The Consumer Information Catalog Adds New Publications
The winter 2000-01 edition of the Consumer Information Catalog has over 200 publications.  View these and hundreds of other publications online (free) or order your own printed copies ($) at the Federal Consumer Information Center web site.

Older Adults, Health Information and the World Wide Web
The SPRY Foundation and a broad range of government and private organizations are jointly sponsoring a second biennial national conference entitled "Older Adults, Health Information and the World Wide Web. " The Conference will take place at the NIH/ Natcher Center on the campus of NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, February 26 - 28, 2001.

Scientists Begin To Unravel Cause Of Blocked Memory In Alzheimer's
Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences have found that a protein found in patients with Alzheimer's disease can disrupt brain signals and therefore may contribute to the memory losses of Alzheimer's disease.

Experimental Therapy May Lead To Better Multiple Sclerosis Treatment
A new therapy effectively treats a disease similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) in monkeys, and the approach could soon be tested against MS and other autoimmune diseases in humans. 

SeniorSurfers – Computer Training for Seniors by Seniors
Normally we don’t feature for-profit web sites; but we are so intrigued by this model for bringing seniors online, that we had to give them some electronic ink. This California-based company seems to have a complete package that others could emulate. If you know of others, let us know at seniors@ssa.gov.

New Patient Protections Included In Medicaid Managed Care Rule
Americans enrolled in Medicaid managed care plans will have greater patient protections under new regulations that will be published by the Department of Health and Human Services in tomorrow's Federal Register.

Listeria Risk Assessment and Action Plan
HHS/FDA and the USDA/FSIS today released a draft risk assessment of the possible risk of listeriosis from eating certain ready-to-eat foods as well as a plan to reduce the risk of food-borne illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes.

Glaucoma Awareness Month Emphasizes Treatments That Reduce Side Effects, Help Save Vision
January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. The National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) Partnership, coordinated by the National Eye Institute (NEI), is highlighting the medical advances for glaucoma that have been developed during the past five years.

Implementation Guidance to States - Older Americans Act 
Guidance to assist States in implementing the newly reauthorized Older Americans Act (P.L. 106-501).

Older Adults and Mental Health:  Issues and Opportunities - January 2001
This report on the web site of the Administration on Aging highlights major issues in the field of mental health and aging; discusses efforts to address these issues, including community-based services; and identifies the crucial challenges that must be confronted in the years ahead and strategies to meet them. 

National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE)
The one organization devoted exclusively to protecting present and future federal retirement annuities and benefits. Membership is open to those who have worked for any agency of the Federal Government or of the District of Columbia Government. NARFE is not only for retirees. NARFE membership is also open to current employees as well as retirees, former employees, spouses, and surviving spouses of persons eligible to join NARFE.

Medicare+Choice Payments To Increase In 2002
Federal payments to Medicare+Choice managed care organizations are expected to increase in calendar year 2002, with floor counties expected to see increases by as much as 5 percent.

Tax Help Is Here
Visit our special section on Tax Assistance where we’ve gone to the trouble of finding all the tax information available on the Internal Revenue Service web site that pertains to seniors. It’s all collected in one place for your convenience, here on FirstGov for Seniors.

2001 Filing Season Begins; IRS Expands E-Filing, Emphasizes Free Taxpayer Help
From a new paperless e-filing option to expanded customer service features, taxpayers will find more and easier ways to get help from the Internal Revenue Service during this year's tax filing season.

Special Prescription Drug Benefits For Veterans 
Veterans should know about an important prescription drug benefit available from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). A 30-day supply of prescription medications costs only $2 through the VA (disabled or low-income veterans can receive medications for free). The VA web site explains this provision and other services and benefits available to veterans.

Surgeon General Launches Effort To Develop Action Plan To Combat Overweight, Obesity
Surgeon General David Satcher today announced a yearlong effort to develop a national action plan for reducing the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States.

States Can Offer Expanded Health Coverage Under New HHS Medicaid Rule
The Department of Health and Human Services today published new rules in the Federal Register to help enable more low-income Americans with high medical expenses gain health care coverage under the Medicaid program. 

Dept. Agriculture Awards Grants To Help Seniors Buy Fresh Produce
The USDA awarded nearly $15 million in grants to help more than 370,000 low-income seniors buy fresh produce at farmers markets. 

Save on Heating
By using a few inexpensive energy-efficient measures, you can reduce your energy bills by 10% to 50%. The Department of Energy shows you how.

Major Review Of Osteoarthritis - A Complex Disease With New Solutions
A multidisciplinary group of scientists has declared that osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, is "surprisingly complex," but has outlined a number of new approaches to its understanding, prevention and treatment.

HHS Issues Final Rule Addressing Physician Self-Referrals
HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced final regulations addressing self-referrals by physicians.  The final regulations will protect beneficiaries and taxpayers from potentially abusive referral patterns, while making it easier for physicians and providers to comply with the law.

Reducing Sodium Leads To Substantial Drop In Blood Pressure
Sodium reduction combined with either a typical U.S. diet or the "DASH" diet, which is rich in vegetables, fruit, and low-fat dairy products and low in total and saturated fat, substantially lowered blood pressure in persons with high blood pressure.

2001 Medicare+Choice Payment Rates Are Online
The Health Care Financing Administration announced today that the new federal reimbursement rates for Medicare+Choice managed care organizations beginning in March, 2001 as required in the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act, are now posted online.

Hip protectors simplify safety for seniors 
Football players wear them. So do hockey players. And a new study suggests that older persons should wear them, too. Padded hip protectors — a powerful new method for reducing the risk of hip fractures in older adults.

FY 1998 Long Term Care Ombudsman Report 
Long-Term Care Ombudsmen are advocates for residents of long-term care facilities. They work to help resolve individuals' problems and to bring about changes at the local, state and national levels to improve care for all residents.

Summary of Older Americans Act of 2000
We’ve received many inquiries about the Older Americans Act, specifically where the entire act can be read on the web. The Cornell Law School web site cites the entire Act including amendments through 01/05/99 – it does not include the new amendments. The Administration on Aging has the recent amendment, but does not show the language incorporated into the full Act. There is also a side-by-side comparison of the Act.

Scientists Begin To Unravel Cause Of Blocked Memory In Alzheimer's
Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences have found that a protein found in patients with Alzheimer's disease can disrupt brain signals and therefore may contribute to the memory losses of Alzheimer's disease.

First Census 2000 Results - Resident Population and Apportionment Counts
The nation's resident population on Census Day, April 1, 2000 was 281,421,906, a 13.2 percent increase over the 248,709,873 counted in the 1990 census.  Visit the Census web site for more details.

Physician Labeling Proposal  
The Food and Drug Administration today proposed a new format for prescription drug labeling that will help reduce medical errors.