PREPARED PATIENT BLOG

Content tagged with 'Aging Well'
Child tags: Alzheimer’s Disease/Dementia   Delirium   End-of-Life Planning   Medicare   Nursing Homes/Home Health Care  

Is “Guaranteed Coverage for Life” in the Cards for Medicare Seniors?
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | May 1, 2013 | Trudy Lieberman
A few days ago, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield sent me one of those Medigap sales brochures that seniors usually expect during the fall open enrollment season.

Six Awkward Concerns in My OpenNotes
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | March 25, 2013 | Leslie Kernisan
I find myself relieved that I don’t have to figure out how to document (or not document?) concerns [in patient records]...Wondering what they are? Ok, I will tell you, but shhh...don’t tell my elderly patients that I may be considering these topics as I care for them.

Elderly Women in Rural Areas Less Likely to Recover from Depression
HBNS STORY | March 19, 2013
Being female and living in a rural area are among several factors that predicted whether an elderly person with depression recovered over the course of a year, finds a recent study in Depression Research and Treatment.

Caring For Loved Ones When Our Best Efforts Aren’t Enough
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | March 18, 2013 | Nora OBrien Suric
How many friends/family members/social workers does it take to change the mind of a frail person? Even if the frail person was/is one of the leading geriatric social workers in the country?

“Go-to-Guy for All Things Medical” Tested at Mom’s End-of-Life
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | March 4, 2013 | Charles Ornstein
My father, sister and I sat in the near-empty Chinese restaurant, picking at our plates, unable to avoid the question that we'd gathered to discuss: When was it time to let Mom die?

Does the U.S. Get Value for Its Health Care Dollars? – Part 2
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | February 13, 2013 | Trudy Lieberman
It turns out Japan has much to teach us about improving health…In many ways, Japan scores much higher than the U.S. when it comes to the health of its population.

Palliative Care: Easier Said than Done
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | February 1, 2013 | Conversation Continues
If we want our end-of-life wishes to be properly carried out, we have to prepare in advance and our clinicians must also be prepared to help us realize them.

Half of At-Risk Older Adults Aren’t Getting Routine HIV Screening
HBNS STORY | January 29, 2013
Almost half of older adults visiting a public health clinic where HIV/AIDS was prevalent were not screened for the disease in the past 12 months, finds a study in The Gerontologist.

Advance Directives: Caring for You & Your Family
PREPARED PATIENT ARTICLE
Starting conversations about end-of-life care with family members can be uncomfortable, but are worth having. Putting your wishes about end-of-life care in writing—with documents known as advance directives—can make a big difference in serious health situations.

Choosing a Nursing Home
PREPARED PATIENT RESOURCE | Plan For Your End of Life Care
Choosing a nursing home for a family member can be a challenging and exhausting process.

Making Plans for Your End-of-Life Health Care
PREPARED PATIENT RESOURCE | Plan For Your End of Life Care
Though it may be uncomfortable to think about, putting your wishes about your end-of-life care in writing can make a big difference.

What Is Hospice?
PREPARED PATIENT RESOURCE | Plan For Your End of Life Care
Learn more about this important service that provides care and comfort in the months, weeks and days before death.

Comparative Effectiveness Research: Joyce Dubow of AARP
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | December 19, 2012 | Joyce Dubow
We need to do better if we want people to have high-quality care that is provided in a way that is safe and makes the best use of scarce health care resources. CER that is relevant, timely and rigorous is fundamental to achieving these objectives.

Comparative Effectiveness Research: Richard Birkel of the Center for Healthy Aging & NCOA
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | December 5, 2012 | Richard Birkel
We believe that CER can be a valuable strategy to improve health care'?¦We are concerned, however, that older adults have often been excluded from clinical trials of drugs, medical devices and procedures.

