White House Launches Its First-Ever Initiative On Women’s Health Research

The 19th: White House Announces New Focus On Research For Women’s Health 
President Joe Biden on Monday announced the first-ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, which will be led by First Lady Jill Biden and the White House Gender Policy Council. The new initiative will be chaired and coordinated by Dr. Carolyn Mazure, who recently joined the White House from the Yale School of Medicine. (Gerson, 11/13)

USA Today: Jill Biden To Improve Research On Women's Health Issues Like Menopause
Women aren't getting the care they need when it comes to menopause, heart attacks and other health issues, according to the Biden administration. Now, first lady Jill Biden is giving the administration 45 days to amp up efforts to change that. Officials said they’re trying to correct the fact that women have been understudied and underrepresented in health research, despite making up more than half the population. (Groppe, 11/13)

In related news about caregiving and elder care —

Minnesota Public Radio: New Audit Questions Oversight Of Senior Nutrition Program 
A new report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor of Minnesota found that the Minnesota Board on Aging did not meet legal standards in its oversight of the Senior Nutrition Program. The Board on Aging and seven regional area agencies on aging administer the federal program which provides meals to people aged 60 or older. (Cox, 11/13)

KFF Health News and The New York Times: Facing Financial Ruin As Costs Soar For Elder Care 
Margaret Newcomb, 69, a retired French teacher, is desperately trying to protect her retirement savings by caring for her 82-year-old husband, who has severe dementia, at home in Seattle. She used to fear his disease-induced paranoia, but now he’s so frail and confused that he wanders away with no idea of how to find his way home. He gets lost so often that she attaches a tag to his shoelace with her phone number. Feylyn Lewis, 35, sacrificed a promising career as a research director in England to return home to Nashville after her mother had a debilitating stroke. They ran up $15,000 in medical and credit card debt while she took on the role of caretaker. (Abelson and Rau, 11/14)

KFF Health News and The New York Times: Adult Children Discuss The Trials Of Caring For Their Aging Parents 
The financial and emotional toll of providing and paying for long-term care is wreaking havoc on the lives of millions of Americans. Read about how a few families are navigating the challenges, in their own words. (Abelson and Rau, 11/14)

KFF Health News: What Long-Term Care Looks Like Around The World 
Around the world, wealthy countries are struggling to afford long-term care for rapidly aging populations. Most spend more than the United States through government funding or insurance that individuals are legally required to obtain. Some protect individuals from exhausting all their income or wealth paying for long-term care. But as in the United States, middle-class and affluent individuals in many countries can bear a substantial portion of the costs. Here’s how five other countries pay for long-term care. (Rau, 11/14)

Also —

The Hill: New Study On Hunter-Gatherer Moms Suggests Western Child Care Has A Big Problem
Stressed out American parents who suspect that child-rearing used to be easier may be right. The average mother among one Congolese foraging people has at least 10 people to help hold her baby — and sometimes as many as 20, a paper published Monday has found. That high level of support means that mothers among the Mbendjele BaYaka people have someone else holding their baby at least half the time, according to research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. That is a level of care “a world away,” unheard of in wealthy industrialized countries — but one that may have been normal across most of human history, the researchers reported. (Elbein, 11/13)