Faculty in the News

HAP Faculty Partnership Featured on Governor's Aging Initiative Website
To encourage Virginians to plan for their futures, Gov. Timothy Kaine announced last week that Virginia has launched the Own Your Future campaign and Long-Term Care Partnership program. The goal of the long-term care program is to help maximize the independence and functioning of individuals at a time when they are unable to be fully independent.

Virginia's program grew out of the Long-Term Care Partnership Expansion project, initiated by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the Center for Health Care Strategies, a nonprofit organization focused on quality and cost issues surrounding publicly financed health care. HAP faculty Dr. Mark Meiners is part of this team of organizations dedicated to helping more states develop a new public-private approach to long-term health care insurance. The project has provided 10 states seed grants of $50,000 and technical assistance to help them develop a partnership long-term care program. Read more in the Mason Gazette.

HAP Faculty featured on NPR
Andy Carle was interviewed on the NPR show "To The Point" on September 12, 2007. Listen to the Podcast on KCRW's site. Mr. Carle's segment begins at approximately 42:00 minutes.

Two New Publications Accepted for Publication from the Center for Discovery Science and Health Informatics
The Health Informatics area of the Center have produced two articles accepted for publication.

Wojtusiak, J. and Michalski, R. S., "Analyzing Diaries for Analytical Relapse Prevention Using Natural Induction: A Method and Preliminary Results," Quality Management in Health Care, 16, 4, 2007.

Wojtusiak, J., Michalski, R. S., Simanivanh, T. and Baranova, A. V., "The Natural Induction System AQ21 and Its Application to Data Describing Patients with Metabolic Syndrome: Initial Results," Proceedings of the International Conference on Machine Learning and Applications, Cincinnati,OH, 2007.

George Mason University Professor To Address Challenges For Treating People With Chronic Illnesses
George Mason University professor Mark Meiners was recently awarded a $535,000 grant with the San Diego Long-Term Care Integration Project and the University of California San Diego to develop a coordinated approach to chronic care management that advocates team-based care in a health care system that is increasingly fragmented and built to deliver acute care. If the program is successful in San Diego, the research may be used to help develop programs nationwide. Read the full press release.

Mason Professor Lists Top 'Brain Games' for Older Adults
Responding to a study estimating a quadrupling of individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease by 2050, Mason professor Andrew Carle has released a list of the best “brain games” available for those seeking to maximize cognitive function. Read more of this article in the Mason Gazette.

Online Extra: Brain Aerobics
With a boomer turning 60 every seven seconds, gaming companies are targeting an older market. Andrew Carle, assistant professor and director of George Mason University’s Program in Assisted Living/Senior Housing, takes a look at Nintendo’s Brain Age.

Policy Brief: Long-Term Care Partnership Expansion: A New Opportunity for States
The Center for Health Care Strategies, the National Association of State Medicaid Directors and George Mason University are working to inform states about new long-term-care options made available through the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. This brief reviews the origins and structure of the Partnership for Long-Term Care program, and presents design and implementation issues for states’ consideration. Ten states, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, and Virginia will participate in this new Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) initiative. The national effort will help states work with private insurers to create affordable insurance options that protect both consumer assets and minimize the risk to state Medicaid program budgets. For more information, contact Mark Meiners.

Video: Dive Into This Techno-World
In this Video from AARP Bulletin, Andrew Carle talks about how he thinks technology can be used to enhance the lives of older people.

Buying Old-Age Insurance
Dr. Mark Meiners and the Partnership for Long Term Care are featured in this Wall Street Journal article (registraton required). From the article - "Under the partnership program, you buy a private long-term-care policy that has received your state's stamp of approval. If those insurance benefits run out, you can apply for Medicaid to help cover any additional costs -- and keep assets equal in value to the insurance benefits received." The program is available in California, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana and New York. The other states have leeway to start similar programs, and at least 25 are expected to do so in the next few years.

Train your Brain - Alzheimer's Research
Fox News recently aired three video segments on the subject of "Brain Training" featuring Andy Carle. View the clips here:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three

Niche Homes: Aged Care Living to Suit All Tastes
Highlights of Andrew Carle's keynote address at the Aged Care Association Australia’s 25th Annual Congress in Perth, Australia are featured in Insite Newspaper.

Professor Names Top 10 'Nana' Technologies for Seniors
Responding to adult children who may be shocked at the decline in an older parent’s skills noticed during a holiday visit, Andrew Carle, assistant professor and director of Mason’s Program in Assisted Living/Senior Housing, has developed a list of the top 10 “nana” technologies capable of assisting in daily needs. Read more in the Mason Gazette. This information also appears in the January 15, 2007 Edition of Assisted Living Director.

Improving Long-Term Exercise in Older Cardiac Patients
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has awarded $$2,648,390 over four years to investigate how to improve the exercise level of older cardiac patients. Shirley M. Moore, RN, PhD, FAAN, at Case Western Reserve is the Principal Investigator and Farrokh Alemi, Ph.D. from George Mason University is the co-investigator.

Medicare Special Needs Plans: Lessons from Dual-Eligible Demonstrations for CMS, States, Health Plans, and Providers
Presented by Mark R. Meiners, director of the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics at The 59th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, in Dallas, Texas, November 20,2006.

The Long-Term Care Partnership Program: What Role Will It Play in Broader Long-Term Care Policy?
Mark R. Meiners, director of the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics at George Mason University, and an expert on the Partnership program was a panelist  for The Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation sponsored luncheon briefing on Nov 9th.

Team Investigates Strategy for Better Health Services in Local Public Schools
HAP Faculty Dr. PJ Maddox is featured in this article from the November 5, 2006 edition of the Mason Gazette.

Mason Experts Weigh in on Obesity
CHHS Faculty Dr. Farrokh Alemi and Dr. Lisa Pawloski are featured in the October 26, 2006 edition of the Mason Gazette.

Funding Award - September 1, 2006
Congratulations to Dr. P. J. Maddox, Department of Health Administration and Policy, on her funding award to develop a Strategic Plan for School Health Services in Fairfax County.

Nana Tech Aimed at the Elderly - August 9, 2006 USA Today article featuring Andy Carle

Seniors on Campus - July 21, 2006
Andy Carle is interviewed in the radio show "Forum with Michael Krasney" on KQED San Francisco.