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**AoA Update**-See also:**BackIssues**

**Volume 2 Issue 10- Administration on Aging - October-November1997**

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#### Takamura Named ASAAoA Joins Fight Against Breast CancerAoA Announces OAM Theme for 1998 Search Is on for Oldest Worker AoA Cites Need for Health Care Ombudsmen November Weeks Honor Caregivers National Home Care Aide Week Honors Paraprofessionals andVolunteers Region VIII Issues Internet Resources AoA and China Delegation Agree on Mutual Cooperation Masthead

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**Takamura Named ASA**

Dr. Jeanette C. Takamura's nomination as the new Assistant Secretary for Aging (ASA)was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 6. Dr. Takamura has extensive experience inthe fields of aging and health. 

She served as head of the Hawaii Executive Office on Aging from 1987 to 1994 and sincethen has held the post of deputy secretary of health for the Hawaii Department of Health.As head of the Hawaii Office on Aging, Dr. Takamura developed multi-generational consumereducation and empowerment programs, as well as long-term care, Alzheimer's disease, andpreretirement and life planning programs. 

Dr. Takamura also served as assistant professor and coordinator of gerontology projectsat the University of Hawaii School of Social Work. She was a member of the NationalAdvisory Committee for the 1995 White House Conference on Aging, and on the board ofdirectors for the National Association of State Units on Aging and the American Society onAging. 

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****AOA JOINS FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CA**NCER******

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### $300,000 in Grants Awarded During Breast Cancer Awareness Month 

During this October's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, William F. Benson, ActingPrincipal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging, announced three grants totaling $300,000which focus on outreach to older under-served women, including Native Americans. Thegrants, awarded to national aging organizations, are designed to increase older women'sawareness of breast cancer and encourage them to have mammograms. 

The three grants were made available through the Federal Coordinating Committee onBreast Cancer and the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Women's Health.The grants are part of the Administration's overall efforts to respond to the significantthreat posed by breast cancer. 

President Bill Clinton designated October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month ina Presidential Proclamation which called on the country to "reaffirm our nationalcommitment to eradicate it." 

The President said that in this decade alone, nearly a half million women will die ofthe disease and more than 1.5 million new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed. 

The President cited the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer, spearheaded by the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services, as the Administration's major effort to identifythe causes of the disease, improve early detection of breast cancer, and find bettercures. 

In 1995, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton launched a campaign, highlighted at theWhite House Conference on Aging, urging older women to obtain mammograms, and to promotethe use of Medicare coverage for mammography. This year, President Clinton proposed, andCongress adopted, the expansion of Medicare coverage which will help pay for annualmammograms for all Medicare beneficiaries age 40 and over. The new benefit will beavailable starting January 1, 1998. 

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause ofcancer deaths among American women. There is no proven way to prevent breast cancer, soearly detection, through mammography and clinical breast exams, is essential. For women,aged 50-69, regular mammograms can reduce the chance of death from breast cancer by onethird or more. 

In announcing the awards, Benson said that, "These projects will emphasize thenational aging network's capacity to reach out to older women, in particular those most atrisk, and urge them to become more actively aware of the need to get a mammogram andbecome more involved in their own self-care." 

A grant of $150,000 was awarded to The Long-Term Care Resource Center of the NationalAssociation of State Units on Aging in Washington, D.C. The project will work with stateand territorial agencies on aging which administer home and community-based care systemsto introduce breast cancer outreach and education into several key aging servicesprograms, including information and assistance, congregate and home-delivered meals, adultday care, case management and homemaker/chore services. The project also will coordinatewith the multi-city pilot outreach projects on mammography being conducted by the HealthCare Financing Administration. 

Grants of $75,000 each were awarded to the Native Elder Health Resource Center at theUniversity of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver and the National Resource Centeron Native American Aging at the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks. 

The Colorado project includes implementing a coordinated education and disseminationplan to address the root causes of the differences in breast cancer morbidity andmortality rates that affect older American Indian and Alaskan Native women compared to thegeneral population. 

The Center will augment its internet-based telecommunications effort to disseminateeducational materials to key providers, planners, administrators, and policy makers and toNative American urban, rural, and reservation communities. 

The North Dakota project also will implement a coordinated education plan and pursue anationwide program of "train the trainer" instruction. It will disseminateculturally-appropriate materials in collaboration with the National Indian Council onAging, the National Title VI Directors organization, the Recruitment and Retention ofAmerican Indians Into Nursing Programs (RAIN), and direct service programs serving urbanand reservation locations. The RAIN also will carry out four demonstration projects todetermine the most effective methods for developing awareness. 

