The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all seniors receive the following four vaccines:
These vaccines are especially important for people who have a weakened immune system or any of the following conditions:
However, any senior with one of the following chronic health conditions may need other vaccines, as well.
Asplenia
Anyone without a spleen, or whose spleen function is impaired, may also need:
Diabetes
Diabetics are at higher risk of hepatitis B than nondiabetics. If they are under 60 years old, they should receive the Hep B vaccine (three doses).
However the effectiveness of this vaccine decreases in older patients, and diabetics over the age of 60 should discuss with their healthcare provider whether they should receive it.
Kidney Disease
Anyone with kidney disease or kidney failure is at greater risk of Hepatitis B, and may need a Hep B vaccine (three doses). Although hepatitis is most commonly associated with the liver, it also affects the kidneys.
Liver Disease
Someone with with liver disease should receive:
For many people, even if they have one of these conditions, the vaccines may be contraindicated for some reason. This information is not intended as medical advice. Every senior and every person with one of these conditions should consult with their personal healthcare provider about their own situation. And one conversation is not enough: new vaccines are always being developed, and guidelines are always being published.
At the Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers, we offer the very best of care in the most appropriate and patient-centered environment. This means always listening to our residents and patients and respecting their capabilities, while helping them to achieve maximum functionality and independence. And always maintaining the highest professional and quality standards in our staff and our facilities. Our 25 years of excellent care have led to us being awarded a Best Nursing Homes award by US News & World Today, a 5-Star rating by USA Today, and an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau, among many other awards.
Contact us by clicking here to see which of our three facilities will best meet your needs or the needs of your loved one.
Every year, you have the opportunity to review and, if you choose, to change Parts A, B and D of your Medicare plan. The time to do this is during the Open Enrollment Period, which runs from October 15 through December 7. Any changes you make during that time will be effective January 1, 2020.
Because plans change every year — and your medical needs do, as well — it is important to use the Open Enrollment Period to make sure you have the plan that best suits your needs and your budget.
Here are 3 ways to help you decide whether or not you want to keep your plan:
Include all the medications you take in this list. (Don’t have a list of your medications? This is a good time to create one. Having this list, and bringing it to every doctor’s appointment, will help keep you safe from dangerous medicine interactions, as well as multiple medicines for the same condition.)
Once you have your list, consider whether your needs will change in the coming year. As you consider plans, you will want to know how well they fit your needs.
The ANOC notes any changes in your plan starting January 1, 2020. Your plan might change its cost, its member providers, and its coverage, so it is critical to review the changes and decide whether the plan still fits your needs. After all, if the primary care physician you love and have been with for the last thirty years is no longer in-network, you may want to change plans.
Can’t find your ANOC? (After all, it came several months ago.) Don’t worry. Contact your plan, and they’ll send you a new one.
Not sure whether you’re getting the best deal? The Medicare website contains several interactive tools that can help you.
If you’re not sure which type of Medicare coverage is best for you: Original Medicare, a Medicare Advantage plan, or a supplemental “Medigap” policy, Medicare explains your options and helps you choose. Click here for the Medicare Coverage Options tool.
If you want to estimate what your out-of-pocket costs will be under different plans, use Medicare’s Out-Of-Pocket Cost Estimator tool, by clicking here.
Want to start from scratch, and look at all possible plans? Use the Medicare Plan Finder, by clicking here.
Don’t have internet? Don’t fret! A representative from Medicare can help you on the phone. Call 1-800- MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
At the Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers, we know all about Medicare. Our staff is happy to help you navigate the Medicare system, and make sure you get the care you need and deserve.
The Regency Centers offer the very best of care in the most appropriate and patient-centered environment. This means always listening to our residents and patients and respecting their capabilities, while helping them to achieve maximum functionality and independence. And always maintaining the highest professional and quality standards in our staff and our facilities. Our 25 years of excellent care have led to us being awarded a Best Nursing Homes award by US News & World Today, a 5-Star rating by USA Today, and an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau, among many other awards.
Contact us by clicking here to see which of our three facilities will best meet your needs or the needs of your loved one.
It’s a difficult question, one most people would rather avoid, but will likely find they cannot: How do you ensure that your loved one, when nearing the end of their life, gets the care they need and want?
