Increased rates of hospitalization linked to elder abuse, Rush researchers find

Public release date: 8-Apr-2013
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Contact: Deb Song
deb_song@rush.edu
312-942-0588
Rush University Medical Center

First study to examine relationship between elder abuse and health services utilization

(CHICAGO) Older adults who are subject to elder abuse, neglect and exploitation face a greater risk of being hospitalized than other seniors, according to the results of a study published in the April 8 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.

"Elder abuse is independently associated with increased mortality risk, especially for cardiovascular related mortality. However, the relationship between elder abuse and health services utilization still remains unclear," said Dr. XinQi Dong, a researcher and geriatrician at Rush University Medical Center and the study's lead author. "Despite recent advances in our knowledge of elder abuse, we do not know the rate of health care services utilization among those who are victimized."

"Hospitalization is a significant contributor to the rapidly increasing cost in our health care system," said Dong. "Older adult victims may be put often in situations that could threaten their health and safety, which further increase their likelihood to be more frequently admitted into the hospital. However, we are not aware of any population-based study that has examined the prospective association between elder abuse and the rate of hospitalization in a community-dwelling population."

"Our study findings expand on the results of prior studies on elder abuse, but it is the only population-based study to systematically examine the association of elder abuse and rate of hospital services utilization," said Dong.

Of the 6,674 community-dwelling older adults who participated in the Chicago Health and Aging Project, researchers identified 106 participants who were identified by social services agencies for elder abuse between 1993-2010.

Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP) is a community-based longitudinal study of risk factors for Alzheimer's disease among older adults aged 65 and over, which began in 1993. Participants include residents of three adjacent neighborhoods on the South side of Chicago and are followed every three years.

The outcome of interest was the annual rate of hospitalization obtained from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The study results indicate an unadjusted mean annual rate of hospitalization for those without elder abuse was 0.62 and for with reported elder abuse was 1.97 hospital admissions per year.

After adjusting for socio-demographic, socioeconomic variables, medical co-morbidities, cognitive and physical function, as well as psychological and social well being, reported elder abuse had independent higher rates of hospitalization of a rate ratio of 2.00.

Researchers found that the psychological abuse rate ratio (2.22), financial exploitation (1.75), caregiver neglect (2.43), and two more types of elder abuse (2.59) were independently associated with increased rates of hospitalization.

The mean age of those with reported elder abuse was 72.9 years. Those with reported elder abuse were more likely to be women (72 percent), black older adults (89 percent) and have lower levels of education and income.

"Elder abuse is a serious, common and under-recognized public health and human rights issue," said Dong.

According to Dong, the field of elder abuse is estimated to have lagged more than 20 years behind that of child abuse or intimate partner violence.

It is estimated that one out of 10 older adults experience some forms of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation in the United States each year.

"Given the soaring cost of health care in this country, the results my help health care providers focus on clinical screening, prevention and intervention of elder abuse cases in order to devise targeted strategies to reduce unnecessary utilization of health services." said Dong.

"With the rapidly growing aged population in this country, problems of elder abuse will likely become even more pervasive, affecting our family, friends and loved ones," Dong said. "We hope our study will help advocate for additional research and resources, as well as national policy initiatives, to improve the health and well-being of this vulnerable population."

###

Dr. Dong's research is funded by the National Institute on Aging, National Institute for Minority and Health Disparity, the Paul B. Beeson Research in Aging Program the American Federation for Aging Research, the Starr Foundation, the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Atlantic Philanthropies.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 8-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Deb Song
deb_song@rush.edu
312-942-0588
Rush University Medical Center

First study to examine relationship between elder abuse and health services utilization

(CHICAGO) Older adults who are subject to elder abuse, neglect and exploitation face a greater risk of being hospitalized than other seniors, according to the results of a study published in the April 8 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.

"Elder abuse is independently associated with increased mortality risk, especially for cardiovascular related mortality. However, the relationship between elder abuse and health services utilization still remains unclear," said Dr. XinQi Dong, a researcher and geriatrician at Rush University Medical Center and the study's lead author. "Despite recent advances in our knowledge of elder abuse, we do not know the rate of health care services utilization among those who are victimized."