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### AoA Announces OAM Theme for 1998

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The theme for next year's Older Americans Month, to be celebrated in May, is"Living Longer, Growing Stronger in America." The theme emphasizes the fact thatpresent and future generations of older Americans will enjoy longer, healthier and fullerlives thanks to their own lifestyle changes and the many medical and other technologicaladvances that are improving our health and supporting increased independence as we growolder. 

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### Search Is on for Oldest Worker 

The AoA is serving as the federal cosponsor with the Employment and TrainingAdministration of the U.S. Department of Labor in a national effort to find the nation'soldest worker. Green Thumb, Inc., a national sponsor of the Title V Senior CommunityService Employment Program, launched its first annual search for the oldest worker inAmerica in October. 

Workers may enter themselves or be nominated. Entrants must work a minimum of 20 paidhours a week. The deadline for entries is December 30, 1997. To enter, please submit, on apost card or note, the entrant's name; day, month, and year of birth; home telephonenumber and address; the entrant's position or title; employer's name, address, andtelephone number; name of supervisor; and number of hours worked per week; and mail to: 

Green Thumb, Inc. Oldest Worker 2000 North 14th St. Suite 800 Arlington, VA 22201 

Entrants will receive certificates recognizing their long productivity; those 90 andolder will receive a 90-minute prepaid long distance calling card compliments of MCI. Theoldest worker in each state will be recognized within his or her respective state. 

The national winner will be honored in March at the Prime Time Awards and Gala inWashington, D.C., which will be preceded by a week of events celebrating National OlderWorkers Employment Week. 

Further information is available from: 

Alice Ann Toole Director of Public Affairs Green Thumb, Inc.Telephone: (703) 522-7272 E-mail: [email protected]

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### AoA Cites Need for Health Care Ombudsmen 

In remarks made before the Consumer Advisory Council of the American Association ofHealth Plans, William F. Benson called for health care ombudsmen/counselor demonstrationprojects to test different approaches that would educate and empower consumers, and helpthem with their specific problems in various health care settings, including managed care.Benson said that, "Today, older persons not only experience the need for assistancein long-term care facilities, but they face a bewildering array of decisions regardingtheir health care--how to best plan for it; who should provide it; and how to pay forit." 

"These choices," he said, "are complicated by the rapid growth ofmanaged care alternatives. There is a pressing need for better information, counseling,guidance, protection, and empowerment as vulnerable older and disabled persons make hardchoices about what is for most an all-important matter--effective and affordable healthcare." 

Benson went on to say that the demonstration projects would build on the existing agingnetwork and help to fill the void which health care beneficiaries and their families nowface in trying to make appropriate choices to meet their individual situations. 

"Vulnerable populations have the most to lose under inappropriate health carechoices and are particularly in need of information, assistance and advocacy support. Thisdemonstration project would support and underscore the mission of the Older Americans Actto ensure that older persons are empowered to make the most appropriate choices to meettheir health care needs and that adequate consumer education and protection mechanisms arein place," he concluded. 

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### November Weeks Honor Caregivers 

November 24-30 has traditionally been celebrated as National Family Caregivers Week.The week honors the nation's more than 22 million caregivers who assist those 5 millionolder family members and friends who need help to remain in their homes and communities. 

Caregivers' efforts greatly reduce the demands on formal systems of services, andenhance the quality of life of older persons. A growing number of elderly are remaining intheir homes and communities thanks to the efforts of caregivers who provide some 80percent of all the care and help they need. 

Today, nearly one in four households is involved in caring for an older relative,friend, or neighbor, providing assistance from personal care and household help totransportation and finances. This is a three-fold increase in the number of familiesinvolved in caregiving from a decade ago. Caregivers give not only their time but theirmoney as well, spending some $2 billion a month from their own assets for groceries,medicine and other aid to elderly relatives. 

While disability rates among older Americans are falling dramatically, and thereduction in disability is gaining momentum, the growing number of Americans 85 and oldermeans that there will be a continuing and, indeed, growing need for the services andsupports that help many older Americans and their caregivers to continue to share theirlives in the homes and communities where they want to be. 

This is also a time to honor the many older Americans who care for nearly 1.3 millionchildren, including those who are disabled. Since 1993, there has been a 27 percentincrease in the number of children being raised by their older relatives. Without theircare, millions of children would be denied the opportunity to grow up in stable homes andcommunities. 

