Finding Quality Health Care from US DHHS

This booklet offers information for consumers on evaluating health care services to find quality care and make good health care decisions. It provides tips on finding and communicating with a physician, asking questions, and taking an active role in health care. From the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
DHHS Guide to Health Care Quality

Project Lifesaver....Tracking Missing Persons Suffering From Alzheimer's and Other Diseases

Project Lifesaver uses modern technology to track missing persons suffering from Alzheimer's, Down Syndrome, and autism….check it out. It could save a loved one’s life.

Disappearing seniors may be found County adopts new tracking device
Hudson Reporter - Hoboken,NJ,USA
Lifesaver devices are used in all 21 counties in the state of New Jersey, with more than 26 law enforcement agencies nationwide. ...

Caregivers in NJ

This is a link to the DHSS Caregiver site (which I have posted about previously). This links right into their site map to make it easy to see what they have that may pertain to you and your situation…check it out.

CaregiverNJ - Site Map
Assistive Technology Advocacy Center (ATAC); Division of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DDHH); NJ Commission for the Blind. In-Home Caregiver Education and ...

Article from a Michigan newspaper about Caregiving

This article is actually from a Lansing, MI newspaper, but I think it bears some relevance to this blog. it strikes a cautionary tone about an aging population and caregiving becoming a bigger issue than it is now.

Help: A labor of patience and compassion
Lansing State Journal - Lansing,MI,USASo two years ago, Koons, 56, invited her mother, Marjorie Martyn, to come from New Jersey to Lansing for a short visit. As her mother’s eyesight worsened, ...

New Jersey's Kinship Care Portal

Here is a link to New Jersey's DHSS Kinship Care web page....primarily for those raising children of relatives or others.

DHS established the Kinship Navigator program to help kinship caregivers negotiate the labyrinth of government and community resources that may be available to them. This toll-free service helps kinship caregiver identify available resources and then advocates on their behalf to access those services.

http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/sp&i/Kinnav.html

Fiscal Irresponsibilty by the Government?

Here is an interesting article I found on Medical news Today. The US Comptroller was on 60 Minutes about a week agao and spoke of how fiscally irresponsible the Medicare Drug Program was.

The Medicare prescription drug benefit is "financially irresponsible," U.S. Comptroller General David Walker, head of the Government Accountability Office, said in a segment on CBS' "60 Minutes" this weekend, Reuters reports. Walker called the drug benefit "probably the most fiscally irresponsible piece of legislation since the 1960s ... because we promise way more than we can afford to keep." Walker said that $8 trillion would need to be invested immediately to cover the difference between what Medicare will take in and what it will owe to beneficiaries over the next 75 years.

He also mentions how overburdening it will be when the major segment of the baby boomer generation starts to retire. Sounds like a problem?

Resources for Grandparents and Others Raising Children in NJ

This link points to a pdf (Adobe Acrobat document) file that is a fact sheet providing important information and resources for the grandparents and other relatives raising children in NJ. The file appears to be dated 2005 so some info may have changed, but at least it gives a good place to start for people that need assistance who serve as caregivers for children.

The article lists resources for grandparents, foster care, public assistance programs, state laws may be helpful to grandparents and other relatives raising children, and a list of national resources (phone numbers and web addresses listed). The file is hosted by the Brookdale Foundation.

Resource Sheet at Bookdale Foundation
through Work First New Jersey. • A “child-only grant” is for the child and based only on the child’s income. • An adult caregiver may also be included in ...

CVS Trying to Open Up Minute Clinics for Primary Medical Care

According to this article CVS is setting up MinuteClinics in some of their stores nationwide. They have 11 of them in NJ. A MinuteClinic is like a mini medical-care facility, staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants to treat common ailments. Clinic staff see patients with ailments such as strep throat, ear, eye, bladder and sinus infections, bronchitis and minor skin infections. MinuteClinic also offers basic vaccinations, including flu shots. Read more about it below...