The Government Wants Seniors Out of Bad Medicare Plans
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | December 5, 2012 | Trudy Lieberman
Even though open enrollment closes this week for some 47 million seniors who can change their Medicare coverage arrangements for next year, the federal government is extending the deadline for certain people. Who are the lucky ones?

Our Caregiver Reality Check
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | November 1, 2012 | Amy Berman
Who cares for our ill, our aged, our vulnerable? Is it physicians, nurses, social workers, aides? Or is it perhaps another member of the health care team? The largest portion of health care is delivered by families.

Shingles Vaccine Prevents Painful Disease in Older Adults
HBNS STORY | October 17, 2012
Older adults who get the shingles vaccine have a nearly 50 percent reduced risk of developing the often debilitating disease, finds a new evidence review from The Cochrane Library.

Comparative Effectiveness Research: Gail Hunt of the National Alliance for Caregiving
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | September 26, 2012 | Gail Hunt
Gail Hunt is president and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving and serves on the Board of Commissioners for the Center for Aging Service Technology, the Governing Board of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), and the CFAH Board of Trustees. This is the third in a series of interviews between CFAH President and Founder Jessie Gruman and patient and consumer group leaders about their experiences with and attitudes toward comparative effectiveness research.

Topical NSAIDs Provide Relief from Arthritis Pain
HBNS STORY | September 18, 2012
For those suffering from osteoarthritis of the knees or hands, applying topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) —in the form of creams, gels and patches —can bring weeks of pain relief, finds a new review by The Cochrane Library.

My Mother's End-of-Life Discussion That Changed How She Died
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | August 21, 2012 | Leana Wen
I am a physician. The hardest thing I've ever had to do was to end my mother's life. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 47. After a seven-year battle that involved multiple surgeries and countless rounds of chemotherapy, she decided that she had fought long enough.

People with Few Assets Less Likely to Plan for End-of-Life Health Care
HBNS STORY | August 16, 2012
Socioeconomic status is a big predictor of how likely people are to have living wills, a power of attorney for health care decisions or to participate in informal discussions about treatment preferences with loved ones. People with few assets were half as likely as those of more means to plan for these end-of-life concerns, a new study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior finds.

Regular Physical Activity May Help Ward Off Dementia Years Later
HBNS STORY | July 17, 2012
Older adults who engage in vigorous physical activity three or more times a week are less likely to be diagnosed with dementia later compared to adults who don’t, according to a new longitudinal study in American Journal of Health Promotion.

Guest Blog: The App Gap: Why Baby Boomers Won't Use Most Smart Phone Apps
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | June 25, 2012 | Val Jones
Along with the invention of smart phones, an entire medical mobile application (app) industry has cropped up, promising patients enhanced connectivity, health data collection, and overall care quality at lower costs...For all the hype about robo-grannies, aging in place technologies, and how high tech solutions will reduce healthcare costs, the reality is that these hopes are unlikely to be achieved with the baby boomer generation.

A Physician's Perspective on "Shifting to Palliative Care: Help Us Change our Pace"
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | June 20, 2012 | Jessie Gruman
Last week's essay, Shifting to Palliative Care: Help Us Change our Pace, provoked the following commentary from my friend and colleague, James Cooper -- to which I responded.

Shifting to Palliative Care: Help Us Change our Pace
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | June 13, 2012 | Jessie Gruman
It is easy to understand why the medical machine ' the clinicians, the tests and assorted medical procedures ' is poised to provide constant often heroic interventions to save and prolong life.

Guest Blog: The End of Life Horror Show: We Can Do Better
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | June 12, 2012 | Chris Langston
Recently, New York Magazine published an agonizing first person cover story by Michael Wolff, 'A Life Worth Ending,' about the terrible choices and harsh reality of illness at the end of his mother's life. The summary slug for the piece says it all: 'The era of medical miracles has created a new phase of aging, as far from living as it is from dying. A son's plea to let his mother go.'