Surely, Dr. Atul Gawande would know. After all, in addition to being a professor at both Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, a practicing surgeon at Harvard’s second-largest teaching hospital, and heading two public health organizations, he thinks deeply about the human aspects of medicine. That thinking has made him a staff writer for The New Yorker, the author of several best-selling books, and the recipient of a slew of awards, including the prestigious MacArthur fellowship.
If anyone would know what to do when approaching end-of-life decisions, Atul Gawande would.
And yet, he found that he did not. Not when it came to guiding his patients, and not even when it came to caring for his own ailing father.
So he did what most of us cannot: he spent three years researching the issue. The result was a series of articles, culminating in a book called Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End.
What did he find out? Shockingly, it was that one should simply talk to the patient, honestly and compassionately, about what they want the end of their life to look like. It’s a conversation — or a series of conversations — that happens far less frequently than it should.
Being Mortal is a book every mortal should read, but for the sake of expediency, we will distill Gawande’s into the short list of “a few important questions,” as enumerated in an adaptation of his book, printed in The New York Times as an op-ed entitled “The Best Possible Day”:
Too often, it is too little. This may be because of cognitive decline, or because the family simply does not have the heart to tell the full truth to their loved one.
Who could be blamed for trying to avoid this question? But if the patient is not cognitively impaired, it must be asked. Sometimes, the patient has already written an Advance Directive, colloquially known as a Living Will, stating what measures they want taken in a situation in which they are not able to speak for themselves.
But end-of-life decisions are vexing and complex. Simple wishes, stated long before they will ever be implemented, may not be relevant in the patient’s current condition.
Another question that is hard to ask — and often hard to hear the answer to.
If the patient is of sound mind, the answers to this and all the other questions must be honored.
The questions are hard to ask, but by asking them, Gawande says, the family can “often unlock transformative possibilities.” Dr. Gawande also suggests that all these questions be repeated as the patient’s health condition evolves.
Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers prides itself on ensuring its residents have everything they need to design the life they want. We offer the very best of care in the most appropriate and patient-centered environment. This means always listening to our residents and patients and respecting their capabilities, while helping them to achieve maximum functionality and independence. And always maintaining the highest professional and quality standards in our staff and our facilities. Our 25 years of excellent care have led to us being awarded a Best Nursing Homes award by US News & World Today, a 5-Star rating by USA Today, and an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau, among many other awards.
Contact us by clicking here to see which of our three facilities will best meet your needs or the needs of your loved one.
When you or your loved one first sees a doctor, you will typically be asked for a family medical history. This is no stroll down Memory Lane: a family medical history contains a wealth of information that can help guide clinicians in caring for their patient.
Many diseases, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, blood clots, arthritis, and certain types of cancer, “run in families.” Diseases and chronic conditions can also be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, and families share both.
By informing medical practitioners of health conditions that affected any of your relatives, you enable them to recommend ways to reduce your own risk of the condition. It also alerts them to keep an eye out for symptoms of specific problems, should they begin to appear.
In order to give the fullest, most helpful medical history, it is important to know:
Most people don’t have all the pertinent health information about their families at their fingertips, so it’s important to do research, particularly if you suspect there is a family history of medical problems. This research might be a simple as asking family members —especially older family members, who are usually treasure troves of family history — or it might require researching family medical records and death certificates.
The Surgeon General has released a web-based tool, My Family Health Portrait, that helps you collect and store family history. One of the benefits of this tool is that it allows you to send your partially completed medical history to other family members, who can fill in some of the blanks. The information is not shared with anyone other than the people you choose.
You can access this tool here.
Whether a condition that runs in your family is caused by nature or nurture, you share much in common with your family, and it’s in everyone’s interest to have as complete a family medical history as possible. Taking the time to gather accurate information is an important part of keeping yourself, and your loved ones, healthy.
At the Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers, we offer the very best of care in the most appropriate and patient-centered environment. This means always listening to our residents and patients and respecting their capabilities, while helping them to achieve maximum functionality and independence. And always maintaining the highest professional and quality standards in our staff and our facilities. Our 25 years of excellent care have led to us being awarded a Best Nursing Homes award by US News & World Today, a 5-Star rating by USA Today, and an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau, among many other awards.
Contact us by clicking here to see which of our three facilities will best meet your needs or the needs of your loved one.
Our skin is the largest organ in our body. And as anyone who has seen their first wrinkle knows, our skin ages as we do. While some may fret over smile lines, there are far more serious issues with ageing skin. Thinning skin, decreased circulation, and diminished immune function leave seniors vulnerable to nonhealing wounds and skin infections.
