Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Tracking Devices, Special Apps Help Monitor Family Members With Dementia, But Technology Isn't A Cure-All
Kim Rice tracks her husband鈥檚 every move, including his arrival home each night from adult day care. She鈥檚 among the millions of Americans caring for a loved one with dementia at home. And like many, she turned to tracking and monitoring devices to help her manage the daily juggle of working, ensuring her husband鈥檚 safety and maintaining her own sanity. Most days, Mr. Rice鈥檚 bus driver walks him to the door of his home and sees him inside. But there鈥檚 sometimes a 15-minute lag before Ms. Rice receives the notification her husband made it home, courtesy of a GPS tracker she slips in his pocket. (Jargon, 4/16)
Does an older friend or relative have a hard time hanging up on telemarketers? Or get excited about a "You've won a prize" voicemail? New research suggests seniors who aren't on guard against scams also might be at risk for eventually developing Alzheimer's disease. Elder fraud is a huge problem, and Monday's study doesn't mean that people who fall prey to a con artist have some sort of dementia brewing. (4/15)
African-Americans, like the Barbers, are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer鈥檚 disease as Caucasians. And that disparity is a mystery to researchers. (Kanne, 4/15)