on Percentages)

· The 60+ Population for U.S. States and Territories: April 1, 2000

· Number of Persons 65+ by Race and Hispanic Origin - by State

· Percent of Persons 65+ by Race and Hispanic Origin - by State

· Number of Persons 60+ by Race and Hispanic Origin - by State

· Percent of Persons 60+ by Race and Hispanic Origin - by State

• Alzheimer's Disease: A Physician's Guide to Practical Management, Richter, Ralph W. (St. John's Medical Center, Tulsa, OK), Richter, Brigitte Zoeller (Tulsa, OK) , Humana Press, 2003. To order see: http://www.humanapress.com/
• How to Keep Your Loved One Safe in a Nursing Home, Weinberg, Lawyers & Judges Publishing Company, 2003. http://lawyersandjudges.com/products/medalc/6524-Loved_One_Safe.shtml

• Sex in the Golden Years, Deborah S. Edleman, 1992, Donald Fine, NY. (A generous gift from the author).