Georgia seniors enter nursing homes later in life thanks to nutritional wellness program

Results from a study on the impact of a Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Aging Services (DAS) nutritional wellness program reveals older Georgians are staying in their own homes longer before having to enter a nursing home.

Since state fiscal year 2007, nursing home placements for older adults involved in DAS nutrition programs have been increasingly delayed. In state fiscal year 2008, for example, older adults avoided nursing home placement an average of three years longer than older adults not involved in the program.

“What this really means is that good nutrition is a major factor in keeping older Georgians healthy and more independent,” said Maria Greene, director of DAS. “Our nutrition programs provide healthy meals to thousands of seniors across the state. Since there is a direct link between poor nutrition and chronic health problems, providing older adults access to fresh produce and healthy foods can seriously improve their quality of life.”

The results of the study are part of the Performance Outcomes Measurement Project (POMP), a federal initiative that measures the effectiveness of Title III services, including nutrition programs, for older Americans. The study measured the level of “food insecurity” experienced by participating older Georgians. Food insecurity refers to the limited or uncertain availability of safe, nutritious foods.

The POMP study found that 11.5% of participants in Georgia were experiencing food insecurity. The Division of Aging Services provides a variety of services to older adults to address this issue, including nutrition screening, prepared meals, nutrition education and a Farmer’s Market program that makes fresh, locally grown produce available to seniors.

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Georgia seeks to revoke license of company for pesticide misuse

The Georgia Department of Agriculture will be seeking to revoke the structural pest control license of Biotech Systems of Georgia (Biotech) due to the misapplications of pesticides. Biotech is a Pelham, Alabama, company that treats nursing homes and other healthcare facilities in Georgia and several other states.

The Agriculture Department is alerting 154 facilities serviced by Biotech about possible pesticide misapplications. The Department has also notified the Environmental Protection Agency, the Georgia Department of Human Resources and appropriate regulatory agencies in other states.

The action follows an investigation that began last month. During a routine inspection on May 5, 2009, the Department of Agriculture found information that indicated pesticides were misapplied by Biotech at two Georgia nursing homes.

The Georgia Agriculture Department asked for records from Biotech and received an incomplete set of pesticide use records from the company on May 20. On June 9, at the request of the Agriculture Department, the Georgia Structural Pest Control Commission (GSPCC) ordered Biotech to produce a complete set of pesticide use records and have the records delivered to the Department by June 17. (GSPCC has authority under the Georgia Structural Pest Control Act to compel the production of documents.)

Records furnished by Biotech indicate that pesticides were misapplied to numerous facilities.

Some of the pesticide application records delivered to the Georgia Agriculture Department by Biotech on June 17 are different from the records obtained on May 20. “This concerns us greatly. At least some of the records appear to conflict with the records we obtained earlier and are therefore possibly suspect,” said Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Terry Coleman.

Of greatest concern are the misapplications of the pesticides Termidor and ZP Tracking Powder. The Georgia Agriculture Department tested eight nursing homes and found Termidor present in all eight. It appears that Termidor, an insecticide labeled for use outdoors, was used indoors, and ZP Tracking Powder, a rodenticide, was improperly used in a food storage area. The Department is sending clean-up recommendations to the facilities as provided by the manufacturers of these pesticides.

“We have also notified the Georgia Health Care Association. Its staff is working to make sure safety concerns are addressed,” said Deputy Commissioner Coleman.

“We will seek to revoke the license of Biotech Systems of Georgia because the company appears to have disregarded rules governing pesticide application on numerous occasions. These rules are not arbitrary but are based on the effective use of these pesticides and, what is more important, on concerns of safety for people and the environment,” said Coleman.

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Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home will hold Veterans Day Ceremony

The Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home will hold its annual Veterans Day ceremony at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11 in the courtyard. Col. John K. Dewey, the Training and Doctrine Command capability manager for tactical radios at Fort Gordon, will be the guest speaker and Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver will make opening remarks.

The ceremony, which is open to the public, will also feature Fort Gordon’s U.S. Army Signal Corps Band and Post Ceremonial Detachment Color Guard as well as the Butler High School Drill Team.

The Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home, operated through an interagency agreement between the Medical College of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Veterans Service, is located at 1101 15th St. For more information, call Karen Yonce at Georgia War at 706-721-2531.

By Jennifer Hilliard
Medical College of Georgia

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