Second Annual You Can! Walk Draws Seniors to Riverbanks Zoo: Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging campaign to promote moderate exercise and a healthy diet for older adults enters its second year.

(Columbia, S.C.) Ostriches, gorillas, an eight foot alligator and a Dixieland jazz band greeted seniors from around the state who traveled to Columbia’s Riverbanks Zoo today to celebrate Older Americans Month and help raise awareness about the importance of diet and exercise for healthy aging.

Lt. Governor André Bauer, head of the State Office on Aging, told the more than 300 participants in the second annual statewide “You Can! Steps to Healthier Aging” Walk that two of the most powerful weapons they have to fight many of the chronic diseases associated with old age are engaging in moderate exercise and adopting healthy eating habits.

“I’m here to tell you that everyone can benefit from adding an exercise routine to their daily schedule,” said Bauer. “Everyone can change their life for the better by changing the way that they eat, and no one – no matter what their age – is unable to make positive changes in their life by making healthier choices.” [more]

Media Advisory: Lt. Governor André Bauer to Host You Can! Walk at Riverbanks Zoo on Monday, May 22

(Columbia, S.C.) Senior groups from around the state will join Lt. Governor André Bauer and other advocates for Aging issues at the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens in Columbia on Monday, May 22 at an event designed to raise public awareness of the benefits of moderate exercise and healthy lifestyle choices for older people.

The You Can! Walk at the Zoo will begin at 9:30 AM, with entertainment provided by the Dick Goodwin Orchestra. Speakers and group events are scheduled to begin at 10 AM. [more]

Physical Activity Directory for Older Adults in Richland and Lexington Counties published by USC's Prevention Research Center

The directory includes the addresses, phone numbers, websites (if applicable) of facilities in Lexington and Richland counties that offer physical activity programs for seniors. Facilities for both counties are listed alphabetically. Parks, trails, and activity related clubs are listed in a separate section after the county information.

Moderate increases in phsical activity can pay large health dividends for older adults, according to the guides authors:

"Even small increases in physical activity can improve health. Moderate physical activity, 30 minutes a day, 10 minutes at a time, 5 days a week can reduce your risk for developing disease and disability.
This guide is intended to assist older adults and providers to quickly identify available programs and special-needs activities located in your community. We hope that this guide can assist you in becoming more active!"

Publication of the guide coincides with the second annual Lt. Governor's Office on Aging You Can! Walk for Fitness at Columbia's Riverbanks Zoo. Over the past year, South Carolina, Lt. Governor André Bauer has led “You Can!” walks held in conjunction with health fairs and senior expos in communities around the state to help raise public awareness of these issues. Programs and services funded by the Older Americans Act and coordinated by the Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging are available in all counties to help older South Carolinians stay fit and healthy.

Aging Advisory Commission Chair Awarded Order of the Palmetto
McCormick County’s Norma Curtis has been a community volunteer and advocate for South Carolina seniors and aging programs for more than 20 years.

(McCormick, S.C.) McCormick County Senior Center leaders had a problem last weekend. They desperately wanted longtime Senior Center volunteer Norma Curtis to go home, but typically for her, Curtis was determined to stay in the kitchen making sure everything was perfect for the Senior Center’s annual banquet honoring the McCormick County Senior Citizen of the year on the following Monday.

“We really felt like she didn’t need to be here cooking for an event that she was going to get honored at too,” said Senior Center Director Becky McDade. “But there was no way we could send her home without making her suspicious. She’s involved in every single thing we do here.” [more]

By Lt. Governor André Bauer

May is celebrated as Older Americans Month in the US, and Older South Carolinians month in our state. To help celebrate, South Carolina seniors will observe their second annual You Can Walk on Monday, May 22, at Riverbanks Zoo. This public awareness event emphasizes that the key to successful aging, where we are mobile and independent, is a physically active lifestyle.

We have held more than a dozen You Can! events throughout the state to encourage seniors to take personal responsibility for better lifestyle decisions. Research shows that proper diet and moderate exercise are major factors in lowering seniors’ risk of chronic illnesses and accidents. For instance, arthritis and falls alone are responsible for more than $500 million annually in hospital bills alone. Overall, South Carolina spends $5 billion annually in Medicare, Medicaid and state health plan payments for seniors, and if seniors can avoid or postpone even a small percentage of these expenses, not only will the savings be significant, but the quality of life for those seniors will be enhanced tremendously.

Mature adults do not need to engage in strenuous physical activity to improve their health. A daily walk goes hand-in-hand with many health benefits.

Here are some recent reports:

Elderly men who walked about two miles a day had half the risk of heart attack of males who walked a quarter mile, according to a study in the July 6, 2005 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Walking fitness makes a significant difference in predicting the likelihood of future disability in the elderly, according to a May 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Americans who ate a Mediterranean diet -- lots of fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, some fish and alcohol, and little dairy and meat -- had a reduced risk for Alzheimer's disease as they aged. These findings are published in the April 2006 issue of Annals of Neurology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons.

