Monthly Archives: May 2011

Day 31 of Word Count Blogathon 2011:
Thanks to Michelle Rafter and All the Bloggers

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Laura Newman

Even though there is plenty of important health news to write about today, I would be remiss if I didn’t set aside this final post to thank Michelle Rafter and more than 180 bloggers who pitched in to share in … Continue reading →

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WordCount Blogathon 2011 Wordle for Patient POV

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Laura Newman

This post is a suggested assignment from the Word Count Blogathon 2011, which is concluding May 31, 2011. For my blog, I am not thrilled with this cloud. The program Wordle supposedly scanned my blog and picked out keywords. However, … Continue reading →

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6 Types of Patient Stories We Need to Hear More About

Posted on May 29, 2011 by Laura Newman

I hope that patient stories that I tell here can really make a contribution to helping healthcare match what really matters to patients. That means that I’d like to tell stories that have been invisible or bear continuing exposure, for … Continue reading →

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Memorial Day Comes Early: Notes on Gil Scott-Heron and Black Health in America

Posted on May 28, 2011 by Laura Newman

I can’t give you the news the way poet Gil-Scott Heron would, but I can imagine some of the social realities that would move him to poetry and song. It’s a nasty time for blacks and African Americans in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to care, health statistics, HIV/AIDS | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is Lap Band Surgery Appropriate for Obese Teens?

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Laura Newman

Earlier this week, the LA Times reported that Allergan was filing an FDA application for its lap band surgery for teens as young as 14. The application follows Allergan getting FDA okay to lower weight threshold for lap band surgery … Continue reading →

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Acclaimed Books, Films, and Projects About
Alzheimer’s Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Laura Newman

Books, films, and innovative projects on Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and memory loss are growing. I have assembled a short list of them.There are many foreign films, particularly from South Korea and Japan that are excellent. I hope that US distributors … Continue reading →

Posted in books, films, Foundations | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Preventing Falls in Hotel Bathtubs

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Laura Newman

I wouldn’t have considered posting this, except that I am in the WordCount Blogathon and don’t want to miss a day. I fell in a hotel bathtub in a “boutique luxury” hotel this morning, arrive late to a meeting, and … Continue reading →

Posted in falls, safety | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Writing About Alzheimer’s and Dementia Gets Complicated

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Laura Newman

Now that I have spent three days listening to expert neurologists, demographers, caregivers, and policy people talk about Alzheimer’s, I come away from the meeting with a sense that the story is complicated, and that I hope it is not … Continue reading →

Posted in Alzheimer's disease | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Alzheimer’s Disease Issues – Day 2:
Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Laura Newman

I spent today at an all day Alzheimer’s meeting, taking notes and tweeting. I am also exhausted. Many of you know that this is my 23rd consecutive day blogging here. There are a lot of pluses to posting every day, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alzheimer's disease, long term care, Medicare | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Alzheimer’s Disease Issues 2011 Fellowship Begins

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Laura Newman

I am in Washington at the National Press Foundation’s Alzheimer’s Disease Issues 2011 Fellowship with about 15 other journalists. The program runs through Wednesday. Today’s session was a half-day, with presentations by Richard Jackson, director of the Global Aging Initiative, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alzheimer's disease, health planning, legislative initiatives | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments