The Affordable Health Care Act is now law, affirmed constitutional by the Supreme Court. We aren’t sure how long it will be so, with the resistance provided by those who so vehemently oppose it. But, for now it is law. It is so because 5 of the Supreme Court Justices endorsed its major provisions. It is so because the Chief Justice joined those five. It is so because in the face of attempts to derail it, reason prevailed.

Illness and poor health may now have a chance at being defeated. In spite of those who would deny the opportunity of protection against the ravages of illness and poor health, there is now hope and encouragement. Compassionate care has prevailed.

What’s the Problem?? The Supreme Court spent three days listening to arguments from attorneys representing 26 states who object to the Affordable Health Care Act (AHCA) this week. The news reports on television are getting repetitive and it’s a little hard to cut through all the hype about the issue.  So SCJ looked for information [...]

What You Can Do to Protect Yourself Avoiding drug reactions is necessary for senior citizens to protect themselves and their good health.  Patricia Barry writes for AARP regularly, and offers seniors a lot of good advice about health issues.  In the September, 2011, AARP Bulletin, she has an excellent article on The Side Effects of [...]

Quality conditions and service vary significantly among Senior Care Centers. (Here we refer to Assisted Care, Memory Care, Nursing Homes, Skilled Nursing facilities, etc.) Usually the satisfaction of the resident is directly associated with the quality and effectiveness of that care. And that is usually attached to the overall costs charged back to the resident.

Quality care, however, even in those top of the line centers cannot always be presumed. Most such centers, not all, are profit making. This, as in any enterprise, drives the cost to service ratio. In smaller communities, even mediocre care can be expensive. While some residents enjoy both subsidized care and/or long term care insurance, the costs usually are such that additional resources must be called upon.

Another financial horror story showed up on Bloomberg news last March, all in the name of end of life choices.  The article begins with “March 4 (Bloomberg) — It was some time after midnight on Dec. 8, 2007, when Dr. Eric Goren told me my husband might not live till morning. // The kidney cancer [...]

In the 1990s, Johns Hopkins University and other medical centers conducted some studies and discovered there were genetic considerations in the search for the cause of glaucoma among senior citizens.  That research showed a correlation between glaucoma in a senior and siblings, children and parents also having glaucoma.  Obviously nothing causative here.  But definitely a [...]

Alzheimer’s disease never gets too far from center stage in our culture.  The morning news and evening papers always carry an article or two about this disease that robs the elderly of their minds, and eventually their lives.  A recent article details the experience of aging parents, one who had Alzheimer’s and the other who [...]

The Affordable Care Act passed by Congress and signed by President Obama this year contains some important benefits for Medicare recipients. If you have Medicare prescription drug coverage, and aren’t already getting Medicare Extra Help (extra help for seniors living at or below poverty level), Medicare will automatically send you a tax free, one-time $250 [...]

SCJ posted an article last month that featured advantages in healthcare reform for senior citizens on Medicare.  One of the new medical services described was annual preventative care exams.  The PPACA (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) brings relief to millions of seniors for whom preventive care means early identification of disease and greater opportunity [...]

Seniors, What do glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and cataracts all have in common?  Yes, they are all dis-eases that affect the eye.  But more important, they all strike senior citizens more than any other generation.  They affect the aging eye. The common risk factors for all four conditions is aging.  Glaucoma is considered an ‘end [...]