May is National Aging Life Care Month

The theme for our membership this year just happens to be ‘better together’,” says Liz Barlowe, a practicing Aging Life Care Professional and ALCA Board President. “We are celebrating 35 years as an association and never before has such a phrase been truer.

TUCSON, Arizona (PRWEB)
May 04, 2020

Celebrations surrounding National Aging Life Care Month will be different this year. For nine years Aging Life Care Professionals® have spent the month of May educating their communities on aging well. That is, guiding individuals in planning for aging – creating care plans, navigating complex medical conditions, making and writing down end-of-life decisions, organizing financial and legal matters, as well as determining appropriate housing or long-term care.

Along with the rest of the world, our members are pivoting to find solutions in difficult times. The Aging Life Care Association® (ALCA) – the nonprofit association representing 2,000 leaders in Aging Life Care Management – see their members embracing technology and taking their work and advocacy virtual.

“The theme for our membership this year just happens to be ‘better together’,” says Liz Barlowe, a practicing Aging Life Care Professional and ALCA Board President. “We are celebrating 35 years as an association and never before has such a phrase been truer. My colleagues from across the country are working collaboratively to advocate for our vulnerable clients and families.”

Aging Life Care Professionals are taking to social media and various online meeting platforms to share their holistic, client-centered approach to caring for older adults and others facing health challenges. ALCA members are writing blog posts and articles, participating in interviews, and answering questions on podcasts – all to let families know that the experts in aging are available to help in this crisis and in the future.

While the practice and profession of Aging Life Care is not new, (our Association is celebrating its 35th Anniversary this year) the field has been growing and is more crucial now than it ever has been. “Aging Life Care Professionals provide answers at a time of uncertainty. They guide families to the actions and decisions to ensure quality care and an optimal life for those they love,” explains Taney Hamill, ALCA’s CEO.

And in today’s uncertain times, Aging Life Care Professionals are helping each other ensure that the needs – physical, medical, emotional – of vulnerable seniors are met while protecting clients, caregivers, and their families.

Aging Life Care Professionals have extensive knowledge about the costs, quality, and availability of resources in their communities. As members of ALCA, Aging Life Care Professionals must meet stringent education, experience, and certification requirements of the organization, and all members are required to adhere to a strict code of ethics and standards of practice. Members may be trained in any of number of fields related to long-term care. These include counseling, gerontology, mental health, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology, social work, and other allied health professions, with a specialized focus on issues related to aging.

For more information, and to find an Aging Life Care Professional near you, visit ALCA’s website aginglifecare.org

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“It is clear the mental effects are impacting people now – and will linger for those who mourn loved ones and for those whose anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and other serious conditions are left untreated.”

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (PRWEB)
May 04, 2020

At least 10,193 people experienced moderate to severe depression and at least 7,629 people screened moderate to severe for anxiety from late February through the end of April as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new data released by Mental Health America (MHA) today.

This is the strongest, most direct, real-time measure of the deep impact the pandemic is having on the mental health of the nation.

MHA has had an online screening program since 2014. People who come to the website can screen anonymously and for free, using the same evidence-based mental health screening tools that are used by most clinicians. Nearly five million people have taken a mental health screen in the last 5 years. More than 300,000 took an anxiety screening in 2018 and 2019 alone. Most people who take a screen have never been diagnosed with a mental health condition.

MHA’s screening numbers have been growing since the start of the pandemic. MHA has seen a 70 percent increase in the number of people taking an anxiety (GAD-7) screen and a 64 percent increase in the number of people taking a depression (PHQ-9) screen between January and April.

These 17,822 people who are newly “positive” for anxiety and depression since the beginning of the pandemic represent the tip of an iceberg.

They include only those who sought help through MHA’s online mental health screening program at http://www.mhascreening.org. While MHA’s program is the most widely used early detection program in the nation, only a small number of those experiencing mental health problems – roughly one million people each year – use it to assess their mental health needs. That means the nationwide numbers of those dealing with anxiety and depression symptoms are likely much, much worse.

“The virus will likely ebb in time, and we hope that physically things will be back to normal soon,” said Paul Gionfriddo, president and CEO of Mental Health America. “But it is clear the mental effects are impacting people now – and will linger for those who mourn loved ones and for those whose anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and other serious conditions are left untreated. We will pay a price if we don’t take all of this seriously from the start.”

