In case you didn't know it already, the population of the United States is graying. Seventy-five million adults will be over 65 by 2030. Yet, we do not have nearly enough professionals working in the field of geriatrics. The New York Times recently noted that "of 3.1 million registered nurses nationwide, 11,000 are certified in geriatrics." And relatively small portion of funding from the National Institute of Health is going toward geriatric health research.
If we're going to have successful caring for our aging population, we'll need more doctors and nurses who know a lot about the older brain and body. Lack of understanding has led to too many patients on Medicare to be readmitted to hospitals within 30 days after discharge. Falling, drug interactions, drug mistakes and other problems all contribute to preventable health care issues for the elderly. But nurses who are trained to follow up with patients can help by calling them.
Some hospitals have adopted a program called "Niche" (Nurses Improving Care for the Healthsystem Elders) to do just this and more. Read more at: http://www.princetonhcs.org/page5738.aspx
Universities and hospitals are taking action, but it's slow in coming. Become informed about this important health issue. Take some action. Make a difference. We are all aging...
Read more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/health/29geri.html
Joint Replacements - Outcomes Vary
The New York Times ran an article last week on knee and hip replacement surgery. The main point of the article was how important it is to get it right the first time. Find a surgeon who has lots of experience doing the replacement. Ask about the type of hip or knee you'll be getting. Find out how successful such joints are in the long run. Find out how many patients of a particular surgeon have to get the operation done over again with a new joint. You don't want to have your new joint fail and be forced to have surgery all over again.
According to the article, you can actually look up online registries that have information about doctors, hospitals and joints. Such registries about the success of certain brands or types of joints have a long track record overseas, so it pays to look internationally. (That's how other countries keep health care costs under control, in my opinion.)
The article is loaded with other great advice about preparing for the surgery and recovering after it. It also provides links to the registries.
Take a look:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/03/health/03patient.html
According to the article, you can actually look up online registries that have information about doctors, hospitals and joints. Such registries about the success of certain brands or types of joints have a long track record overseas, so it pays to look internationally. (That's how other countries keep health care costs under control, in my opinion.)
The article is loaded with other great advice about preparing for the surgery and recovering after it. It also provides links to the registries.
Take a look:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/03/health/03patient.html
The Crazies - Heart-Thumping Thriller
Here's a break from my blogs for seniors. It's a review of the movie "The Crazies."
My heart was thumping as I watched the action in The Crazies unfold. Although marketed as a horror movie, Breck Eisner’s remake of the 1973 George Romero film struck me as more of an intelligent thriller with some bloody scenes. What makes this movie particularly good is how it takes the point of view of the protagonists, a local sheriff David Dutton and his doctor wife, played by Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell, as they are confronted by more and more of their friends and neighbors strangely changing into vengeful, unstoppable killers. They, along with the deputy and his girlfriend, slowly realize that they seem to be immune to the epidemic which is taking over the good people of Ogden Marsh, Iowa. At the same time, they find they are also cut off from communicating with the world beyond its borders.
Soon, they’re not just running from the local population, which is becoming steadily more crazy and murderous, but also from government troops who have moved in to quarantine the town and annihilate all the infected residents. It turns out that a military plane crash unleashed a bio weapon into the town’s water supply, and the government has to stop its spread and the knowledge of the catastrophe. The premise of a U.S.-made bio weapon getting loose, its devastating effects on the humans living there and the government’s heavy-handed response all seem plausible, when you think of recent environmental disasters.
I thought Eisner directed his characters and action well and developed high tension with some really cringe-inducing scenes and surprises. The acting was much better than a typical horror film. I particularly liked
how the film’s creators interspersed calm, personal sequences, like the sheriff waking up with his wife in their peaceful house, summer breezes blowing the curtains, with sudden scenes of violence. The scenes of
surprising or unrelenting attacks truly had me gasping and tensing up far more than I do in most movies. I had actually thought this kind of movie making was dead, but I’m glad to see it isn’t.
I also really liked how the production design (art direction) aided in creating the bucolic feel of the Iowa prairie, in contrast to the bloody mayhem and military response. And I enjoyed the percussive score written by Mark Isham. Isham created music that sounded at times like the bells of a railroad crossing. I loved that because it evoked the image of fast-moving, unstoppable danger, and you’re stuck at the RR crossing, just watching. He also wrote lovely melodies for the calmer, more personal parts of the film, again, helping to create more suspense and a sense of dread.
If you missed The Crazies when it was out in theaters, get the DVD now and treat yourself to a good, scary evening.
My heart was thumping as I watched the action in The Crazies unfold. Although marketed as a horror movie, Breck Eisner’s remake of the 1973 George Romero film struck me as more of an intelligent thriller with some bloody scenes. What makes this movie particularly good is how it takes the point of view of the protagonists, a local sheriff David Dutton and his doctor wife, played by Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell, as they are confronted by more and more of their friends and neighbors strangely changing into vengeful, unstoppable killers. They, along with the deputy and his girlfriend, slowly realize that they seem to be immune to the epidemic which is taking over the good people of Ogden Marsh, Iowa. At the same time, they find they are also cut off from communicating with the world beyond its borders.