More Confusion about Those Insurance EOBs'This Time from Medicare
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | June 6, 2012 | Trudy Lieberman
People have a right to receive in plain language a summary of what doctors bill, what insurers pay and how much they themselves must pay.

'Death Panels': Beliefs and Disbeliefs in Health Care
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | May 23, 2012 | Trudy Lieberman
Virginia was particularly concerned that she would not get medical treatment after she turns 75. She had heard at that age, 'they send you a letter. They are going to start sending you literature on death.'

Too Many Drugs for Many Older Patients
HBNS STORY | May 16, 2012
A new Cochrane Library evidence review reveals that little is known about the best ways to avoid inappropriate prescribing of medications for seniors or how to maximize health benefits while minimizing prescriptions.

Self-Efficacy, part 2
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | May 7, 2012 | Connie Davis
Whenever I am in an interaction, I know these three ideas can help shape the encounter. How is the person doing with these three tasks? What can I do to help? Are they confident in these three tasks?

Personalized Interventions Work Best for People with Multiple, Chronic Illnesses
HBNS STORY | April 18, 2012
People with multiple chronic medical conditions are helped by medical interventions that target personal risk factors and/or their ability to perform daily activities. Interventions aimed at general case management or enhancing teamwork among a patient’s care providers are not as effective, finds a new review in The Cochrane Library.

Self-Efficacy, Part 1
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | April 12, 2012 | Connie Davis
Self-efficacy is a very important concept in health care. It is nearly the same thing as self-confidence, or a belief that you can do something, like monitor mood, change eating habits and start being more physically active. It turns out that self-efficacy is linked to hospital utilization (low confidence = increased ER visits and days in hospital), to blood sugar control (low confidence = worse blood sugar control) and to changes in behavior.

Guest Blog: Four Perfect Questions
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | April 9, 2012 | Elaine Waples
I remember when my father-in-law passed away nine years ago. A nervous young doctor had the uncomfortable task of telling him that nothing more could be done about his leukemia and it was perhaps time for hospice.

Medicare Games: When Is a Stay in the Hospital Really a Stay?
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | March 21, 2012 | Trudy Lieberman
If you or a family member is on Medicare, you would assume that if they are in the hospital their care would be covered under Medicare's Part A hospital benefit. Right? Well, not always.

What Consumers Don't Know About Their Health Insurance
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | February 7, 2012 | Trudy Lieberman
On a chilly New York day, a sales agent for UnitedHealthcare stood on a noisy street corner in Spanish Harlem pushing Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. He was engaging in table marketing a way to snag new customers, converts from other MA plans, he hoped.

When Will Grasp Catch Up with Reach? Older People Are Missing the Benefits of Remote Patient Monitoring for Chronic Illness
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | December 7, 2011 | Jessie Gruman
Did you know that every nursing home resident in the US must be asked every quarter whether she wants to go home, regardless of her health or mental status? And if she says yes, there is a local agency that must spring into action to make that happen.

Socially Active Older Adults Have Slower Rates of Health Declines
HBNS STORY | December 1, 2011
Older adults who maintain high levels of social engagement or ramp up their social life as they age may be protected from declines in physical and cognitive health, according to a study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

An Under-Recognized Danger for the Elderly: Delirium
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | November 22, 2011 | Conversation Continues
Delirium and dementia are not synonymous, though in elderly hospitalized patients, delirium is often overlooked or dismissed as such. Here, Nora O'Brien-Suric and Susan Seliger discuss their parents' hospital experiences with delirium, which new research shows, has dangerous implications.

The Costs of Long-Term Care
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | November 14, 2011 | Conversation Continues
Does long-term care insurance have a future? In this roundup, Nancy Folbre, Don Taylor, and Trudy Lieberman offer their forecasts and perspectives on its costs.

Guest Blog: Think Silver'Not Pink'for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | November 1, 2011 | Amy Berman
Because cancer is primarily a disease of aging, we shouldn't be thinking pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month'we should be thinking silver.

