Geriatric Care – Page 4 – Senior Wellness Online

Geriatric Health Enhancement Grant

September 4, 2013Jennifer

The geriatrics unit of UT-Southwestern has been awarded The Next Steps $1m four year award for its internal medicine department. The donation – to be used for the enhanced of geriatric health care – was given by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. This is the second grant that UT-Southwestern has received from the foundation. It is one of the 10 grants under the umbrella of the foundation’s Aging and Quality of Life program.

According to Chief of Geriatrics and Principal Investigator of the UT-Southwestern Aging and Geriatrics Education program, Dr. Craig Rubin, getting one of these grants is no easy feat since they are very competitive. He explained that “the Reynolds Foundation decided a couple of years ago that it would fund a new round of grants open to the institutions that had previously received its support.”

The UT-Southwestern Geriatrics unit has also led a geriatric health fellowship program for a number of years. Within the field of geriatric health, the fellowship offers: specialized education for physicians and offering the elderly the best possible care using expertise garnered from clinical skills by developing a strong medical foundation. It is a one-year primary care track program.

Enhancing Senior Wellness

August 4, 2013Jennifer

In an effort to improve senior wellness and health in the region, a telehealth pilot program is being launched in Connecticut. According to Chairman of the New Canaan Health and Human Services Commission, Jim Lisher, there will be 50 participants in the program. Equipping seniors with customized mobile technology, in the fall, the 10 elderly individuals living in New Canaan will be given iPads or Acer tablets to enable them to communicate with a nurse a few times a week. This way – it is hoped – they will be able to remain in their homes rather than having to be put into care.

As well as having teleconferencing abilities, pilot program participants will be given medical equipment to monitor their weight, blood pressure and heart rate; information that will thereafter be given to the nurse who will also take a general overview of the patient’s overall wellness.

It is fitting that this pilot program will take place in New Canaan since 75 percent of adults living there fall into the senior category. Thus it is hoped that this program will alleviate the pressure on hospitals and nursing homes. In addition, enabling the elderly to stay at home is much cheaper on the system, and better in general for senior wellness. In terms of finances, like many cities in the US, over 50 percent of healthcare in New Canaan is spent on preventable diseases that result from diet, smoking and overall bad lifestyle choices. Telehealth programs may have the potential to serve as preventative measures and thus reduce the overall cost of healthcare as well as enhancing senior wellness.

The concept of senior wellness at home is not a new one. Indeed, the villages regions of Florida, boasts a Telemonitoring program as part of its Senior Home Care package, launched in the summer of 2012. Like the telehealth program soon to be piloted in New Canaan this one was set up to “monitor home health patients under their care who are high-risk and have chronic conditions, such as chronic heart failure.” As well, the program combines clinical home health visits with telephonic intervention which have, through studies, been shown to enhance senior wellness and decrease the amount of hospital readmissions.

While these programs are not cheap – the one in New Canaan is $24,000 – ultimately the long-term savings and overall senior wellness have been shown in other such programs to be worth the initial monies required.

Enhancement of Geriatric Health Care

June 19, 2013Jennifer

Coming together to enhance geriatric health care, St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) are launching a medical care unit specializing in quality care for the elderly. The UM-SJMAA Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Unit, will be a place for expert geriatricians to work together to enhance geriatric health care. Equipped with top-quality machinery, health care providers working at the unit will be guided by a UMHS medical director.

This new unit is one of the only one of its kind in America under the auspices of a nationally-renowned model of care. This helps the elderly rehabilitate and recover; maintain and increase strength and mobility; decrease the possibility of complications when in hospital and more. In other words, the idea behind the unit is to truly enhance the quality of life for the elderly. This team – geared to geriatrics – has a different perspective to eldercare and understands more of what they encounter.