CVS looking to bring in-store clinic to Bridgewater
Bridgewater Courier News - Bridgewater,NJ,USA
Judith Martin Waterman, a spokeswoman for the Medical Society of New Jersey, said there are "pluses and minuses" to places such as MinuteClinic. ...

NJ DHSS Caregiver portal

Here is a link to the NJ DHSS Caregiver resources page....lots of good info here...ranging from county and state programs, hospice care, definitions of terms in care-giving...you name it is in here.

http://www.state.nj.us/caregivernj/

Lifespan Respite Care Act

Here is some more info on the Caregiver support bill written by Mike Ferguson of NJ. The bill authorizes $289 million over 5 years for states to build up caregiver resources. 900,000 NJ residents may benefit from this program.

I think it is a good start. Let's see what Bush does with the bill...sign it into law or veto?

From Ferguson's US House of Representatives Webpage

Congressman Mike Ferguson - New Jersey's 7th Congressional District FERGUSON'S CAREGIVER BILL WINS FINAL CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL ... other services to an estimated 50 million families – including 900000 New Jersey residents ...

Family Caregiver Support

Here is a pretty good article from the National Conference of State Legislatures that gives a lot of information.

Included within are stats on the age of the population that is 60+, along with different types of programs and:

• what they offer
• what they are funded by
• eligibility requirements

At the bottom of the page are contacts for the Division of Aging and Community Services, and the National Association of State Units on Aging.

Family Caregiver Support- New Jersey: Funded by: National Family Caregiver Support Program under Older Americans Act Title III E; administered by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior ...

NJ Respite Caregiver Resrouces

Here is a pretty good article from the New Brunswick Home News Tribune that discusses NJ respite programs to assist caregivers in getting a little free time for themselves. Mentioned within are a woman, and her mother that are using a respite program offered by a local church in Old Bridge, NJ.

They also mention the statewide respite program administered through counties, an Alzheimer's adult day services program (along with state requirements), and options for people in Middlesex County.

It also discusses federal legislation written by NJ Rep Mike Ferguson R-7th Dist that provides $289 million over 5 years for states to develop expanded respite services.

Here are some links and numbers related to the article:

Statewide Respite Care Program (through NJEASE): (877) 222-3737; http://www.state.nj.us/health/senior/respite.shtml

Caregiver NJ Resource Web site: http://www.state.nj.us/caregivernj/index.shtml

Middlesex County Department on Aging: (732) 745-3295; http://co.middlesex.nj.us/aging/index.asp

Take A Break
New Brunswick Home News Tribune - New Brunswick,NJ,USA
Interfaith Network's program is one of a growing number of options to help New Jersey families caring for parents carve out some time for themselves and ...

New Device Helps Patients Prevent Drug Mix-ups

I found this article on Medical News Today about a computerized medication dispensing system.

The device is being used in New Jersey and was developed with help from Rutgers-Camden...my alma mater! Go Scarlet Knights!!!!

Here are a few excerpts from the article:

"The Medi-Sure Dispensing System is about the size of a DVD player and is programmed by a pharmacist, who puts medications in cassettes that hold two weeks work of medicine. The pharmacist also programs what times each dose is to be taken and instructions for each medication, such as whether or not the medicine should be taken with food or water....

Then, in the patient's home, the Medi-Sure Dispensing System alerts the patient that it's time to take their medicine through a verbal recording, and will keep alerting the patient until he or she presses the "Get Dose" button. The machine then dispenses the pills into a drawer that, once removed, tells the patient any specific instructions about that medicine. When the drawer is returned, the Medi-Sure Dispensing System records the time that the medicine was taken, and creates a log that can be accessed electronically by a health care provider and any family members who have been given permission to view the log. The log also includes crucial information about the medications, from the dosage to what the pills look like since generic version of a medicine can look completely different than the brand-name version....

The entire service, which includes hardware, software, reports, and a fee to fill the cassettes, costs about $4 per day - less per month than most in-home nursing visits."