"Hospitalization is a significant contributor to the rapidly increasing cost in our health care system," said Dong. "Older adult victims may be put often in situations that could threaten their health and safety, which further increase their likelihood to be more frequently admitted into the hospital. However, we are not aware of any population-based study that has examined the prospective association between elder abuse and the rate of hospitalization in a community-dwelling population."

"Our study findings expand on the results of prior studies on elder abuse, but it is the only population-based study to systematically examine the association of elder abuse and rate of hospital services utilization," said Dong.

Of the 6,674 community-dwelling older adults who participated in the Chicago Health and Aging Project, researchers identified 106 participants who were identified by social services agencies for elder abuse between 1993-2010.

Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP) is a community-based longitudinal study of risk factors for Alzheimer's disease among older adults aged 65 and over, which began in 1993. Participants include residents of three adjacent neighborhoods on the South side of Chicago and are followed every three years.

The outcome of interest was the annual rate of hospitalization obtained from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The study results indicate an unadjusted mean annual rate of hospitalization for those without elder abuse was 0.62 and for with reported elder abuse was 1.97 hospital admissions per year.

After adjusting for socio-demographic, socioeconomic variables, medical co-morbidities, cognitive and physical function, as well as psychological and social well being, reported elder abuse had independent higher rates of hospitalization of a rate ratio of 2.00.

Researchers found that the psychological abuse rate ratio (2.22), financial exploitation (1.75), caregiver neglect (2.43), and two more types of elder abuse (2.59) were independently associated with increased rates of hospitalization.

The mean age of those with reported elder abuse was 72.9 years. Those with reported elder abuse were more likely to be women (72 percent), black older adults (89 percent) and have lower levels of education and income.

"Elder abuse is a serious, common and under-recognized public health and human rights issue," said Dong.

According to Dong, the field of elder abuse is estimated to have lagged more than 20 years behind that of child abuse or intimate partner violence.

It is estimated that one out of 10 older adults experience some forms of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation in the United States each year.

"Given the soaring cost of health care in this country, the results my help health care providers focus on clinical screening, prevention and intervention of elder abuse cases in order to devise targeted strategies to reduce unnecessary utilization of health services." said Dong.

"With the rapidly growing aged population in this country, problems of elder abuse will likely become even more pervasive, affecting our family, friends and loved ones," Dong said. "We hope our study will help advocate for additional research and resources, as well as national policy initiatives, to improve the health and well-being of this vulnerable population."

###

Dr. Dong's research is funded by the National Institute on Aging, National Institute for Minority and Health Disparity, the Paul B. Beeson Research in Aging Program the American Federation for Aging Research, the Starr Foundation, the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Atlantic Philanthropies.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/rumc-iro040813.php

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Three people shot and killed at Idaho pit bull business

By Laura Zuckerman

SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - Three people were shot to death in a rural Idaho house where a man and his son were breeding pit bulls, police said on Saturday, adding that they found two small children and up to 70 dogs on the property.

Deputies arriving at the residence in Holbrook, Idaho, near the Utah state line, on Friday found Brent Christensen, 61, his son Trent Christensen, 32 and Yavette Carter, 27, dead of gunshot wounds, Oneida County Sheriff Jeff Semrad said.

Semrad said Carter, who was Trent Christensen's girlfriend, was still holding her unharmed 2-month-old baby. Also found in the home was a 2-year-old child.

"The infant was located under the arm of her mother, Yavette, as she was protecting the baby," Semrad said in the statement. "The children are safe and are with family at this time."

The triple slaying, which is thought to have happened Thursday afternoon or evening, left the children stranded with the bodies and as many as 70 caged or fenced pit bulls for as long as a day, Semrad said.

It was believed to be the first murder case ever in the sparsely populated rural area settled more than a century ago by Mormon pioneers, he said.

A man who went to the house to buy a dog told authorities about the deaths on Friday afternoon, Semrad said, adding that the animals were probably being bred for dog fighting.

Deputies also found a marijuana-growing operation in the basement of the home.

Investigators from Oneida and neighboring counties and the Idaho State Police have uncovered evidence that suggests the shootings stemmed from "some type of relationship between the perpetrator and the victims," Semrad said.

The sheriff is looking to interview anyone who attended an Easter party last Sunday at the home.

He said authorities also are seeking the drivers of two trailerless semi trucks, one blue with white block-style lettering and the other red, seen at the residence in recent days.

