How to Select a Rehabilitation Facility

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After a hospitalization, your doctor may recommend a stay at a subacute rehabilitation facility. Usually subacute rehabilitation refers to programs developed to provide inpatient rehabilitation to patients following their hospital stays.  programs are designed for individuals who are discharged from the hospital but are not yet ready to return home. A subacute rehabilitation facility provides short term nursing and rehabilitation care to assist you or your loved one. They provide therapy and assistance to patients recuperating from a hospital stay, so they can return to their previous lifestyle. These communities provide a high level of supervision, 24 hour nursing care, various rehabilitation programs (physical, occupational and speech) and often specialized programs targeted toward a higher level of care for certain medical conditions (i.e. cardiology, diabetes andRead More +

Preparing Your Home For Your Safe Return After a Planned Surgery

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After a hospital stay, you or your loved one will be tired, overwhelmed and grateful to be returning home.  Preparing your home for a safe return before your enter the hospital or asking a family member to prepare your home will help ease the transition. Making your home as comfortable and stress free as possible will help speed your recover. In the weeks leading up to your surgery: Some patients opt to bank some of their own blood in case it’s needed during surgery. You can arrange for this with your surgeons office any time up to six weeks prior to surgery. Discuss this option with your doctor. Plan to have someone stay with you during at least the first week of your return home.Read More +

What is Palliative Care?

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The focus of Palliative Care is the relief of symptoms and stress of a serious illness. The goal is to improve the quality of life for both the patient and the family. Palliative Care is used most often in either progressive, deteriorating diseases or terminal illness where treatment has been futile. Deteriorating diseases are those who progression cannot be stopped i.e. Alzheimer’s, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Kidney Failure, Parkinson’s and Cancer. Palliative Care can be used in combination with other treatments modalities or as a standalone course of Care when all treatment has failed. Either way the main purpose is to alleviate pain and stress and keep the patient as comfortable as possible thus helping the family to cope with theirRead More +

Why Getting a Power of Attorney is Important

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I am absolutely amazed at the number of people that ask this question. It’s as if we think that by not preparing for accidents then accidents won’t happen. This convoluted thinking creates many a hardship for families. Ask anyone who has had a traumatic car accident or a stroke or massive heart attack if they expected it to happen. I have never personally heard anyone say they did yet we all live as if it couldn’t happen to us. Both a healthcare power of attorney and a financial power of attorney are essential documents to have prepared in the event of a catastrophic illness or accident, especially if you are single, divorced or in the process of a divorce. No one will take your partner,Read More +

Why Support Groups are Helpful

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When you were a teenager you hung around with other teens. When you were newly married you hung around with newly married couples and when you had children you socialized with other new parents. The why to all of this is simply because you needed support. You needed to know what others were doing in the same situations in case they had better information or advice and you needed to know your frustrations and anxiety were not abnormal but normal. We all need someone to talk to. When the people we talk to today have no idea about a problem or diagnosis you have just been given then you need to seek out others that do. Doctors are fine for explaining the causes and curesRead More +

Best Ways to Heal After Surgery

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When we look at healing, we need to address it from the standpoint of what you can control and what you can’t.  The treatments, medications and therapies your doctor orders, you are not in control of, and it’s always best to listen to the advice of the expert, your doctor. Where you heal, in the environment you heal, and what you eat, drink and use as alternative therapies are YOUR call. These decisions are the ones that can enhance, shorten or prolong healing. The interesting thing about the things you CAN control is that most of these things are pleasant experiences and actually help you feel better in the moment and not just in the long run. Lets first talk about where you heal. WeRead More +

What is Holistic Medicine?

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Often time holistic medicine is used to describe medicine that takes into account the person’s medical, physical, nutritional, environmental, social, emotional and spiritual well-being. Many times the term is used when people speak of alternative medicine or natural medicine only. Other times it is used in conjunction with medical treatment that involves surgery, medications and other routine medical procedures. The types of things that are included in holistic approaches are acupuncture, chiropractic care, homeopathy, massage therapy, guided imagery and aromatherapy. None of these therapies are new and some are ancient. What is important to remember is like Western Medicine,  there is no “one size fits all” approach to healing. Almost all physicians agree that holistic or alternative medicine works best in conjunction with modern medicine.Read More +

What Makes a Good Doctor?

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Like everything else in life what makes someone good is subjective. Everyone has an opinion regarding how to choose the right doctor and everyone usually loves the doctor they have or they are currently looking for a new one. The way most of us go about it is by word of mouth. What is interesting is that healthcare professionals go about it completely different. If we use word of mouth it is only between other health care professionals and not what lay individuals think. That is because there are a few things we know that the general public does not. First of all we know that you don’t have to like or agree with your doctor to consider him/her good. It is not always aboutRead More +

Understanding the CMS Rating System

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) created a five star rating system and ranks only nursing homes that are certified to participate in Medicare or Medicaid and provide skilled care. The ratings are based on health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. How are ratings calculated? CMS created the Overall 5-Star rating for nursing homes based on three areas: 1) Health Inspections; 2) Quality Measures (QMs); and 3) Staffing. Star ratings for each area and the overall rating range from 1 star to 5 stars, with more stars indicating better quality. CMS describes each of the three domains below: 1.    Health Inspections rating: CMS bases health inspection ratings on the three most recent anual inspections, and inspections due to complaints in the last threeRead More +

7 Great Online Resources for Seniors

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There are numerous online resources for today’s aging adults. Here are a few that might assist you and your loved ones. Administration on Aging (AOA) The Administration on Aging is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The AOA carries out the provisions of the Older Americans Act of 1965, promoting the well-being of older individuals by providing resources and services for seniors to live independently. For more information, click here. Alzheimer’s Association The Alzheimer’s Association is a leading organization providing support and research for Alzheimer’s disease. Click here to find information regarding research, caregiving tips, events, and a list of Alzheimer’s professionals in your area. National Care Planning Council The National Care Planning Council is a comprehensive resource for eldercare, seniorRead More +