Assistance for San Antonio Seniors

Jennifer

San Antonio Seniors receive a lot of assistance from the Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) Unit, located at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital.  Since it opened in June 2010, seniors have been given the opportunity to receive emotional, spiritual, medical and social care.  To date, close to 800 patients have been treated.  
The center has 10 rooms, all designed with seniors in mind.  For example, every room is fitted with a restraint-free pressure bed which can be lowered right down to the floor.  This helps reduce the incidence of falls and bedsores, common in the elderly.  As well, the rooms have convertible love seats for those visiting.

ACE Unit Advantage

One of the advantages of the ACE Unit is that if seniors have to be helped medically, they often will not have to go to the ER, and instead can be immediately treated at the center.  They will be evaluated straight away by a nurse practitioner or attending geriatrician and admitted right there rather than having to move to an office for the administrative process.  As well there are clinicians who are in direct talks with the patient’s primary care physician so that they can comprehensively work out the best way forward.
 

Better Budget for Ontario’s Mental Health Care Providers

Jennifer

Almost 50 more mental health care workers will be hired in Eastern Ontario to help with the more challenging patients suffering from dementia and other such aggressive neurological disorders.  Close to $4m is being provided for the overall program that is aiming to ensure better care for such patients, especially for those in nursing homes. In addition, it is hoped that these additional monies will keep more people out of nursing homes (and in their own homes).  Further, according to interim chief executive of the Champlain Local Health Integration Network, Chantal LeClerc, there are people who are put in hospital just because they are waiting to be placed in long-term-care homes; they shouldn’t really be there, especially as they have difficult behaviors.

Within a few months’ it is hoped that the first of these nurses with special training will be working in the over 60 nursing homes that houses these individuals.  Other plans are for a new secure unit to be constructed at one of the nursing homes which will enable short-term stays for those who require intensive medical help before they can go home. It is a great alternative to hospitals.

Becoming a Geriatrician

Jennifer

Geriatric doctors do not exactly have the most well-respected reputation in the medical industry.  But sometimes, that can be an attraction.  At least it was for Dr. Adrian Wagg.  He kept on hearing that working with seniors was boring and certainly not even close to the glamor one gets as a heart surgeon.  It also wasn’t as exciting as being an ER doctor and the pay isn’t much to write home about either.  So why go into that field? (This is probably why there is such a shortage of these doctors – who, as our population ages and we fight off more diseases and there is an increase of seniors – are few and far between). Indeed, according to Statistics Canada, in Canada today there are 4.2 million seniors – a figure that is expected to increase to 9.8 million in the next 25 years. With only 230 geriatricians to serve them, there is a severe shortage.

Unpopular Medical Choice

Clearly it’s not a profession young doctors want to take on either.  Out of these 230 in Canada, a mere seven are under the age of 35.  It is said that a good 500 more Geriatricians are required for the country. This really shouldn’t be so difficult given that there are many qualified doctors there, who just choose other areas of expertise.  Looking at ER doctors for example, the country has 628 of these, with 46 being under the 35-year group. And when it comes to the antithesis of Geriatrics, Canada has a staggering 2,372 pediatricians, of whom 152 are younger than 35.

Geriatrics in the UK

Interestingly, the situation is somewhat different in the UK.  It is quite a popular choice of residency, perhaps due to the fact that it is one of the few specialties without caps on positions.  Dr. Wagg found one of his teachers very influential there and thus wanted to follow in his footsteps and today is director of geriatric medicine at the University of Alberta.  For him personally, become a Geriatrician was particularly attractive because it would enable him to work in both academia and practice as a doctor.  It has also been pointed out how important it is to understand the ageing population as truthfully, every patient is aging!  So more medical students really need to consider this field as a career option.

Healthcare Reform

Jennifer

Accountable Care Organization (ACOs) networks (developed through Obama’s Affordable Care Act) are set to have a huge effect on the health care sector and senior housing.  The ACOs comprise: hospitals, long-term care facilities, doctor’s offices and healthcare providers, which, together, have a responsibility toward the quality and care budget of their patients.  The aim is to ultimately save money on Medicare.

Obama’s Healthcare Reforms

Given that 2012 is election year, a lot of people are talking about how Obama’s healthcare reform plans are going to work in practice.  According to Chief Business Development Officer for Pathway Senior Living, Aaron D’Costa, “the overall impact of healthcare reform will affect the [senior care] industry as a whole.”

ACOs focuses on those individuals who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid and how best to meet their needs.  If services are provided in a coordinated setting then this could lead to a reduction in costs across the entire system.

Baylor Health Care Gets Capital Injection

Jennifer

The Baylor Health Care System Foundation just received a pledge of close to $12.5m from the Deerbook Charitable Trust, to be received over the next three years.  It is to use this money to improve the quality of care for geriatric patients.  According to the CEO and President of the foundation, Joel Allison, the need to provide care for the elderly is particularly important now as the baby boomers turn 65 this year.  The grant will enable the foundation to “develop best practices that will leave a lasting mark on geriatric healthcare for years to come,” he said.

Executive Director of the Trust, Arthur Sundstorm said that this Foundation was chosen to receive the money so that it could develop programs to advance the entire geriatric care field.  He pointed out that, “Baylor has a unique set of resources that perfectly position them for a project of this magnitude and scope.  Their magnet designation for nursing excellence, visionary leadership, national prestige and innovative culture secured the confidence of the Deerbrook trustees and reinforced that Baylor was the natural choice to lead this ambitious project.”