Minding Our Elders and Living Through It: A Caregiver’s Journey - By Carol Bradley Bursack

You’ve got kids and they’re growing up. You’ve got a job and you’re moving up. You and your spouse have smoothed out the wrinkles of early marriage. Sailing along pretty well, right?

Bang! Dad has a stroke. Mom, while trying to help Dad, falls and breaks her hip. And you have to deal. What happened to your life?

Welcome to our world. The world of the caregiver.

Your son, Jon, is in football and is getting his first letter at tomorrow’s breakfast. You’re daughter, Meg, has a concert tomorrow night. Woops! Mom fell again and this time sliced her head open. Dad’s blood pressure is soaring from the scare.

So, Jon gets his football letter while you’re filling out papers in the ER. Meg plays her first solo while you’re consoling Dad about Mom. And you fight guilt.

Then, there’s work. Yesterday, you juggled everything for all the kid’s stuff you missed. You were up all night with Mom and Dad. Now you face a full day’s work. You doze off in your cubical only to be awakened by your supervisor’s obviously fake cough. There goes the promotion!

What do you do? Well, you keep on caregiving. But you also step back and say, “I need to take care of myself, too.”

You need to detach from Mom and Dad’s problems and get some outside help, whether everything is done as well as you do it or not. Trust others to take care of your elders, occasionally. Check references. Make sure the businesses and/or facilities you use are as good as you can get. Then give yourself some space.

You need to make time for your children – guilt free – the way your parents would want you to, if they could still understand the concept. You need to find some down time to exercise, meditate or just vegetate. You need to nurture your marriage. And your spirit. If all of this takes away from the time you spend with Mom and Dad, so be it. Everyone has to make compromises. Even our elders.

My dad had brain surgery because of a WWII injury. The end result was instant dementia. I became his office manager, his mother, his magician, making everything he thought was real – well – real.

This was exhausting. I made academic degrees, wrote letters from dignitaries and presented awards. I was obsessed with making his life as livable as it could be. Commendable. But I wasn’t accepting that he would have bad days no matter what I did. That I couldn’t bring back the dad I had. That I couldn’t fix his life.

After years of this, while caring for several other elders and, eventually, working full time, I finally broke. Dad was complaining because I didn’t stay long enough when I visited. Finally, I said through tears, “Dad, I am doing everything I can!”

And somewhere, in the far reaches of his damaged brain, there was recognition. The self-centeredness moved aside just a bit and let the real person, still buried there – my real dad – peek through. He settled down and said “Yes, I know. I’m sorry.” From then on it got a little easier.

My mother had been a wonderful, funny woman, but, in her last years, was in severe pain and suffered from dementia. One day, after she was very nasty to me over something she didn’t understand, I’d had it. This had happened before, and the nurses told me to just not visit the following day. That she would learn. But I didn’t believe them.

That time was too much. I skipped a day. And, voila! When I returned the day after, Mom was charming. I found I could set limits. I had begun to learn self-care.

Gradually, I learned to stand up for myself a little more. I also learned to talk to friends and tell my story at a support group. And I listened to others tell their stories. I learned to detach a bit and even take a day off, when I had to. It was a matter of survival.

It’s far easier to say than to do. But caregivers must practice self-care. Because what happens to Jon and Meg, Mom and Dad, if your health collapses? Health problems, including depression, are rampant among caregivers, and thirty percent of our caregivers die before the people they are caring for. Thirty percent! Don’t be a statistic. Practice self-care. Everyone will be better off, including your elders.

For over twenty years author, columnist and speaker Carol Bradley Bursack cared for a neighbor and six elderly family members. Because of this experience, Carol created a portable support group – the book “Minding Our Elders: CaregiversShare Their Personal Stories. Her site http://www.mindingourelders.com includes helpful links and agencies. Carol’s column, “Minding Our Elders,” runs weekly, she speaks at many caregiver workshops and conferences and has been interviewed by national radio, newspapers and magazines.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carol_Bradley_Bursack

Bathroom Safety Tips

As we age, our physical abilities diminish, and therefore we lose our strength and our balance. Unfortunately, accidents can occur more often and the bathroom can become a dangerous room. It is important to make your bathrooms safe. The following suggestions can make your bathroom less treacherous.