All patients in attendance at the new unit will be given tailor-made care to help them function more independently; improve their comfort level and nutrition and other such medical-related matters. As well as geriatricians, on the board will be geriatric medicine-trained nurses; occupational therapists; social workers; a pharmacist and nutritionist since the center’s goal is to provide complete care for the elderly. It is thus hoped that all of this will succeed in bringing an overall improvement to geriatric health care.

Senior Wellness for Baby Boomers

May 16, 2013Jennifer

Taking care of senior wellness has been found to be just as crucial as taking care of financial security, according to experts. But one of the main ways of achieving this is by living an active, healthy lifestyle and scheduling regular check-ups and screenings. So for diet and exercise, seniors should focus on consuming a balanced diet comprising mainly produce, with supplements of whole grains, lean meats and fish. As well – as for all adults – they should attempt to decrease consumption of sugar and salt to reduce risk for Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. For improved senior wellness, it is recommended that the elderly engage in low-impact exercises like walking and swimming, between three and five times a week, as this puts less strain on joints. For those who are wheelchair bound, there are also exercises that can be done from a sitting position.

When it comes to check-ups and screenings, according to the Sharp Senior Resource Centers program coordinator, Andrea Holmberg, it seems that the elderly tend to skip these or ignore their symptoms. In other words, to maintain senior wellness, the elderly are encouraged to take notice of new symptoms rather than just ignore them, thinking “well I’m getting old” as it may be something that requires a check. Regular screenings include: cholesterol, colon cancer, diabetes and blood pressure and then anything else that relates to their particular medical history.

Therefore for those attempting to take care of seniors, it is important to encourage them to get regular check-ups and screenings; preventive medicine is the best way forward for everyone, and this includes the elderly.

Senior Wellness in Sonoma

April 17, 2013Jennifer

Sonoma Valley Hospital is hosting free classes for “active aging” as part of its senior wellness campaign. At the program, seniors will be able to enjoy safe, supervised exercise classes. The Physical Therapy department at the hospital will be overseeing them. Exercise is so important that no-one should have to miss out, irrespective of their abilities or disabilities. Indeed, as Professional Services director Dawn Kuwahara RN noted, “we know that many disease processes respond positively to exercise.”

The program uses a Medically Oriented Gym, which offers users the opportunity to work with licensed, highly trained physical therapy staff. All members are given an initial evaluation from a physical therapist and then set up with a personalized exercise program. There are also group classes and educational seminars on offer.

New Staff at Northwest Health System

March 17, 2013Jennifer

Two board-certified geriatricians have been appointed to join the team of Northwest Health System, to work at Northwest Senior Schmiding Center. Located at 2422 N. Thompson, Suite A, Springdale, CEO of Northwest Health System, Dan McKay, was said to have been “excited” at these new appointments.

New appointees Dr. Jose Fontanilla and Dr. Maria Judit hold very important positions as the aging population lives longer. Fontanilla has been practicing in this area for over two decades, receiving his medical education in the Philippines and residency at the University of Illinois Medical Center, Chicago. As well, he did a geriatric medicine fellowship at Loyola University medical Center/Hines VA Hospital, Maywood.

Judit has likewise been practicing geriatric medicine for many years (over 15). She undertook her medical education in the Philippines and her internal medicine residency at Ravenswood Medical Center, Chicago. Her geriatrics fellowship was undertaken at the same place as Fontanilla.

These days being board certified in geriatric medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine – as these two geriatricians are – is good news for the nation’s increasingly aging population.

UK: Elderly Need More Professional Care

February 4, 2013Jennifer

While in theory it makes perfect sense for family to look after their elderly, it seems that it is not so practical. Indeed, in the UK, Lord Willis of Knaresborough pointed out the problematic implications of this. While he noted they are indeed “well-meaning,” they have “virtually no training [and] are unregistered, unregulated and often unsupervised.” These comments were based on a review he led in 2012 of nurses’ education. Given this finding, Willis has now called for “mandatory training and a timetable for standards to come into force.”