 

Eldercare Facilities Receive Large Capital Injection

Jennifer

Sentara Healthcare just donated $10m to the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) towards funding for two geriatric care programs.  These are the EVMS Glennan Center for Geriatric and Gerontology and the Sentara Center for Simulation and Immersive Learning.  According to co-chair David L. Bernd, this donation “represents a legacy commitment to a cornerstone of the medical community in Virginia and the nation [and] will assist in providing world-class simulation training to clinicians, ensur[ing] a continued focus on the needs of the aging population in our community. We are glad to be part of the history and growth of EVMS as a well-respected medical institution.”

America has very few simulation centers.  Receiving a donation of this magnitude will enable it to advance its important work.  The facility is also used to train physicians and clinical staff in “simulated team-based care models, advancing patient safety and care delivery.”

The other center will use the capital injection to develop a patient safety program for its seniors.  As well, it will help with patient transportation from the hospital to their homes.

Seniors Lunch on Winter Safety

Jennifer

In Plainsboro tomorrow, there will be a luncheon for the elderly community to glean tips and take advice on how to best prepare for the winter to stay safe and healthy.  This is being organized by Princeton HomeCare Services in conjunction with Merwick Care & Rehabilitation Center.  A discussion will be led by geriatric care professionals, such as Dr. Harpreet Sidhu, Medical Director for Merwick Care. She has worked in this field for a decade.  In addition, each guest will receive a “survival kit” donated by Princeton HomeCare Services, comprising food, water, flashlights and first-aid materials, should poor weather conditions prevent them from venturing out for a while.

Simple Steps

The event will focus on giving out simple steps for geriatric care and preparation during the winter months.  She wants the seniors to become aware of the increased risks of health issues in their group due to the extreme cold weather and snow but that getting prepared for this, is very easy, such as getting a flu shot and not spending too much time outdoors, especially when it’s slippery, to avoid a fall.

Elderly Healthcare Budgeting Issues

Jennifer

There have been plans to reduce adult day healthcare center funding in California, by eliminating MediCal’s input.  But just before this happened, a bunch of lawyers got to work.  Representing around 3,500 seniors who fall in the low-income bracket or have certain disabilities, a legal settlement was announced to maintain these services to ensure that these individuals will not be forced into nursing homes.  A class action suit was filed on the premise that these individuals would literally have nowhere to go and would thus be pushed into inappropriate care such as hospitals, etc.

Community-Based Adult Services

In its stead, the Community-Based Adult Services program was created for these individuals to receive similar services.  In terms of the adult day healthcare program closure, a clause postpones this until the end of February 2012.  According to an attorney for Disability Rights California, Elissa Gershon, “we are pleased that we were able to work with the state to maintain critical benefits for some of California’s most vulnerable citizens.”

Report on Home Healthcare Equipment

Jennifer

The Home Healthcare Equipment Market to 2017 seeks to provide vital information and analysis on what is available for homecare.  Five key areas are covered in the report:  hearing aid devices for the home; diabetes help at home; patient monitoring home services; respiratory devices and drug delivery devices.  Each category is reviewed and analyzed with their products.

In addition, reviews are recorded of various deals that have gone through in the home healthcare equipment market over the last four years.  Data collected for the report was through various existing databases, research, and analysis conducted by GBI Research.

A Big Business

Clearly, the healthcare market for home equipment is financially huge, having been valued last year at a staggering $32.6b with predictions of this figure increasing to $47.9b in the next six years.  The idea is that America’s healthcare system – already way over-burdened – will be able to spend less on the elderly through its healthcare institutions as equipment at home (which is cheaper) will be more readily available and of improved quality. The more healthcare that is conducted at home, the cheaper and better it is for the state. As well, most people prefer to be treated in the comfort of their own home, rather than having to be in a hospital bed.

 

NorthEast Florida Lacks Adequate Geriatric Care

Jennifer

It’s a sorry situation when a fifth of the town is elderly, yet there are no geriatric doctors to take care of them.  But that is exactly what is happening in Putnam County, Florida.  And it’s not just Florida that’s suffering either; apparently this phenomenon is affecting the whole of the country and is only going to get worse as the baby boomers become seniors over the next few decades. 

This is not good and it is a problem that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later, when there are even more seniors requiring specialized eldercare.  Indeed, according to statistics from the American Geriatrics Society, there is approximately one geriatrician available for every 2,600 75+ year-olds!  That is a staggering inadequacy and if this continues, then by 2030 the rate will be 1 to 3,800.  Currently, the rate for pediatricians to kids is 1 for every 1,300.

America has to start realizing just how undervalued geriatricians are as well.  They seem to be paid less but end up listening more to their patients and understand the seniors’ bodies extremely well.  Seniors are definitely better off seeing a geriatrician than a regular family doctor due to their specific training in illnesses and lifestyle issues more common with the elderly population and how to help their families in times of difficulty, again more common in the senior sector.

It seems though that it is not such an attractive prospect for medics to go into. Many are leaving the profession that is already understaffed.  Perhaps it is not so surprising since they are paid very little – especially when compared to other medical doctors.  According to the Medical Group Management Association, the average salary in 2010 was $183,523.  Other specialists get at least double or triple of this.

Clearly, if America is to care for its citizens’ general health, it needs to invest more in encouraging doctors to want to train and stay as geriatric doctors.  As the baby boomers age, our population gets older and thus more of these doctors are needed throughout the nation.