Grab bars provide a place for your hands to grab on to as you raise or lower yourself. They can be attached to walls with screws, some bars are attached to the bathtub, and other bars use suction cups, which avoids the need to drill into a wall. There are also toilet safety frames that help when lowering and raising from the toilet. Please closely follow the instructions for installation, or have a professional contractor do the installation for you.

Shower chairs provide a sanitary seating area when taking showers. This product is a great aid for those that have difficulty standing or sitting on the bathtub floor is impossible. Usually constructed with plastic molded seating and aluminum or steel legs. Some chairs have wheels for mobility. For those looking for a warmer material, there are wood seats made of teak.

Transfer benches are used when you have limited mobility. Usually two legs are inside the bathtub and 2 legs are outside the bathtub and the bench stretches over the bathtub wall. First you sit on the outside of the tub on the edge of the bench. Then you slide over into the bathtub section, pulling your legs over the tub wall.

Elevated toilet seat provides the extra few inches of height, making it easier to get on and off a toilet. Some models come with arms for stability.

Hand held showerhead provides for better control of the water when taking showers. Rising and cleansing the parts you want to concentrate on. Many showerheads have different sprayer settings you can select.

Non-slip tiles provide traction when the floors are wet. There are also products that can be coated on to the floor to provide additional traction. Rubber mats may also provide a solution from slippery floors. Safety tape can also provide the needed traction for that slippery floor.

Any electrical outlets that are near wet areas like the bathroom must be a ground fault circuit interrupter outlet (GFCI). These GFCI outlets will immediately shut the power off in the event of a short circuit.

Planning for safety in any room is important, and the bathroom has many products that make it safer. Please review your bathroom concerns with your healthcare professional. For more information, please visit http://www.cwimedical.com/bathroom_safety.html.

Noah Lam has over 15 years of experience of providing high quality medical supplies and healthcare products from Acute Care Facilities to parents and children. His company, CWI Medical is a leading provider of medical supplies and equipment to healthcare facilities and for home use. In addition, CWI Medical is an ACHC Accredited organization maintaining standards of excellence in the Healthcare Field. For more information, please visit http://www.cwimedical.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Noah_Lam

NJ Drug Price Registry

New Jersey has a webpage at the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs Website (DCA) for the most frequently prescribed medications. It is the NJ Prescription Drug Registry

By comparing prices here, consumers can see what a pharmacy has reported to the State that it charged for a specific prescription drug. Comparing the prices listed in this registry will help a consumer find the pharmacy in his or her area with the lowest retail price for a specific prescription drug.

The DCA Home Page has some other info regarding identity theft, online license renewals, home improvement contractors, and gas prices. Check it out.

2008 Medicare Premiums Could Increase by 17%

In an article in the Palm Beach Post the TREA Senior Citizens League asserts that the Medicare Part B premiums in 2008 could increase by 17%, or $15.90, to $109.40 monthly.

2008's projected high premiums are based on the rapidly growing deficit between what program was expected to cost and the actual costs.

TREA noted that Part B premiums have increased 60 percent over the past five years while the Social Security cost of living allowance has increased 14 percent. If the 2008 projected increases occur, premiums will have increased 77 percent in six years, compared to a 15 percent increase in cost of living allowances.

Prescription Drug Coverage in NJ

Prescription drug benefits have gotten quite a lot of coverage over the past few years. Many people have complained about the "doughnut hole" that the Medicare drug program has in which those enrolled in the program are responsible for their drug costs. The doughnut hole as it is referred to is a void in coverage at $2250 up to about $5000.