Additionally, a deeper concern is that in March and April, both the percentages and numbers of screeners who reported thinking of suicide or self-harm on more than half the days also increased in the overall depression screening program.

-Thirty percent of depression screeners reported having these thoughts in January, and this grew to 35 percent in March before leveling off at 32.5 percent in April.

-4,205 people reported regular thoughts of suicide or self-harm in January.

-While this number alone is alarming, it grew to 4,537 in February and to 5,871 in March. With more people screening in April, the number increased to 7,061 – a 68 percent increase over January.

MHA is reporting these results just a week after the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) in Dallas, TX estimated that the economic impact of the pandemic alone could result in early 4,000 additional annual deaths by suicide due to unemployment.

MHA is alarmed about that, but those deaths could also be just the beginning. Between April 13 and April 30, MHA surveyed 8,989 individuals who screened at moderate to severe for depression and 5,525 who screened at moderate to severe for anxiety and asked them to name their top three concerns leading to their mental health problems “right now.”

Among depression screeners:

-Seventy-two percent chose “loneliness and isolation.”

-Thirty-two percent chose COVID-19.

-Twenty-four percent citied financial problems.

Among anxiety screeners:

-Sixty percent cited loneliness and isolation.

-Forty-five percent cited COVID-19.

-Twenty-six percent attributed their anxiety to financial problems.

MHA is offering free resources to people affected by COVID-19 on its COVID-19 resource page, through its Mental Health Month toolkit, and through its Screening-to-Supports program. But it’s not enough. We need our federal government to prioritize taking care of both the physical ramifications of this disease – but also the mental impacts facing every single person.

In real time we can see that our mental health is being damaged, our needs are growing, and past stimulus legislation – even with $25 million dedicated to suicide prevention – has not done enough to help.

That may be a tough message to get across when public health officials are focusing on protecting us from disease and public officials are focused on getting the economy restarted, but we need to get it across. The mental health needs of all Americans run deeper than they think.

Mental Health America (MHA) – founded in 1909 – is the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and to promoting the overall mental health of all Americans. Our work is driven by our commitment to promote mental health as a critical part of overall wellness, including prevention services for all; early identification and intervention for those at risk; integrated care, services, and supports for those who need it; with recovery as the goal.

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‘The Real Heroes Project’ unites more than a dozen professional sports leagues and brands to honor the country’s front-line medical workers.

Athletes representing fourteen professional and esports leagues are dedicating their jerseys and uniforms to a special healthcare hero who is helping their community on the forefront of this global crisis.

NEW YORK (PRWEB)
May 04, 2020

Fourteen professional sports leagues today announced “The Real Heroes Project,” a collaborative initiative to recognize and celebrate healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Athletes representing the ATP, MLB, MLS, NASCAR, NBA, NFL, NHL, NWSL, USGA, WNBA, WTA and WWE, among other professional and esports leagues, including Activision Blizzard Esports and Electronic Arts, are dedicating their jerseys and uniforms to a special healthcare hero who is helping their community on the forefront of this global crisis.

With the help of creative agency 72andSunny, creative production company Hecho Studios, and media publication Adweek, the multi-league public service announcement will debut this Wednesday, May 6 across league and team platforms. Starting today, each participating athlete will share a personal thank you message to their healthcare hero on social media utilizing #TheRealHeroes. Throughout the PSA and personal tributes, athletes will cover their name on their jerseys or uniforms and replace it with the name of their healthcare hero.

This unprecedented cooperation between major professional and esports leagues was born when Adweek chief community officer Nadine Dietz encouraged senior-level marketing executives from across sport to get together on a weekly Zoom call and dedicated Slack channel and discuss challenges raised by the impact of the coronavirus. The exclusive, behind-the-scenes story of the Real Heroes Project is the cover story of this week’s issue of Adweek.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the sports world has supported their local and national communities in their own respective efforts. Through “The Real Heroes Project,” the sports community will come together to salute heroic individuals across the healthcare system.

