The University of Minnesota Center on Aging publishes a number of newsletters and reports to keep you informed on the latest research and health care policy.  Old News is a quarterly newsletter designed to provide timely information about events, education, and research in aging to health professionals, policymakers and educators throughout Minnesota. The annual Minnesota Chair in Long-Term and Aging publication details the Center’s current research agenda and specific programs launched to strengthen the delivery of long-term care services.  The Center’s faculty also have published numerous books, journal articles, and book chapters on geriatrics and health services research. You can find current and archived issues as well as a listing of faculty publications in this section.

It Shouldn't Be This Way
 The Failure of Long-Term Care
 Robert L. Kane, MD & Joan C. West
 
 Bob Kane's new book, which was the inciting force behind creating Professionals
with Personal Experience in Chronic Care (PPECC), has been published by
Vanderbilt University Press. The problems (and some solutions) to reform our badly
broken health care system are captured in It Shouldn't Be This Way, which recounts
the difficulties he and his sister encountered when trying to arrange long-term care for
their ailing mother. The book’s central message, which is the mantra of PPECC, is: If a long term-care expert could not make the system work, what chance does the average person have? It Shouldn't Be This Way combines elements of a memoir along with specific lessons and tips for families to help them navigate the confusing world of hospitals, clinics, and long-term care. Each chapter ends with a set of formal lessons that are derived from their experience. These lessons are designed to prepare adult children and other family members for what they will likely face and to alert people to common challenges when seeking health care.  Hardcover and paperback copies of the book are now available for purchase on Amazon.com.
 
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Meeting the Challenge of Chronic Illness                  
Robert L. Kane, MD, Reinhard Priester, JD, and Annette Totten, PhD
Chronic conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, and Parkinson's disease are the principal cause of all sickness and death in the United States and account for the vast majority of health care expenditures. Although we now live in a world dominated by chronic conditions, health care is still organized around a commitment to treating acute illness.  Meeting the Challenge of Chronic Illness examines current deficiencies in chronic illness care and explores ways to improve it. Addressing the challenges of shifting from the primacy of acute illness to the predominance of chronic conditions, the authors identify the components necessary to reorganize and reform health care: properly prepared health care workers; involved patients and families; appropriate use of new technologies, especially information systems; an appropriate role for prevention; and the creation of funding approaches that will provide necessary incentives.
This book calls on policymakers, health care providers, and educators to address one of the greatest challenges facing the health care system.

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Disability Conference Series Monograph

During the 2004-2005 academic year, with generous support from the President’s 21^st Century Interdisciplinary Conference Series, the University of Minnesota Center on Aging, Center for Bioethics, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, Institute on Community Integration, and Disability Services, with assistance from the disability planning committee, hosted a series of five conferences on disability-related issues. These conferences brought together University faculty and community persons who share an interest in disability issues, stimulated dialogue between the two groups, recast disability issues in a new light, furthered our insights, and explored innovative solutions to improve the lives of persons of all ages with disabilities. The series also strengthened ties between the University and the disability community and built a foundation for ongoing collaboration and greater interaction that can lead to better programs and policies for persons with disabilities. This monograph includes summary highlights from the five conferences, research questions and unresolved policy issues stimulated by the conference deliberations, and suggestions for future University, disability advocacy community, and joint University-advocacy community activities.

Click here to download the full monograph