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Valerie Hagan is health programs coordinator at the Alliance for Aging Research. She is responsible for assisting with background research, development, design and production of age-related educational materials for consumers and health care audiences. Prior to joining the Alliance, she was the cancer education coordinator at the Calvert County Maryland Health Department. At the health department, she developed and implemented various educational activities related to cancer awareness in at-risk populations, and also coordinated patient care for the colon cancer grant program targeting uninsured county residents. She has held several research assistant positions in the fields of health, psychology and ecology. Valerie holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park.


As the Silver Tsunami approaches, more and more families will be faced with the choice of staying at home and caring for their loved one or finding outside assistance. The uBOT-5 from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst may be available to help.

Posted in: Research at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)
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One frightening reality Alzheimer's caregivers face is the potential for a loved one to wander and not be able to find their way home. A new idea has emerged--an Amber Alert system for the elderly, appropriately called Silver Alert.

Posted in: Caregiving at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)
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Two studies have been published recently that talk about depression—but not as a stand-alone diagnosis. They discuss both heart disease and diabetes and the high comorbidity of depression.

Posted in: Health, Quality of Life at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
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Misconceptions about aortic stenosis can be deadly. About 4% of older Americans have been diagnosed with aortic stenosis, and in a recent Alliance survey, relatively few general practice physicians reported feeling confident when diagnosing and recommending treatment for the disease. Most general practitioners and geriatricians choose to refer their patients to a cardiologist instead of diagnosing or treating patients themselves.

Posted in: Health, Quality of Life at 01:00 PM | Comments (0)
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A couple weeks ago, NBC, ABC, and CBS aired a special entitled Stand Up To Cancer. Stand Up To Cancer is a charitable services fund of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, and its purpose is to raise funds for what the campaign founders call “dream teams” of interdisciplinary and multi-institutional researchers. The founders believe that the scientific knowledge to beat cancer is there, but funding is preventing advancement from occurring.

Posted in: Health, Medical Innovation, Research at 10:45 AM | Comments (1)
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About 10 million of the almost 45 million caregivers in the United States care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Most of these caregivers are not prepared for their new role, which takes a toll on their mental and physical health. Furthermore, Alzheimer’s disease is often called a “family disease,” because the daily stress of watching a loved one slowly decline affects the whole family.

Posted in: Caregiving, Quality of Life at 11:00 AM | Comments (1)
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