Under Medicare Part D (drug benefit) which began in January 2006 the patient does get a discounted price for medications, however for some on a fixed income this may not be enough. Luckily NJ has a program called PAAD (Pharmaceutical Assistance for the Aged and Disabled). PAAD works in conjunction with Medicare to cover prescription costs and keep co-pays at or around $5. It's a big help if your loved one has expensive medications. As of January 1, 2006, all PAAD participants who have Medicare must enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan. In effect you will use your PAAD in conjunction with Medicare Part D.

In addition to providing assistance with prescriptions the program is also a gateway to other programs offered by the state. You will automatically receive a LIFELINE application if you are enrolled in PAAD. LIFELINE is a utility assistance program that offers a yearly benefit of $225 to persons age 65 years and older, and to certain disabled persons who are receiving Social Security disability payments.

I strongly urge you to look into any of these programs to determine your eligibility. It could make a big difference.

Using the Web to Check in on Loved Ones

I found an interesting article in the NY Times. It's about a system from ADT Security Services that allows you to monitor the movements of a loved one that may live in a different location.

The article talks about a woman whose father desired to live independently but still needed to be check up on from time to time.

excerpt from the article:

"She drops by his apartment often, and logs into a Web site several times a day to check on him. Motion sensors track how often Mr. Araps opens the refrigerator, when he gets out of bed and how long he stays in the bathroom. If his normal patterns vary, the alarm company alerts her.

One day, the company called her to say that no one had entered or left the apartment all day. It turned out that a home health aide had failed to show up, and her father had not received his diabetes medication. Ms. Araps rushed over and made sure that her father took his pills. "


The service seems to be reasonably priced at $199 to install and then $79.95 per month. There are others mentioned in the article and they also go on to discuss what the difference are between providers. They also mention the issue of having geriatric care managers working behind the scenes and the largely unregulated status of this industry.
....click for more info....

Medicare Cuts and New jersey

from FindLaw.com:

PRINCETON, N.J., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by Gary S. Carter, President and CEO of the 119-member New Jersey Hospital Association on the federal budget cuts to Medicare and Medicaid:

"Federal budget cuts to the Medicare and Medicaid programs proposed this week by President Bush would severely compromise our hospitals' ability to provide necessary services, while pulling a much-needed safety net out from under children, the elderly and disabled New Jerseyans.

"The Bush budget proposes to cut more than $41 million in payments from New Jersey hospitals in 2008, and that number would grow to $656 million by 2012. With more than 40 percent of our state's hospitals already operating in the red, onerous reductions of that size could force program cuts, staff layoffs and outright closures.

....click for info....

Medicare/Medicaid affected by Bush's 2008 Budget Cuts

The American College of Physicians responds to President Bush's proposals for savings in Medicare and medicaid in his 2008 budget.

From Medical news Today:

By not including funds to offset a pending cut in Medicare payments to physicians, the president's FY 2008 budget will accelerate the collapse of primary care, create access problems, and manufacture obstacles to fundamental reform of physician payment policies, the American College of Physicians (ACP) said. The organization of 120,000 internists and medical students noted that the budget assumes at least an 8 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors -- which is not sustainable -- and is certain to have a multitude of adverse effects.....click for more....

From CBS.com:

Under the Bush plan, Medicaid cuts also would hit:

_Teaching hospitals, $1.8 billion.

_Publicly owned hospitals and nursing homes, $5 billion.

_Providers of rehabilitation services for the mentally and developmentally disabled, $2.3 billion.


....click for more....


From WashingtonPost.com:

Depending on whom you ask, the budget that President Bush proposed last week will save or sink Medicare and Medicaid, two popular programs that, along with Social Security, threaten to swamp the federal budget as the baby-boom generation retires.

Bush, citing the need for fiscal responsibility, proposed reducing by $101 billion over five years the spending growth of the two health programs, which serve 93 million people and will cost the government $564 billion this year. One of his most controversial ideas is to charge wealthier seniors higher Medicare premiums for the second time in the program's 41-year history.
....click for more....