A growing library of research indicates that regular exercise may delay or prevent dementia in senior citizens. A study reported in the January 2006 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine says older adults who exercised at least three times a week were much less likely to develop dementia than those who were less active. The study did not demonstrate directly that exercise reduces risk of dementia, but it joins a growing body of observational research pointing to an association between exercise and cognitive decline, say scientists at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which funded the study.

Please join us at Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 22. For more information about the You Can! Steps to Healthier Aging campaign in South Carolina, please visit our website.

Older Americans Act Reauthorization on Track

The National Council on Aging reported this week in its NCOA Week newsletter that the organization is "cautiously optimistic" about the prospects for reauthorization of the Older Americans Act this year, after provisions supporting the Title V Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) were strenthened in subcommittee.

The reauthorization bill, H.R. 5293 - The Senior Independence Act of 2006, is due for a vote in the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce in mid-May. A Senate Committee will aslo consider a version of the bill.

According to NCOA Week:

"NCOA staff is continuing to work closely with committee staff to include priorities on access to benefits, evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention, civic engagement, and other issues and hopes that the committee or subcommittee will add these initiatives.

Subcommittee Chairman Pat Tiberi (R-OH) and ranking Democrat Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) introduced H.R. 5293 on May 4; the full committee will vote on May 17. A Senate bill is expected to be introduced on May 10, with a committee vote also on May 17."

Lt. Governor André Bauer provided testimony to the House committee about the impact of the bill on South Carolina Seniors in a hearing on May 2.

Medicare Part D Enrollment Deadline May 15:
Counseling and assistance still available for people who need to sign up

(Columbia, S.C.) With the initial enrollment period for the Medicare drug benefit set to end in a little over a week, the months-long public education campaign promoting access to the drug plans involving federal, state and local government agencies, non-profit organizations, community volunteers and the pharmacy industry seems to have worked in South Carolina. The latest figures from the federal government estimate that over 72% of the approximately 656,000 Medicare-eligible individuals in the state are now insured against the cost of prescription drugs. Those remaining individuals who were eligible to sign up for coverage beginning this past November still have until May 15 to enroll at the lowest monthly premium cost. [more]

County-by-county enrollment data for Medicare Part is available from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (scroll to the middle of the page and click on the "County Enrollment Data" link to download the Excel spreadsheet.

Help with enrollmet and questions about Part D benefits will continue to be available up to and beyond the May 15 deadline. I-CARE insurance counselors in the State Office on Aging can be reached by dialing 1-800-868-9095 (734-9900 in the Columbia area) or by contacting the Area Agency on Aging that serves your home county.

Appalachia AAA; Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, and Spartanburg: (864) 242-9733
Upper Savannah AAA; Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, and Saluda: (864) 941-8061 or (800) 922-7729
Catawba AAA; Chester, Lancaster, York, & Union: (803) 329-9670
Central Midlands AAA; Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, and Richland: (803) 376-5390
Lower Savannah AAA; Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, and Orangeburg: (803) 649-7981
Santee Lynches AAA; Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee, and Sumter: (803) 775-7981 or (800) 948-1042
Pee Dee AAA; Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion, and Marlboro: (843) 383-8632
Waccamaw AAA; Georgetown, Horry, and Williamsburg: (843) 546-4231
Trident AAA; Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester: (843) 554-2275
Lowcountry AAA; Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper: (843) 726-5536

Savvy Businesses Realizing Economic Opportunities Abound in Marketing to Seniors

More and more attention is being paid to the tremendous economic force that the coming senior boom represents, as businesses and savvy marketers and advertisers begin looking towards the baby boomers as a source of potential profits. Mining the Golden Years, an article published recently by Businessweek online, takes a look at the demographics driving this awareness.

2006 Medicare Trustees Report Released

From the Overview:

The Medicare Program is the second-largest social insurance program in the U.S., with 42.5 million beneficiaries and total expenditures of $330 billion in 2005. The Boards of Trustees for Medicare (also Boards) report annually to the Congress on the financial operations and actuarial status of the program. Beginning in 2002, there is one combined report discussing both the Hospital Insurance program (Medicare Part A) and the Supplementary Medical Insurance program (Medicare Part B and Prescription Drug Coverage). The Office of the Actuary in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) prepares the report under the direction of the Boards.

Download the complete report from the CMS website.

For a contrasting take on the state of the Medicare program, the conservative think tank The American Enterprise Institute recently released a report that takes issue with the notion that Medicare is headed for a financial crisis. The AEI report, is also availble for dowload from their web site.