Featured leagues and athletes include:

• Activision Blizzard Esports – Esports athletes Seth “Scump” Abner of Call of Duty League, Li “Liooon” Xiaomeng of Hearthstone Esports, and Matthew “Super” DeLisi of Overwatch League
• Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) – Professional doubles tennis players, and most successful duo of all time, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan
• Electronic Arts (EA) – reigning FIFA eWorld Cup Champion Mohammed “MoAuba” Harkous, 2018 FIFA eWorld Cup Champion Mosaad “Msdossary” Aldossary, Madden NFL 19 Bowl Champion Drini “Drini” Gjoka, Madden NFL 18 Bowl Champion Seamus “Young Kiv” Kivlen, and professional Apex Legends competitors Eric “Snip3down” Wrona and Bowen “Monsoon” Fuller (#StayandPlay)
• Major League Baseball (MLB) – New York Yankees All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge and Milwaukee Brewers All-Star outfielder Christian Yelich
• Major League Soccer (MLS) – Los Angeles Galaxy forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, Toronto FC and U.S. Men’s National Team forward Jozy Altidore, and Orlando City SC forward Nani (#MLSUnites)
• NASCAR – Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch and 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion and Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick
• National Basketball Association (NBA) – 2020 NBA All-Star and Utah Jazz point guard Donovan Mitchell (#NBATogether)
• National Football League (NFL) – New Orleans Saints All-Pro quarterback Drew Brees, Arizona Cardinals All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and San Francisco 49ers All-Pro tight end George Kittle
• National Hockey League (NHL) – NHL Legend Wayne Gretzky, Chicago Blackhawks Captain Jonathan Toews and Toronto Maple Leafs Assistant Director of Player Development and former Canadian Women’s ice hockey Gold Medalist Hayley Wickenheiser
• National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – United States Women’s National Soccer Team and Sky Blue FC forward Carli Lloyd and United States Women’s National Soccer Team and Orlando Pride striker Alex Morgan
• United States Golf Association (USGA) – Lydia Ko, winner of the 2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur and youngest number-1 ranked player of all-time
• Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) – Four-time WNBA All-Star guard Skylar Diggins-Smith of the Phoenix Mercury and two-time WNBA All-Star and 2018 WNBA MVP forward Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm (#WNBATogether)
• Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) – American teenage sensation who won her first three WTA titles and broke into the Top 50 at just 15 years old, Coco Gauff; Champion of the 2018 U.S. Open followed by 2019 Australian Open, Naomi Osaka from Japan; highest-ranked Canadian in the history of the WTA and 2019 US Open Champion, Bianca Andreescu; WTA World No.1 and 2019 Roland Garros Champion from Australia, Ashleigh Barty; and former WTA World No. 1 from Belarus with 20 WTA career singles titles, Victoria Azarenka
• World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) – WWE Superstars John Cena, Triple H and Charlotte Flair

The sports world invites fans around the world to join these world-class athletes on social media and dedicate their personal jerseys and team apparel to a frontline individual using the hashtag #TheRealHeroes.

For all media inquiries, please contact: pr(at)adweek.com.

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About Adweek

Adweek is the leading source of news and insight serving the brand marketing ecosystem. First published in 1979, Adweek’s award-winning coverage reaches an engaged audience of more than 6 million professionals across platforms including print, digital, events, podcasts, newsletters, social media and mobile apps. As a touchstone of the advertising and marketing community, Adweek is an unparalleled resource for leaders across multiple industries who rely on its content to help them do their job better.

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“Kazoo is a safe and secure app that brings together everything you need to plan, track, and protect your life, explains Peter Goodman, president and co-founder of Kazoo.

WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
May 04, 2020

What if your phone could immediately alert authorities and your family and friends about a potentially unsafe situation you are in? Not only can the new app Kazoo do that, but it does a lot more, too. Launching in June, the new app offers all the things that people want when it comes to staying connected and safety and security. Kazoo offers precise 30-day location history, which may help with COVID-19 contact tracing, and connects with 4,500 emergency call centers around the country.

“We have gone to great lengths to create an app that provides people with everything they need and want,” explains Luna Howard, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Kazoo. “When you compare what all Kazoo can do for people, it is clear to see that there is nothing else that compares. The features will bring all users and their family members security and comfort.”

Rather than have numerous apps that all offer different features, Kazoo has been designed to be all-inclusive, helping to keep people in contact with friends and family, and capture and send personal safety notifications to authorities. The SOS video streaming offers a level of security that no other system has.

Kazoo is currently seeking investors to help with the next round of bringing the complete app to market. They started with an initial investment of $400,000 of their own, and are currently seeking another $250,000. They have raised more than $60,000 from over 115 different investors thus far. The company is offering a 20% valuation discount exclusively for friends and family who invest before they reach the $100,000 mark of the new funding round.

