skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Hurricane Milton makes landfall near Siesta Key; expected to remain a hurricane as it moves across central FL; Groups file an emergency lawsuit to reopen FL voter registration amid hurricanes; ND wildfires: Heavy damage to cropland; importance of early warnings; Report: 67 PA counties boom for low unemployment, job growth, wage increase.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Biden denounces disinformation about federal disaster response. Experts address concerns about how hurricanes impact voting, and activists left and right question VP Harris' stance on meat.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Hurricane Helene has some rural North Carolina towns worried larger communities might get more attention, mixed feelings about ranked choice voting on the Oregon ballot next month, and New York farmers earn money feeding school kids.

Rising Alzheimer's rates prompt renewed focus on end-of-life planning

play audio
Play

Monday, April 22, 2024   

The 2024 Alzheimer's Association annual report forecasts a doubling of Americans age 65 and older living with dementia - from 7 million to 14 million by 2050.

According to Jessica Empeño, national director of clinical engagement with the group Compassion & Choices, age is a major risk factor for dementia - particularly in Florida, a top state for dementia cases due to its aging population.

Empeño emphasized the urgent need for proactive healthcare decision-making.

Her group offers an End of Life Decisions Guide and a Dementia Values and Priorities Tool online, to help people communicate and document their future healthcare wishes.

"A woman shared with me that she completed the tool, and then gave a copy to her doctor," said Empeño, "and that was how she opened the conversation and said, 'I would like to be able to talk about this - and how, you know, how can you help me honor my wishes?' "

Empeño said the woman, who was experiencing the early stages of the disease, felt empowered to participate in the decision-making process.

She said people should be encouraged to have these conversations with friends, family, and anyone close, year-round.

Empeño described the free Dementia Values and Priorities Tool as "going deeper" than other end-of-life planning options, and said it is specifically tailored to the unique progression of dementia.

"One of the things that we incorporated into the tool are brief videos from healthcare professionals explaining commonly used - but not always well-explained - terms," said Empeño, "things like 'comfort care,' 'life-sustaining treatment,' even 'quality of life.' "

According to the Alzheimer's Association, some 580,000 Floridians over age 65 live with Alzheimer's disease, and 13.6% of people over age 45 are experiencing cognitive decline.



Disclosure: Compassion & Choices contributes to our fund for reporting on Civic Engagement, Health Issues, Senior Issues, Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Hurricane Milton grew to become a major hurricane on the morning of Oct. 7, 2024. (AWS S3 Explorer/Wikimedia Commons)

Social Issues

play sound

As powerhouse Hurricane Milton nears the Florida coastline, communities in the Tampa Bay area are extending relief efforts initially launched for …


Environment

play sound

By Matt Vasilogambros and Kevin Hardy for Stateline.Broadcast version by Kathleen Shannon for California News Service reporting for the Solutions Jour…

Environment

play sound

By Erik Hoffner for Mongabay.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for Maine News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Ser…


In 2022, 563,512 or 39% of Connecticut's 1.4 million households were below the ALICE threshold. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New data show many Connecticut residents can't afford daily life. This year's ALICE update shows the number of asset-limited, income-constrained …

Social Issues

play sound

It is the first day of early voting in Arizona and both presidential hopefuls will be making their cases to voters. Gov. Tim Walz, DFL-Minn.…

More than a half-million immigrants reside in Colorado, working as nursing assistants, cooks and software developers. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Immigration boosts the economy - in Colorado and across the U.S. But new policies are needed to maximize gains and make it harder for employers to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In Ohio, the effects of domestic violence continue to devastate families. The Ohio Domestic Violence Network released its ninth annual fatality …

Environment

play sound

By Dan Gearino for Inside Climate News.Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public N…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021