Senior Women Web

Joan L. Cannon writes: I can scarcely believe what I recall as the prices of things — like stamps for a first-class letter at three cents. I sometimes wish I were a statistician with the ability to research and do the sums that would tell me whether the prices were the same proportion of ordinary wages as today's prices are to today's ordinary wages. What is 'ordinary?' Something over the equivalent of today's minimum wage? more »

The Pew Trusts has commented on this issue as part of new regulations governing the EHR Incentive Program, asking Medicare & Medicaid Services to ensure that doctors are aware of patients' advance care plans and can easily locate them. Pew also endorsed the recently introduced Personalize Your Care Act 2.0, which includes a provision requiring the secretary of HHS to establish standards for advance care planning documentation in EHRs. Although EHRs have been widely adopted — thanks in large part to financial incentives from the federal government — there is no common place for medical staff to note patients' end-of-life wishes.   Although electronic health records have been widely adopted, there is no common place for medical staff to note patients’ end-of-life wishes. Electronic health records (EHRs) have the potential to dramatically increase physi… more »

Julia Sneden wrote: There are a number of small ceremonies we perform as we see summer out. We put away hot weather clothing and dig out sweaters. We fold up the light blankets for storage, and hang the quilts out to air. My own favorite activity to mark summer's end is one that I discovered during my years as a classroom teacher: finding the caterpillars of Monarch butterflies, bringing them indoors to observe their metamorphoses, and seeing them off on their annual trip south to Mexico for the winter. more »

Researchers at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) recently identified compounds that potentially can be used to inhibit Zika virus replication and reduce its ability to kill brain cells. These compounds now can be studied by the broader research community to help combat the Zika public health crisis. more »