The app offers something that no other app provides, which is SOS live on scene video streaming technology. When someone is in a dangerous situation they can use their phone to easily take pictures of the scene, provide live video streaming, and more. The new app provides many features, including those for a person in a crisis situation, as well as for their emergency contacts. These features include:

Person in Crisis

• 
  The ability to instantly livestream video of unfolding scene
• Receive communication from emergency contacts
• Call 9-1-1 (local authorities) on one screen
• See which contacts are actively viewing, have viewed or haven’t viewed the stream
• Take photos during live stream
• Automatically saves incident to the cloud

Emergency Contact

• Instantly view live stream of incident
• Pinpoints exact location on Person In Crisis (on the same screen as the incident is live streaming)
• View incoming phone number to connect to location emergency call centers
• Share live link with first responders and authorities
• Communicate with Person In Crisis
• Rewind live stream
• Automatically saves incident to the cloud

“Kazoo is a safe and secure app that brings together everything you need to plan, track, and protect your life,” added Peter Goodman, president and co-founder of Kazoo. “It’s designed to be safe, secure, and provide users with the information and communication abilities that they need. Our SOS video streaming sets us apart.”

Kazoo launch is in perfect timing, because it can be helpful with the COVID-19 environment. They recently secured a partnership with the leading public safety technology company that provides life-saving data from millions of connected devices to 9-1-1 and first responders. The partnership will be announced with the launch on June 8, 2020. The app directly connects with 4,500 emergency call centers nationwide. It’s also relevant to COVID-19 relief if there is a shortage of healthcare workers, helping emergency scenes to easily be prioritized for dispatch. Further, Kazoo is able to play an important role when it comes to COVID-19 contact tracing. Many people don’t trust the large companies, such as Apple or Google, with their information, but they do trust using a smaller network like Kazoo.

The app has been built on Amazon Web Services, which is the most secure cloud computing environment. Users can send personalized invites to those they want in their personal circle. In addition to location sharing and video messaging, users will have access to a 30-day location history.

Kazoo offers a solid investment opportunity within the market. There are 1.7 billion smartphone users around the world, creating a $285 billion total addressable market. Investors currently have the rare opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a next-generation emergency services technology that is being run by a high-caliber management team comprised of experienced entrepreneurs and business leaders.

For more information about Kazoo investment opportunities, visit the site at: https://wefunder.com/kazoo. To learn more about the app and team behind it, visit the site at: https://getkazoo.com/ or view the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seF-4O7rkEM&feature=youtu.be.

About Kazoo, LLC

Located in Washington, D.C., Kazoo is a sophisticated technology company that was started by two successful serial entrepreneurs, Luna Howard and Peter Goodman. The app has been designed to be the ultimate in providing people with safety and security measures, as well as a way to stay connected with their family and friends. The users control their own data. The app is currently in beta, with an official full launch scheduled for June 2020. To learn more about the app and the team behind it, visit the site at: https://getkazoo.com/.

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Swift federal authorization of pharmacists to order and administer tests has empowered and expanded pharmacists’ front-line role in the nation’s response and recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (PRWEB)
May 04, 2020

NCPDP announced today the availability of urgent industry guidance to aid pharmacists in expanding COVID-19 testing across the country. The NCPDP Emergency Preparedness Information Version 1.7 document has been updated with specific guidance related to pharmacist-led COVID-19 testing as well as other updates that provide standards-based guidance and resources to the pharmacy industry during a declared national emergency such as natural disaster or pandemic.

Ready for immediate universal adoption, the NCPDP Emergency Preparedness Information document provides guidance to assist pharmacists in their expanded role of administering tests, including serology tests, and other services in the COVID-19 pandemic and global public health crisis. It addresses a range of considerations related to COVID-19 testing to facilitate the exchange of data through NCPDP’s interoperable industry standards, including:

•     The different types of tests with varying levels of lab test complexity, specimen collection and testing procedures;
• Product/service identifiers for FDA-authorized COVID-19 tests and test kits;
• The scope of pharmacist-provided services which may include patient risk assessment, test ordering, test dispensing, specimen collection, and interpretation of test results; patient counseling; reporting of test results to the patient’s primary care team, as well as state and federal designated agencies;
• Testing certifications;
• Test products supplied through the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS);
• Detailed guidance on completing a claim request; and
• Payer considerations.