Benefits of End-of-Life Planning
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | October 7, 2011 | Conversation Continues
Two new studies have found there are numerous benefits when people discuss their end-of-life preferences with their clinicians and caregivers.

Patients with Implanted Cardiac Devices Should Learn about End-of-Life Options
HBNS STORY | October 4, 2011
An implanted device meant to correct heart rhythm may generate repeated painful shocks during a patient’s final hours, at a time when the natural process of dying often affects the heart’s rhythm.

After an Emergency, Comprehensive Care Is Best for Older Patients
HBNS STORY | July 21, 2011
Older people rushed to the emergency room are more likely to be living at home up to a year later if they receive a comprehensive and age-appropriate evaluation during their hospital stay.

Turning 65: Medicare's Future and Me
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | July 14, 2011 | Trudy Lieberman
I once thought that when I signed up for Medicare, I would never again have to worry about paying for health care. But I will. Medicare's future shape and substance is uncertain.

Turning 65: Making the Choice
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | June 21, 2011 | Trudy Lieberman
Even though I have written about Medicare for many years, it wasn't until I actually went through the process of selecting an option to cover Medicare's gaps that I realized seniors have an extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, task. You can't make a perfect decision because so much depends on your future medical needs and no one can predict those with certainty.

Guest Blog: Making Hard Decisions Easier
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | June 13, 2011 | Amy Berman
Shortly after I was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer a scan showed a hot spot on my lower spine. Was it the spread of cancer? My oncologist scheduled a bone biopsy at my hospital, Maimonides Medical Center, in order for us to find out.

Turning 65: Finding a Medicare Advantage Plan
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | June 6, 2011 | Trudy Lieberman
Ah, those Medicare Advantage (MA) plans! The government can't seem to decide if it loves or hates them. On the one hand, when I tried to learn about my options, there was much more MA plan information available from the government than for traditional Medigap policies. So it seemed like I was being encouraged to select an MA plan.

Turning 65: Finding a Prescription Drug Plan
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | May 23, 2011 | Trudy Lieberman
If I were to choose a Medigap policy to supplement my basic Medicare coverage, I would still have to buy a separate plan for prescription drugs, since Medigap sellers can't include drug benefits in those policies.

Medicare Spending Linked to Longer Life, Better Health in Elderly
HBNS STORY | May 23, 2011
Findings of a new study suggest that cutting Medicare spending across the board could result in poorer health outcomes for the elderly.

Turning 65: Finding a Medigap Policy
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | May 12, 2011 | Trudy Lieberman
The first step after reading my collection of Medicare Advantage, prescription drug, and Medigap sales brochures was to find a way to fill in core Medicare coverage gaps'the deductibles for hospital stays and doctor care and the coinsurance for physician visits, lab tests, and hospital outpatient treatment that could really leave me with an unwelcome bill. I would have to pay 20 percent of those bills if I didn't have supplemental coverage.

Turning 65: The Sellers Were After Me
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | April 28, 2011 | Trudy Lieberman
Even before I officially signed up for Medicare, sellers of Medicare Advantage plans, prescription drug benefits and Medigap policies began stuffing my mailbox with marketing brochures and lead cards'the kind that ask for your name and address and tell you that a salesperson will call if you return the card. Since the first of the year, I have received five lead cards asking for personal information, four solicitations for Medicare Advantage plans, two for stand-alone drug plans and three for Medigap insurance.

Turning 65: It Was Time for Medicare
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | April 11, 2011 | Trudy Lieberman
This is the first in a series of posts that examine the process of signing up for Medicare, navigating its rules, choosing supplemental coverage and planning for health care in a program with a very uncertain future.

1st Person: At 98, Bob Stewart Would Rather Be Dancing
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | April 5, 2011 | First Person
Bob Stewart, who will turn 99 this May, began taking supplements in 2000, when he was in his late 80s. The retired podiatrist is also a strong believer in keeping active. He takes exercise classes at least three times a week and participates in numerous community activities, including a local men's chorus.

