Unearned Guilt Intrinsic to Most Caregiving
Photo credit Sharon McCutcheon
If ever there was a group of people who suffer deeply from unearned guilt, it’s caregivers. Whether you’re the parent of a vulnerable adult, an adult child of aging parents or the spouse of a vulnerable adult, you are bound to have your “if only” times where you are sucked into the quicksand of guilt. The reality is that most things you could have done differently wouldn’t have made a huge difference overall. Even if another approach would have made a difference, you can’t go back. Staying mired in guilt is counterproductive for you as well as your care receiver.
While som...
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 24, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Medicare Open Enrollment: Time to Check Plans to Optimize Coverage
Photo credit Nick Morrison
Dear Carol: I’ve recently begun working with my mom on her medical care and financial management. Though she’s happy with her Medicare coverage she says that during Open Enrollment, we need to check things over. I’m not clear about the differences between plain Medicare where she has a Plan F Medigap policy, Medicare D, and Medicare Advantage. I’ve searched Open Enrollment, but I'm hoping that you can clarify. What do we need to do? – KJ
Continue reading on Inforum for more about Medicare Open Enrollment and what you should do (or could skip) each year...
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 23, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Hearing Aids Help Balance, Prevent Falls for Some Elders
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for people over 65. Falls can cause moderate to severe injuries, such as hip fractures and head traumas, and can increase the risk of early death. Fortunately, falls are a public health problem that is largely preventable. The CDC suggests these steps as a start:
Continue reading on HealthCentral for tips on how we can address fall risk (and how hearing affects this problem):
Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. “I hold onto your book as a life ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 22, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
OTC Hearing Aids —Did the FDA Give Patients Access with One Hand and Take Access Away with the Other?
Jeffrey A. SingerOctober 17, 2022 marked the day that hearing aids became available over the counter to people over age 18 with mild ‐to‐moderate hearing loss. TheOver ‐the‐Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017, a rider to theFDA Reauthorization Act of 2017, ordered the Food and Drug Administration to create a new category, OTC hearing aids, as devices that use air conduction to improve hearing for people in the above category.This good news can make hearing aids more affordable and accessible for an estimated30 million people who suffer from hearing loss. Opening this market will generate competiti...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - October 18, 2022 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
Hearing is connected to well-being [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “As an audiologist, treating hearing loss is a part of my everyday life. Even still, I’m sometimes amazed at the difference hearing aids can make in patients’ lives. For example, recently, when an older patient with longstanding hearing loss was fitted with a pair
Read more…
Hearing is connected to well-being [PODCAST] originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 17, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: The Podcast by KevinMD Tags: Podcast Otolaryngology Source Type: blogs
Censoring Truthful Speech About Judges Violates the First Amendment
Thomas A. BerryCan the government censor you for wishing a judge happy birthday? It may seem absurd, but a bill that would allow exactly that was recentlyadded to theNational Defense Authorization Act. If passed into law, every American would risk facing mandatory takedown orders for posting basic facts about federal judges online, including their birthdates, the colleges attended by their children, and the jobs of their spouses. The bill stifles access to relevant information about public officials, arbitrarily limits its restrictions to the internet but not other media, and allows speech to be suppressed even i...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - October 17, 2022 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas A. Berry Source Type: blogs
National Chemistry Week: Recent Interviews With NIGMS-Funded Chemists
Credit: ACS Website.
It’s almost National Chemistry Week (NCW)! Each year, the American Chemical Society (ACS) unites scientists, undergraduate students, high school chemistry clubs, and other groups through this community-based program to reach the public—especially elementary and middle school students—with positive chemistry messages.
Local groups plan and coordinate NCW events, so while they vary across the country, they often present chemistry education through hands-on science activities to local schools, museums, scouting groups, or Saturday Science events. Lily Raines, Ph.D., manager at the ACS Office of ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - October 12, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Profiles Research Roundup Source Type: blogs
What Does It Mean To Be Human?
By MIKE MAGEE
“These are unprecedented times.”
This is a common refrain these days, from any citizen concerned about the American experiment’s democratic ideals.
Things like – welcoming shores, no one is above the law, stay out of people’s bedrooms, separation of church and state, play by the rules, fake news is just plain lying, don’t fall for the con job, stand up to bullies, treat everyone with the dignity they deserve, love one another, take reasonable risks, extend a helping hand, try to make your world a little bit better each day.
But I’ve been thinking, are we on a downward spiral rea...
