Health Care

Submitted by Jodi Melsness, Home Care Solutions

Diabetes occurs when your body cannot properly use or produce insulin, a hormone made in your pancreas. Insulin helps your body bring glucose (sugar) from your blood into your cells where it can be used for energy. There are several types of diabetes, and all can be controlled with the right blend of lifestyle changes and medical management.

Millions of people nationwide already have this incurable disease and millions are at risk for developing it. This disease leads to serious complications such as kidney failure and blindness and is also related to another serious illness, heart disease.

Submitted by Jodi Melsness, Home Care Solutions

Here are some quick and simple ways to put more happiness into your life.

Choose Your Attitude and Invest in Yourself

• Practice appreciation. It is the purest form of love.
• Make your own choices. Freedom brings happiness.
• Lead with your strengths. Cultivate what you do well.
• “Talk yourself happy”. Words affect our emotions and energy.
• Invest in yourself. Balance work, health and relationships.

Written by Chris Austin, My Life LLC

Most adults over the age of 65 don’t relish the idea of being admitted to the hospital.  What’s worse is the thought of having to be readmitted again within a short period of time.  Unfortunately, for many Medicare recipients over the age of 65, this is a common phenomenon that healthcare professionals kindly refer to as ‘the revolving door’.

Until recently, little data existed to track the prevalence of avoidable hospital readmissions in the United States.  However, last year a study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine that set federal regulatory agencies to the task of fixing what has now become a nation-wide healthcare problem.  According to the study, 1 in 10 Medicare recipients over the age of 65 is avoidably readmitted to the hospital within 30 days after their discharge.  And the chances for an avoidable readmission increase over time.

Written by Chris Austin, MA, BS, LSW, CSWCM and

 President of My Life, LLC Professional Geriatric

Care Management

While the concept of Geriatric Care Management has been around for the past 20 years or so, it is becoming a rapidly growing senior service.  Geriatric Care Management is the art of supporting an elderly individual to remain in the least restrictive environment for as long as possible while anticipating future needs and preventing crisis situations.  A Geriatric Care Manager is a professional who assesses the physical, cognitive, social, spiritual and economic needs of an aging person, and coordinates a network of services to address those needs.  This ultimately reduces or eliminates unnecessary costs and improves quality of life for seniors and their families.