He is not the only politician to feel this way. Chairman of Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust, Baroness Wall of New Barnet added that by not pushing this, people end up not being safe. Others chimed in that due to a lack of mandatory registration, “dangerous” caretakers can end up “going anywhere.”

Thus Baroness Northover, Health spokesperson, informed the House of Lords that the government is intending to establish training and conduct guidelines, given the findings of this report. Although others fought back saying that the government has anyway been very aware of this predicament for some time and that the quality of care needs to be upgraded.

Growth of Eldercare Revenue

January 4, 2013Jennifer

According to a Press Release from PRWeb, the eldercare industry has an anticipated revenue growth of 5.2 percent per annum between now and 2016. This will amount to $319.5bn. Much of this escalation has to do with the increase in life expectancy as well as the post WWII baby boomers up for retirement.

Over the last few years, there have been other activities that have added to the effort to increase senior healthcare, especially for those who want to remain in their homes. For example, in 2010 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was implemented which sought to bolster support for home- and community-based services such as home healthcare and social services. In 2011, figures for skilled nursing faculties made up the biggest share of eldercare services revenue, at 43 percent. But it is expected that this figure will not mark the largest growth over the next few years. Rather, home- and community-based services will take that position.

However, home and community based services (e.g., home health care, social services, assisted living) are projected to achieve the fastest growth. There is also going to be a continued effort to shift Medicaid payments away from skilled nursing in an effort to use more cost-effective community-based services. Since the general feeling among the elderly is that they would prefer to be cared for in their own homes, more home-based services are required for this reason too.

Florida and Louisiana Home HealthCare Come Up Trumps

November 29, 2012Jennifer

The 2012 HomeCare Elite^™ report commended 28 offices from the Florida and Louisiana regions. The report – compiled by Senior Home Care (a leading provider of home health care solutions in the Southeast) – investigates the highest-performing home health agencies in America. This encompasses over 10,000 Medicare-certified agencies.

Senior Home Care Inc. was established in 1994 to provide retirees in Florida and Louisiana with quality care. Working alongside its Louisiana company, Synergy Home Care, it has nearly 50 branches and 1,800 employees. It is thus able to treat over 50,000 elderly annually. Above all, it seeks to “provide quality patient care in a compassionate and ethical manner while encouraging a lifestyle of independence.”

Sponsored by the National Research Corporation (the leading provider of cross-continuum healthcare metrics and analytics), and DecisionHealth (the publisher of the industry’s most respected independent newsletter, Home Health Line), HomeCare Elite has now been running for seven years. It seeks out the top performing quarter of Medicare-certified agencies throughout the nation and thereafter ranks the best 100 and top 500 agencies overall. Entrants are judged on: performance measures in quality outcomes; process measure implementation; patient experience; quality improvement and financial performance. The study is the only one of its kind in the home healthcare industry. Data comes from publicly-accessible information, as opposed to that sent in by the agencies.

According to Susan L. Henricks, President and COO of National Research Corporation (the parent company of OCS HomeCare products), “the 2012 HomeCare Elite winners demonstrate a commitment to providing patient-centered care and serving as leaders in the home health community. Their success offers data-driven proof of being well-managed and high quality care providers to hospitals, managed care organizations, ACOs, and other potential referral partners across the healthcare continuum. Again, this year, we updated our methodology to reflect the rapidly evolving quality-focused healthcare landscape and national value-based purchasing trends. We congratulate Senior Home Care on being recognized as a top home care agency.”

Robert Fusco, CEO of Senior Home Care pointed out that those organizations that scored high did so as they always put their patients at the top of their priority list. He explained that “our winners demonstrate a commitment to providing the very best care to patients, while providing the highest level of service possible.” According to Product Manager for the post-acute care business group of DecisionHealth, Marci Heydt, HomeCare Elite is an increasingly important body, especially given that there are more regulatory mandates alongside the threat of diminished reimbursement revenue. They show that not only are they able to adapt to a marketplace in continual flux, but also do well in overall patient and clinical experience.