“Swift federal authorization of pharmacists to order and administer tests has empowered and expanded pharmacists’ front-line role in the nation’s response and recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Lee Ann Stember, President & CEO of NCPDP. “Pharmacists are often the first point of contact for many patients and can provide easier and more convenient access to testing for patients who need it.”

Continued Stember, “The NCPDP Emergency Preparedness Information document is the result of NCPDP members and other pharmacy industry stakeholders working around the clock to identify the challenges and solutions to support the expansion of pharmacist-provided patient care services with COVID-19 testing. It is a testament to our members’ dedication to the work of NCPDP and the need for agility and innovation in supporting better quality patient care.”

Click here to access the NCPDP Emergency Preparedness Information Version 1.7 document.

About NCPDP

Founded in 1977, NCPDP is a not-for-profit, ANSI-accredited, Standards Development Organization with more than 1,700 members representing virtually every sector of the pharmacy services industry. Our diverse membership provides leadership and healthcare business solutions through education and standards, created using the consensus building process. NCPDP has been named in federal legislation, including HIPAA, MMA, and HITECH. NCPDP members have created standards such as the Telecommunication Standard and Batch Standard, the SCRIPT Standard for ePrescribing, the Manufacturers Rebate Standard and more to improve communication within the pharmacy industry. Our data products include dataQ®, a robust database of information on more than 80,000 pharmacies, resQ™, an industry pharmacy credentialing resource, and HCIdea®, an innovative prescriber database that provides continually updated information on more than 2.5 million prescribers. NCPDP’s RxReconn® is a legislative tracking product for real-time monitoring of pharmacy-related state and national legislative and regulatory activity. For more information about NCPDP Standards, Data Services, Products, Educational Programs and Work Group meetings, go online at http://www.ncpdp.org or call 480.477.1000.

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“We felt like we had to do something,” Founder and CEO Sari Davidson said. “Masks are becoming an essential part of everyday life right now, even required in some states, and having access to a properly fitting mask for the whole family is incredibly important.”

SAN MARCOS, Calif. (PRWEB)
May 04, 2020

As parents learn to navigate everyday life through these challenging times, BooginHead®, the beloved brand of baby and toddler essentials, extends their line to include social distancing face masks. Made with the same beautiful BooginHead fabrics parents have come to love, BooginHead Masks will be available in both adult and youth sizes with pre-orders available now.

With each purchase of a mask on BooginHead.com, BooginHead will be giving back 10% of all proceeds to COVID-19 aid organizations both locally and nationwide.

“We felt like we had to do something,” Founder and CEO Sari Davidson said. “Masks are becoming an essential part of everyday life right now, even required in some states, and having access to a properly fitting mask for the whole family is incredibly important. I am so proud to see our fabrics used in such an innovative way. ”

BooginHead® Masks Are Available in 2 Pack Youth and Adult Sizes Featuring:

• Modern, playful and classic patterns hand-designed in house
• Structured, form-fitting cut for added comfort and airflow
• 95% cotton, 5% spandex for a comfortable, breathable wear
• Two layers of fabric with a pocket for a filter of your choice (not included)
• Soft-yet-strong loops do not irritate ears and are comfortable for extended wear
• BPA, PVC, and phthalate free
• Easy to clean: machine-washable on cold, lay flat to dry
• Youth 2-Pack: contains two Youth masks that fit most children 6-12 years
• Adult 2-Pack: contains two Adult masks that fit most teens and adults

*Masks are not a replacement for medical-grade Personal Protective Equipment. Please save N95 masks for medical personnel. **BooginHead Masks are not for children two years and younger, or any person who does not have the ability to remove a mask by themselves. Adult supervision is necessary for children wearing masks.

BooginHead masks are available for preorder now and with shipping in early June.

From pacifiers that always wind up on the ground to sippy cups that won’t stay put, BooginHead has been changing the way parents deal with toddler messes and mealtime adventures one problem-solving product at a time.

BooginHead started with their original SippiGrip in 2007, an award-winning tether that keeps babies’ cups from taking a spill all over your floor every meal. Now they’ve created a wide array of time, energy, and money saving solutions to babies’ little messes.

For more information or media inquiries, Jparise@teamchicexecs.com or Leah@teamchicexecs.com.

About

BooginHead is both a term of endearment for founder Sari Davidson’s bundle of joy as well as the name of her nationally beloved brand of baby and toddler essentials. Founded at her kitchen table in 2005, BooginHead specializes in simple, stylish solutions to the sometimes frustrating, yet always rewarding moments of parenthood.

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