Chat with Laurie Bender on elderly issues Laurie Bender, a certified Advanced Practice Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist, and her husband, Bruce Bender, M.D., have operated two Home Instead Senior Care of Massachusetts offices, in Northborough and Natick, providing high level of non-medical care for seniors. In addition to personally helping families discuss when it is time for a loved one to give up the keys to their car, Laurie has lectured and written about the topic, most recently “When to take the keys.” Read moreGiving trees for seniors in Natick, Northborough SUPPORTING SENIORS: In the ongoing climate of economic uncertainty, Laurie Bender of Boylston feared that charitable efforts over the holidays would focus on children in need of assistance, to the exclusion of help for older residents. She needn’t have worried. Read moreStandards in Elder Care Lacking
Massachusetts is projecting huge growth in its aging population — a nearly 50 percent increase in seniors 60 years or older by 2020, according to the state’s Executive Office of Elder Affairs.
Increasingly, Massachusetts seniors are choosing to remain in their homes, which has spurred demand for in-home care providers.
The growth in the demand for these services, and the fact that those services can vary widely — ranging from skilled nurses to home-health aides to companions — underscores the need for defining the standards of care.
Read moreState must act to control costs of top-heavy health-care system Nearly three years after Massachusetts enacted landmark health care reform, the state can point to success in expanding coverage. But it has yet to address another significant issue: cost. By not addressing cost, the state puts the goal of universal coverage and the system in general at risk. Read more | 