Few Studies Delve Into Hospice Care in Nursing Homes
HBNS STORY | March 17, 2011
A new evidence review finds scant high-quality research on the best ways for nursing homes hoping to ease the suffering of older patients through hospice care. Still, the studies suggest that strategies such as teams of specialists and partnerships between nursing homes and hospice care services are essential.

Seniors in Public Housing Suffer Worse Health Than Others in Community
HBNS STORY | March 16, 2011
In a study of more than 16,000 older adults, fatigue, cardiac conditions, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis and psychiatric problems were more prevalent among those living in public housing.

Prepared Patient: Hospice Care: What Is It, Anyway?
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | March 10, 2011 | Health Behavior News Service
Three a.m. can be a lonely time for caregivers. But when Renata Rafferty's husband Jerome struggled to breathe late one night, she knew she wasn't completely alone. Though it was the middle of the night when Renata called, the on-call nurse at their hospice responded immediately: arranging medical equipment and a nurse to check on Jerome. Now, months after Jerome's death, Renata says hospice 'is not the place you go to die, it's the place you go to celebrate and finish your life, in an environment where that is the sole and only focus.'

1st Person: Hospice, My Husband and Me
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | March 10, 2011 | First Person
As Jerome Rafferty, diagnosed with a progressive form of dementia and an incurable, antibiotic-resistant infection, became more ill, his wife, Renata Rafferty, used hospice services at home initially to assist her in caring for him.

Can Good Care Produce Bad Health?
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | February 15, 2011 | Amy Berman
For those of you who haven't yet heard, I have recently been diagnosed with Stage IV inflammatory breast cancer. This rare form of breast cancer is known for its rapid spread. True to form, it has metastasized to my spine. This means my time is limited. As a nurse, I knew it from the moment I saw a reddened spot on my breast and recognized it for what it was.

Guest Blog: Listening to My Mother
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | February 9, 2011 | Corinne H. Rieder
I can't deny it'I miss the mother I once had. Even at age 80, she was vibrant, loving, and independent. And she was strong. For nearly 20 years she provided care to my father, who before his death struggled with normal-pressure hydrocephalus and macular degeneration. What an incredible woman!

Selling Sickness
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | January 21, 2011 | Trudy Lieberman
Someone I know who is just over 65 received an unlikely solicitation'from The Scooter Store located in New Braunfels, Texas, on Independence Drive no less. The outside of the envelope promised a free personal mobility assessment. This person is totally mobile and hardly needs a scooter.

Memory Training Might Not Be Best for Reducing “Senior Moments”
HBNS STORY | January 18, 2011
A new evidence review suggests that memory drills and similar brain-boosting activities are not any better than simple conversations at improving memory in older adults.

Most Seniors Don’t Get Shingles Vaccination, CDC Finds
HBNS STORY | January 11, 2011
Less than 7 percent of U.S. seniors chose to receive the shingles vaccination as of 2008, finds a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Prepared Patient: Advance Directives: Caring for You & Your Family
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | January 3, 2011 | Health Behavior News Service
Heather Rubesch first remembers talking with her mom, Linda, about end-of-life care as a teenager. "When I was 14, I had an aunt who passed because she did not receive a kidney transplant. As a family, we had that conversation-if something happened to one of us, organ donation was what we wanted to do," said Rubesch, 37, a business and marketing writer from Kansas City, Mo. Decades later, when Heather got the call from the hospital, informing her of her mother's terminal condition, she was shocked to discover she was expected to make immediate decisions about her mother's end-of-life care.

Inside Health Care: Are Patients 'Priceless?'
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | December 23, 2010 | CFAH Staff
An inside look at the cost of health care: a physician confused by the transparency of Medicare reimbursements and a patient in San Francisco unable to afford treatment for an enlarged prostate.