"(The drivers) are not suspects but may have information that would be helpful to the investigation," the sheriff said.

(Editing by Nick Carey and Dan Whitcomb and Xavier Briand)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/three-people-shot-killed-idaho-pit-bull-business-233218633.html

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South Korea backs off statement about possible missile launch from North

By Daniel Arkin and John Newland, NBC News

South Korea's defense ministry on Monday backed away from an official's Sunday statement that North Korea may launch a missile by Wednesday, at which time the North had said it could not guarantee the safety of diplomats in the capital of Pyongyang.

The official?s warning came three days after South Korea?s government said that the North had moved at least one medium-range Musudan missile with ?considerable range? to the nation?s eastern border, possibly to perform a test launch. The?missile has an estimated range of up to 2,490 miles, which would make it capable of striking American bases in Guam.

?We?re thoroughly preparing for this, leaving all possibilities open,? said Kim Jang-Soo, South Korea?s national security chief, adding that the North's likely goal is to wrench concessions from Seoul and Washington.

But on Monday, South Korea's defense ministry said the movement of vehicles and personnel near North Korea's nuclear test site -- picked up on satellite images -- appeared to be normal activity, refuting speculation that the latest actions point to an imminent atomic test, Yonhap news agency reported.

Escalating tensions between the nuclear-armed North and U.S.-aligned South also forced South Korea?s Joint Chiefs of Staff to announce Sunday that the body?s chairman had delayed a visit to Washington, according to The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military said that a top commander in South Korea had also put off a trip to Washington and that the Pentagon had postponed an intercontinental ballistic missile test slated for next week.

The test was "long planned and was never associated with North Korea to begin with," a senior defense official official said, but added that "given recent tensions on the Korean Peninsula, it's prudent and wise to take steps that avoid any misperception or chance of manipulation, so the test has been postponed."

The test was planned for next week at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It would have tested the Minuteman 3 ICBM missile, which has a range of about 8,000 miles, although the exact number is classified.

The weekend developments followed the North Korean military?s ominous warning last Thursday that it had been authorized to attack the U.S. using ?smaller, lighter and diversified? nuclear weapons ? the latest in a series of threats of war against the U.S. since the United Nations imposed tough sanctions in response to the North's third nuclear test in February.

?The moment of explosion is approaching fast,? the North Korean military said in a statement from an unidentified spokesperson.

?No one can say a war will break out in Korea or not and whether it will break out today or tomorrow,? the Thursday statement said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said last Wednesday that North Korea?s provocations represent ?a real and clear danger and threat? to domestic security and U.S. interests.

?We are doing everything we can ... to defuse that situation on the peninsula,? Hagel said after delivering a speech at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C.

North Korea has encouraged foreign ambassadors in the capital of Pyongyang to evacuate the country in order to avoid potential hostilities, according to various diplomatic officials.

But South Korea's Kim Jang-Soo suggested to reporters that the North?s warning to diplomats is likely just an attempt to heighten security fears and extract concessions from South Korea and the U.S.

Top embassies, likewise, have appeared to see the North's message as mere rhetoric, according to The Associated Press.

The roughly two dozen countries with embassies in North Korea had not yet announced whether they would evacuate their staffs, the AP reported.

Washington and Seoul want Pyongyang to resume the six-party nuclear talks that it halted in 2009. China, Russia, and Japan were the other key players in the aborted talks.

NBC News' Courtney Kube and Becky Bratu contributed to this report.

This story was originally published on Sun Apr 7, 2013 12:31 PM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a745474/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C0A70C1764120A50Esouth0Ekorea0Ebacks0Eoff0Estatement0Eabout0Epossible0Emissile0Elaunch0Efrom0Enorth0Dlite/story01.htm

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Move Over, Apple and Google: Apperating Systems Are Taking Over Your Phones

Last week’s Facebook announcement was not much of a surprise. Everyone knew Zuck & Co. were out to invade Android, offering big, blue and white thumbs to stamp on every aspect of a user’s mobile experience. Sure, Chatheads are neat, ...