Soon, they’re not just running from the local population, which is becoming steadily more crazy and murderous, but also from government troops who have moved in to quarantine the town and annihilate all the infected residents. It turns out that a military plane crash unleashed a bio weapon into the town’s water supply, and the government has to stop its spread and the knowledge of the catastrophe. The premise of a U.S.-made bio weapon getting loose, its devastating effects on the humans living there and the government’s heavy-handed response all seem plausible, when you think of recent environmental disasters.
I thought Eisner directed his characters and action well and developed high tension with some really cringe-inducing scenes and surprises. The acting was much better than a typical horror film. I particularly liked
how the film’s creators interspersed calm, personal sequences, like the sheriff waking up with his wife in their peaceful house, summer breezes blowing the curtains, with sudden scenes of violence. The scenes of
surprising or unrelenting attacks truly had me gasping and tensing up far more than I do in most movies. I had actually thought this kind of movie making was dead, but I’m glad to see it isn’t.
I also really liked how the production design (art direction) aided in creating the bucolic feel of the Iowa prairie, in contrast to the bloody mayhem and military response. And I enjoyed the percussive score written by Mark Isham. Isham created music that sounded at times like the bells of a railroad crossing. I loved that because it evoked the image of fast-moving, unstoppable danger, and you’re stuck at the RR crossing, just watching. He also wrote lovely melodies for the calmer, more personal parts of the film, again, helping to create more suspense and a sense of dread.
If you missed The Crazies when it was out in theaters, get the DVD now and treat yourself to a good, scary evening.
Drug Interactions with Food and Medications
Did you know that the more medicines you take, the greater the chance you'll make a mistake in taking them? Your risk of the medicines interacting with each other increases, too. Drugs can also interact with the food you eat or the beverages you drink. Drugs can interact with chocolate, grapefruit, tea or herbal supplements like St. John's Wort.
Did you know that 40% of people in the US have prescriptions for four or more medicines? That means those people are all at risk of making a mistake and maybe winding up in the hospital.
The way we can keep ourselves safe is to become more knowledgeable and to find clever ways to keep track of what we're taking.
I learned all this last month when I attended a lecture on Medication Management given by Nursing and Home Care, located in Wilton, CT. Elaine Abrams, the nurse who gave the talk also gave us a list of really useful websites where we can learn more about drug interactions, drug safety and general medication management.
I've found a few sites myself, too. My favorite is one run by the FDA:
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm096386.htm
Here are others:
www.consumermedsafety.com
www.drugs.com
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/takingmedicines/toc.html
Did you know that 40% of people in the US have prescriptions for four or more medicines? That means those people are all at risk of making a mistake and maybe winding up in the hospital.
The way we can keep ourselves safe is to become more knowledgeable and to find clever ways to keep track of what we're taking.
I learned all this last month when I attended a lecture on Medication Management given by Nursing and Home Care, located in Wilton, CT. Elaine Abrams, the nurse who gave the talk also gave us a list of really useful websites where we can learn more about drug interactions, drug safety and general medication management.
I've found a few sites myself, too. My favorite is one run by the FDA:
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm096386.htm
Here are others:
www.consumermedsafety.com
www.drugs.com
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/takingmedicines/toc.html
Senior Transportation Study
Access to transportation is essential for seniors to age successfully in their homes. Yet, most communities do not have a coordinated means to help seniors find the transportation that is right for them. This is particularly problematic in rural and suburban areas.
The National Center on Senior Transportation just did a nationwide survey among the Area Agencies on Aging to learn more about needs and how they are being filled. Take a look via this link.
National Center on Senior Transportation:
What is your community doing? In Darien, CT, Aging in Place in Darien has a transportation committee which collects the information and helps to identify gaps in transportation and then tries to fill those gaps. Anyone who needs transportation can call the AIP coordinator to get information on rides via half-price taxi vouchers, Gallivant (senior van), Norwalk Transit, Family and Children's Agency, or via volunteers at local houses of worship. Call Alyssa at: 203-202-2912. Or email her at: aipcoordinator@communityfunddarien.org.
Join the conversation.
The National Center on Senior Transportation just did a nationwide survey among the Area Agencies on Aging to learn more about needs and how they are being filled. Take a look via this link.
National Center on Senior Transportation:
What is your community doing? In Darien, CT, Aging in Place in Darien has a transportation committee which collects the information and helps to identify gaps in transportation and then tries to fill those gaps. Anyone who needs transportation can call the AIP coordinator to get information on rides via half-price taxi vouchers, Gallivant (senior van), Norwalk Transit, Family and Children's Agency, or via volunteers at local houses of worship. Call Alyssa at: 203-202-2912. Or email her at: aipcoordinator@communityfunddarien.org.
Join the conversation.
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