University of Pittsburgh Study Confirms Link Between Moderate Exercise and Positive Health Outcomes

PITTSBURGH, May 2 – Walking fitness makes a significant difference in predicting the likelihood of future disability in the elderly, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) and their collaborators found that the ability to walk 400-meters, or about a quarter mile, was an important determinant not only of whether elderly participants would be alive six years later but also how much illness and disability they would experience within that time frame.

"The ability to complete this walk was a powerful predictor of health outcomes. In fact, we found that the people who could not complete the walk were at an extremely high risk of later disability and death," said lead author, Anne B. Newman, M.D., M.P.H., professor of epidemiology at GSPH and professor of medicine in the department of medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

The complete press release on the UP-GSPH study can be found on the eurekaalert.org web site.

The University of Pittsburgh Institute on Aging is a comprehensive resource providing expertise and information on aging and geriatric care for seniors, caregivers, educators, students and health care professionals. Learn more about the Institute on Aging by visiting www.aging.upmc.com.

Lt. Governor Bauer Addresses Congressional Committee on Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act

(Washington D.C.) Testifying today before members of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Select Education, including South Carolina's Fourth District Representative Bob Inglis, Lt. Governor André Bauer encouraged members of Congress to add new provisions to the federal Older Americans Act designed to give more choices to seniors served by the act and more flexibility to local providers who deliver the services funded through the Act.

In his verbal testimony, Lt. Governor Bauer talked about innovative programs and initiatives that the State Aging Office and local Aging programs in South Carolina are undertaking to prepare the state for a future in which seniors will make up a larger percentage of our population than ever before. Those initiatives include the creation of the "Senior Cube" research database, a joint project between the Office on Aging, the State Office of Research and Statistics and the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health funded by a grant from the Duke Endowment.

"I said South Carolina was building for the future by positioning for the senior boom. We believe technology, data and research can allow us to make evidence-based decisions to give us the best results as we invest our scarce tax dollars," Bauer told the assembled Congressmen. "South Carolina may be unique in its creation of a senior data cube, which links together large data bases so they may be cross referenced. We are early in this process, and have been helped, as always, by creating partnerships and being alert to private sector and foundation funding. Preliminary conclusions are showing a direct correlation between the intensity of OAA services and the avoidance of hospital ER use and in-patient admissions. "

Created in 1965, the Older Americans Act coordinates and funds services such as transportation, nutrition programs and referral to home care, health, and other social services. The reauthorization of the Act, dubbed "The Senior Independence Act of 2006," aims to strengthen the act in order to meet the needs of the baby boom generation, whose members began turning 60 this year. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by the year 2050, persons over age 65 will reach nearly 90 million and comprise almost a quarter of the total U.S. population.  This trend makes a renewal of the Older Americans Act all the more important.

A complete copy of Lt. Governor Bauer's written testimony as submitted to the House Committee is available here in PDF format.

After the hearing, the House Committee on Education issued a press release highlighting Lt. Governor Baur's comments.

View a short (5:45 min.) video of Lt. Governor Bauer's remarks before the Congressional Committee.

The Search Is On for America's Oldest Worker for 2006

Experience Works, the nation’s largest training and employment organization for mature workers, has launched its annual search for America’s Oldest Worker and for Outstanding Older Workers in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.  The recognition program is part of Experience Works’ national effort to raise awareness of the contributions made by older individuals and to break down barriers associated with the hiring of older workers.  All of the outstanding older workers will attend Experience Works Prime Time Awards week in Washington, D.C., in September where America’s Oldest Worker will be announced. 

“By highlighting the successes of outstanding seniors from across the country, the Prime Time Awards are meant to inspire employers and all Americans to help open the doors of opportunity for thousands of older Americans who want, and need to work,” said Martin Rome, vice president of communications for Experience Works. 

To be considered, applicants must work a minimum of 20 hours a week in paid employment, and be willing to travel to Washington, D.C., in September to participate in the Prime Time Awards events.  Applicants or the person nominating them must complete an application and submit it prior to the deadline of May 31st.  Outstanding older workers from each state are chosen by a selection committee.  The older worker with the earliest birth date who meets all the criteria will be honored as America’s Oldest Worker.  To nominate someone online or to access a printed nomination form, go to www.experienceworks.org. 

In 2005, 100-year-old Dwight Hauff, owner of Hauff Sporting Goods in Sioux City, Iowa, was named America’s Oldest Worker.  All of the past America’s Oldest Workers have been more than 100 years old and working almost full time at their professions.  Biographies and photos of the outstanding workers from 2005 are available on the Experience Works Web site.

Experience Works is a national, nonprofit organization that provides training and employment services for mature workers.  Established in 1965 as Green Thumb, and renamed Experience Works in 2002, the organization reaches more than 125,000 mature individuals in all 50 states and Puerto Rico each year. 

Contact: Martin Rome, 1-866-397-9757 or martin_rome@experienceworks.org