Source: The Health Care Blog - October 7, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: matthew holt Tags: Physicians Uncategorized AIDS C. Everett Koop HIV/AIDS Humanity Mike Magee Source Type: blogs
The FDA Has Approved OTC Hearing Aids Increasing Options and Affordability
Photo credit Mark Paton
Dear Carol: My dad lives alone in the same condominium he and Mom shared before she died. While Dad’s always been somewhat introverted, he’s got close friends and is friendly to those he meets. For the most part, he seems content. Lately, though, he seems to be avoiding groups. Also, I’ve noticed that when I accompany him to his medical appointments, he struggles to hear the doctor. We tell him that he should get hearing aids, but he says his hearing isn't that bad, and aids are too expensive. How do I convince him that his life would be better if he’d go ahead and buy hearing a...
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 1, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Vocal Markers Move Toward Clinical Use
Readers of this publication probably have heard of the impressive advances in analyzing voice patterns for disease. These automated models can monitor so many people efficiently that they have potential applications in public health as well as diagnosis and treatment.
A simple app on a cell phone can detect unusual patterns in speech that suggest when a person is depressed or anxious, is losing cognitive function, or has pulmonary disease.
But there are several reasons that “prediagnostic” data from popular devices can’t be trusted: lack of regulation, user error, lack of information about the device̵...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - September 28, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: Andy Oram Tags: AI/Machine Learning Clinical Health IT Company Healthcare IT Telemedicine and Remote Monitoring behavioral health COPD David Liu GN Group India Health Koye mental health Public Health Qualcomm Sonde Vocal markers Voice Diag Source Type: blogs
Commentators and Journalists Weigh In On Digital Health And Related Privacy, Safety, Social Media And Security Matters. Lots Of Interesting Perspectives - September 27, 2022.
Conclusions:This study revealed strong and consistent patterns of association between digital health literacy and the use of a web-based PHR. The results indicate potential actions for promoting PHR uptake, including improving digital technology and skill experiences that may improve digital health literacy and willingness to engage in web-based PHR. Uptake may also be improved through more responsive digital services, strengthened health care, and better social support. A holistic approach, including targeted solutions, is needed to ensure that web-based PHR can realize its full potential to help reduce health inequities....
Source: Australian Health Information Technology - September 27, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: Dr David G More MB PhD Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, August 29th 2022
This study demonstrates that adoptive astrocytic Mt transfer enhances neuronal Mn-SOD-mediated anti-oxidative defense and neuroplasticity in the brain, which potentiate functional recovery following ICH.
First Generation Stem Cell Therapies Remain Comparatively Poorly Understood
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2022/08/first-generation-stem-cell-therapies-remain-comparatively-poorly-understood/
We are something like thirty years into the increasingly widespread use of first generation stem cell therapies. Cells are derived from a variety of sources, processed, and transplanted into patients. Near all...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 28, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
A Diet That Reduces Stomach Bloating And Aids Weight Loss
People who eat this type of foods experience less stomach bloating plus weight loss. (Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog)
Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog - August 27, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Mina Dean Tags: Stomach bloating Weight Loss Source Type: blogs
How to Choose a Mobility Aid for an Older Adult
Most of us would love to live our lives without the need for mobility aids, but as we age, we begin to realize that this wish may be unrealistic. We could need a cane or a walker for a short time while recovering from surgery, or we may eventually need to use a wheelchair or a power scooter to get around safely. Either way, a tool to help us move from place to place and avoid falls can mean the difference between living independently and depending on others for our basic needs.
When I see some of the newer mobility aids on the market, I immediately think, “I wish that had been available for my mom.” My mother...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 26, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Breadth and Simplicity of Accessibility in Health IT – Part 3
This article explores some important areas I haven’t yet touched on, and ends with an appeal for better web sites for all.
Other ways to make technology more usable
Bonnie Kerker, Associate Professor at the Department of Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, discussed the difficulties of lower-income communities trying to get access to online health care and other social services. Through a community-based initiative called Together Growing Strong (TGS), she and her colleagues have collected a lot of information through intensive partnerships with community representatives in Sunset Park in Brookl...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - August 25, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: Andy Oram Tags: Communication and Patient Experience Health IT Company Healthcare IT Hospital - Health System Telemedicine and Remote Monitoring Accessibility Ada André Machado Rebelo Disability Dr. Paulo Pina Family Health Centers FDB First Data Source Type: blogs