Assessing Risk: Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap vs. Drug Coverage Only
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | December 22, 2010 | Trudy Lieberman
As Medicare's open enrollment season draws to a close, it's a good bet that seniors are still sifting through all those brochures and flyers that have come in the mail the last several weeks. My husband received 22. Here's a simple rule to make the sifting go a little faster.

Finding a Medigap Policy on the Web? Better Think Twice
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | December 10, 2010 | Trudy Lieberman
Oh, those clever insurance agents, always on the prowl for new customers. This time they are using the current period of open enrollment for Medicare to snag customers for other insurance products'products that consumers may not need or want.

Does Long-Term Care Insurance Have a Future?
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | November 23, 2010 | Trudy Lieberman
The decision by Metropolitan Life to stop selling long-term care (LTC) insurance once again calls into question the viability of that product as a way to pay for nursing home, assisted living and home care needed by the growing number of elders. MetLife was a solid company'big and reputable, with a knack for selling policies to workers whose employers offered the coverage as an extra benefit. It was a name that people trusted in an industry characterized by many small sellers, some of whom became insolvent.

The Medicare Sales Season Begins: As Always, Buyer Beware!
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | October 7, 2010 | Trudy Lieberman

Emotional and Physical Wellness Might Be Linked to Longer Life
HBNS STORY | October 5, 2010

More Seniors Get Flu Shot After Personalized Reminders, Provider Urging
HBNS STORY | September 7, 2010

What Happens When an Insurance Company Misbehaves
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | July 12, 2010 | Trudy Lieberman

Older Americans Watch More TV, But Enjoy It Less
HBNS STORY | June 29, 2010

Is Choosing a Health Plan Like Buying a Car or Canned Goods?
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | June 21, 2010 | Trudy Lieberman
Do consumers buy health insurance like they buy canned peas? Or should they? That's the big question market place advocates have been trying to answer now for more than a decade. The government and others have thrown gobs of money at this vexing problem trying to figure out the best combination of stars, bars and other symbols that will catch the shopper's eye.

The Inconvenient Evidence on Alzheimer's
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | June 16, 2010 | Jessie Gruman
Lifestyle May Not Prevent Alzheimer's trumpets a headline in Time magazine. The article goes on to describe a carefully conducted review of decades of evidence examining the hypothesis that exercise, social relationships, diet or vitamins can ward off Alzheimer's disease. The study concludes that there is not sufficient evidence to be able to recommend that the public take any of these actions to prevent or delay the disease.

Some Honesty about Medicare Advantage Plans, Please
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | June 11, 2010 | Trudy Lieberman

Sorting Through the Promise of Alzheimer's Research
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | May 5, 2010 | Gail Hunt
Greetings from the National Alliance for Caregiving!' Last week I participated in a very interesting panel on Preventing Alzheimer's and Cognitive Decline.' It was' a pleasure for me to meet and confer with expert academics and clinicians on' this emerging field of research.

About Death and Taxes
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | April 16, 2010 | Dorothy Jeffress
Today is National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD)a day devoted to recognizing the importance of expressing your choices about your health care through advance directives, by creating a living will and designating a medical power of attorney.

A Faint Drumbeat in the Background
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | April 13, 2010 | Dorothy Jeffress
Reading the Modern Love essay in the New York Times Style section has become a favorite Sunday pastime. A widely diverse set of stories explore the paths that love and relationships have taken over the years. Funny, sad, deeply personal and evocative. I find myself connecting with the writers and their subjects in unexpected ways. This week's essay, Sweetest at the End, shared the story of a beloved and accomplished husband's decline and then death from an atrophy of the frontal brain lobe.

Not just about Mom and Dad's Health Insurance...
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | April 6, 2010 | Trudy Lieberman
In the past two weeks I have visited two college campuses---one in Brooklyn and one in Wisconsin.' Large numbers of students turned out to hear about the new reform law and wanted to know what it meant for them.'