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/04/rise-of-apperating-systems/

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Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/5-tons-of-nutella-stolen-in-germany/

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Deadliest submarine disaster in U.S. remembered

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) ? Family and friends who lost loved ones when the USS Thresher sank 50 years ago joined in tossing wreaths into the water Saturday in an emotional service in remembrance of the 129 Navy crew members and civilian technicians who lost their lives in the deadliest submarine disaster in U.S. history.

Hundreds gathered for the memorial service at Portsmouth High School that concluded with a small group tossing three wreaths into the Piscataqua River. During the service, a bell tolled 129 times.

The event, along with the dedication of a flagpole Sunday in Kittery, Maine, aims to call attention to the tragedy 220 miles off Cape Cod, which became the impetus for submarine safety improvements.

Vice Adm. Michael Connor, commander of the Navy's submarine forces, acknowledged Saturday that the safety upgrades came at a steep cost to Thresher families.

"I've talked a lot about the good that comes from the Thresher and the Thresher's loss, but that's probably not a consolation to the families who've lost a father or a son," Connor told a packed high school auditorium.

The USS Thresher, built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and based in Connecticut, was out for a routine deep-diving test when it ran into trouble on April 10, 1963.

The Navy believes the failure of a brazed weld allowed sea water to spray onto an electrical panel, causing an emergency shutdown of the sub's nuclear reactor. The ballast system also failed, preventing the sub from surfacing.

Filling with water, Thresher descended deeper and disintegrated under the crushing force of the ocean. Its remnants rest on the ocean floor at a depth of 8,500 feet.

Don Wise Jr., 59, of Plaistow, N.H., who lost his dad, said the Thresher crew members were doing something special, serving on what was a technological marvel, the Navy's fastest and deepest-diving nuclear submarine.

"They were going deeper and faster than anyone. I always considered my dad a hero and an adventurer," Wise said Saturday. "These memorials are how I connect my children and grandchildren with my dad."

Former Thresher crew member Frank DeStefano, 79, of Orange Park, Fla., said he owed his life to a three-day assignment to Washington that took him away from the submarine during the fateful sea trials.

He said he's happy to see that annual memorial events provide an outlet for families and friends to grieve.

"The only good part about these memorials is that we can help those who were really affected, like the families," DeStefano said. "And it's great to see the children that have come along."

Lynne Lawrence, of Alexandria, Va., whose father, Richard DesJardins, was one of the civilian technicians who died, attended the service with two siblings.

In a recent interview, she described her father as a fun-loving, busy engineer, and said she was sad he didn't get to see his children become adults or meet his grandchildren.

"It's a profound loss that affects you forever, but you grow from it and move on," she said. "Because you don't really have any other choice."

After the ceremony, a rifle team fired shots as the wreaths ? one each for Navy personnel and civilian technicians who died, and one for previous Thresher crew members ? were tossed into the river.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/deadliest-submarine-disaster-us-remembered-211053180.html

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Israel to return to annual budgets after 2014

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid decided on Sunday to revert to annual budgets after 2014, rather than the two-year budgets of recent years, because forecasting is more accurate over the shorter time frame, the ministry said.

Lapid, the new finance minister, made the decision in coordination with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Building an economic working plan annually enables a reduction in the margin for error between the forecasts for government tax revenue and domestic and global economic processes and actually realizing them," Lapid said in a statement.

The minister said the large gap between two-year forecasts and how much the government actually collects in taxes had led to the current large budget deficit.

"The minister decided to submit a budget now for the rest of 2013 and all of 2014 to enable the government to immediately tackle the large deficit and implement structural changes that will encourage economic growth," the ministry said.

Israel enacted two-year budgets in 2009-2010 and 2011-2012.

Less than a year ago, the previous government under Netanyahu decided to implement two-year budgets in Israel on a regular basis, though this was never voted on by parliament.

Because of a general election held in January, a budget for 2013 has not yet been passed.

Lapid said last week he would take the tough decisions needed to bring the state's fiscal deficit-reduction program back on track.

Last year, the budget deficit reached 4.2 percent of gross domestic product, more than double an initial target of 2 percent.

The target for 2013 is 3 percent, but analysts doubt that estimated spending cuts of about 14 billion shekels($3.9 billion) and tax hikes of 6 billion currently planned will be enough to meet that goal.

(Reporting by Tova Cohen; editing by Jane Baird)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-return-annual-budgets-2014-101552564--business.html

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