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### National Home Care Aide Week Honors Paraprofessionals andVolunteers 

This November also marks National Home Care Aide Week held November 9-15. This is thefirst time that the week has been celebrated. In prior years, November 15 was designatedas National Home Care Aide day by the Home Care Aide Association of America and its parentorganization, the National Association for Home Care, the world's reportedly largestorganization representing home care, hospice, and health care agency services. 

This year's theme is "Celebrating the Heroes of Caring" and honorsparaprofessional staffs of home care agencies as well as volunteer home care aides. 

The increasing demand for home care services has made the industry one of the fastestgrowing employers in the nation. According to the Department of Labor's Bureau of LaborStatistics (BLS), home health aide and home care aide positions are the fastest growingoccupations in the health care industry. The BLS predicts that the number of home healthcare workers will increase from 420,000 in 1994 to 848,000 in 2005, and that the number ofhome care aides will increase from 179,000 to 391,000 by 2005. 

Deborah McNeal Arrindell, Executive Director of the Home Care Aide Association ofAmerica, has called for "consistent federal standards for home care aide training,competency testing, and supervision." 

Arrindell says that, "Despite significant public funding of home care servicesunder Medicaid, the Older Americans Act, and other federal programs, there is nouniformity in qualifications, training, or supervisory standards for home care workersamong the various programs. Even though the Medicare program requires supervision andcompetency testing of home health aides, the training requirement falls short of therequirement imposed in skilled nursing facilities for nurses aides." 

Arrindell also called for application of the same competency levels and testing foraides who work in long-term care facilities and in the home, for a federally-fundedprogram of criminal background checks, and a national registry that lists certifiedworkers as well as those who are in violation of the law or standards of care. 

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**Region VIII Issues Internet Resources**

A new report entitled, "Cyberspace Resources on Retirement" was recentlyreleased by the AoA Region VIII office in Denver, Colorado. The report is the result of aconference recently held on "Tools for Retirement: Networking to Tomorrow" whichwas designed to provide train-the-trainers with information about network sites that canprovide baby boomers with information that will help them plan for retirement in terms offinancial independence, health and quality of life. 

The conference and report were the result of a partnership between the Region VIIIoffice, the American Association of Retired Persons, the National Committee to PreserveSocial Security and Medicare, and the Community College of Denver. Copies of the reportcan be ordered from: 

Courtney Tucker Administration on Aging 1961 Stout St. Denver, CO 80294 (303) 844-2951[email protected]

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**AoA and China Delegation Agree on Mutual Cooper**ation****

The AoA and the China National Committee on Ageing (CNCA) have agreed on steps for aplan of binational cooperation. The Agreement was reached following a meeting between theAoA and CNCA in June. (See *AoA Update*, July 1997.) 

Both nations are experiencing growth in their older populations which will have a majorimpact on the economic, social and cultural aspects of their societies. In China, 8million people are over age 80 and life expectancy is over age 70. By the end of thiscentury, it is estimated that the elderly will increase to 130 million--around 10 percentof the total population, marking China's entry into the so-called "agingsociety." In the U.S., the population over 60 has reached 77 million, or 16.5 percentof the total population. By 2030, there will be some 88 million older people, or a quarterof the total population. 

Under the agreement, the AoA and the CNCA will exchange information concerning: - policies, legislation, infrastructure and services regarding the elderly, 
- publications and related materials, and 
- relevant national and international conferences. 

They also will assist in arranging mutual visits for visiting scholars andprofessionals in the field of aging. 

In addition, the AoA and the CNCA agreed that AoA will: - facilitate linking the CNCA with appropriate research institutes, 
- provide the CNCA with information to help it develop its Home Page on the Internet, and 
- provide the CNCA with information about its Sister City Initiative and continue    discussions about an aging-related sister city exchange with China. 

Participants also discussed the possibility of a future workshop on family andcommunity-based services, since both the U.S. and China are interested and involved inusing these resources to enable older persons to live independently in their own homes andcommunities.
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AoA Update

**Jeanette C. Takamura**Assistant Secretary for Aging

**Judy Satine**Director, Executive Secretariat

**June B. Faris**Editor

**AoA Update**Administration on AgingU.S. Department of Health & Human ServicesWashington, DC 20201(202) 619-0724TDD: (202) 401-7575 FAX: (202) 260-1012E-mail: [email protected]Internet Web Site: http://WWW.AoA.DHHS.Gov
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