For tips on everyday skin care, see our blog post on elderly skin.
In addition to the usual issues that affect older skin, such as thinning and loss of elasticity, seniors are also more likely to have medical conditions that affect their skin. Diabetes, which affects a staggering 25% of seniors, is associated with nonhealing foot sores, an issue so serious it is the leading cause of lower leg amputation in the US. Hypothyroidism, another common condition in older people, also leads to impairment of the skin. If a senior is bedridden, skin issues are exacerbated.
All these factors make wound care an essential part of caring for the elderly.
The following 6 issues prevent wounds from healing, and can decrease a senior’s quality of life:
If a senior is bedridden, or even if they just lead a sedentary lifestyle, friction and constant pressure can cause bedsores.
A diet that lacks essential nutrients, particularly protein, vitamin C, and zinc, will cause wounds to heal more slowly, or even to worsen.
Dead skin surrounding a wound, known as necrosis, can interfere with the body’s ability to heal the wound.
An open wound is vulnerable to bacterial infection, at which point the immune system turns to fighting the infection rather than healing the wound.
In order to heal, a wound needs a certain level of moisture. Too little or too much moisture impair healing. Proper wound care requires frequent changing and monitoring of dressings and bandages.
At the Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers, we offer the very best of care in a patient-centered environment, understand the importance of wound care for our residents This means following our residents’ health carefully, listening to them, and respecting their capabilities, while helping them to achieve maximum functionality and independence — and always maintaining the highest professional and quality standards in our staff and our facilities. Our 25 years of excellent care have led to us being awarded a Best Nursing Homes award by US News & World Today, a 5-Star rating by USA Today, and an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau, among many other awards.
Contact us by clicking here to see which of our three facilities will best meet your needs or the needs of your loved one.
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition in which the heart cannot beat strongly enough to supply the body with blood.
Any condition that overworks the heart can cause congestive heart failure. It can happen in an instant, as after a heart attack, or very slowly, after years of untreated high blood pressure.
While genes play a role in heart health, many of the risk factors for CHF are related to unhealthy lifestyle choices, including obesity and smoking.
Certain medical conditions also increase one’s risk. These include:
A variety of tests can determine whether a person has congestive heart failure. These include:
While the damage to the heart caused by CHF cannot be reversed, treatment is available to relieve symptoms, and keep the condition under control. The choice of treatment will be guided by the conditions that cause the heart failure.
Common medications for congestive heart failure include:
CHF does not always respond to medication, however. In some cases, surgery is required.
Common procedures for CHF include:
At the Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers, we offer the very best of care in the most appropriate and patient-centered environment. This means always listening to our residents and patients and respecting their capabilities, while helping them to achieve maximum functionality and independence. And always maintaining the highest professional and quality standards in our staff and our facilities. Our 25 years of excellent care have led to us being awarded a Best Nursing Homes award by US News & World Today, a 5-Star rating by USA Today, and an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau, among many other awards.
Contact us by clicking here to see which of our three facilities will best meet your needs or the needs of your loved one.
It is well-known that physical activity has a direct, positive effect on an individual's physical and emotional health. In recent years there have been numerous research studies designed to quantify and qualify the ways in which exercise decreases an individual's risk of mortality and determine the amount and intensity of physical activity required to have these positive effects.
Several years ago, it was reported that 30 minutes of physical activity three or four times a week directly lowered the risk for a variety of illnesses and diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression and cancer. But the truly striking result of this research was that it made no difference regarding an individual's decrease in their risk of mortality whether an individual worked out for 30 minutes straight or worked out 3 times a day for 10 minutes at a time.
This research was both surprising and important. To have the discipline to exercise for 30 minutes straight requires commitment. But a 10 minute walk? Not so much.
Now, new research in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reveals an even more astounding result. The scientists showed conclusively that even low-level, leisurely physical activity, such as walking or gardening, protects both cognitive function and cardiovascular health.
More importantly, the researchers confirmed that individuals who engaged in any leisurely activity for at least one 10 minute session a week had an 18% lower risk of death from all causes. This was an astounding result, as requires neither vigorous activity nor a large investment of time.
It was true, however, that as the amount of time and the intensity of the activities increase, overall mortality rate decline further. People who engage in leisurely physical activities for 150 minutes a week lowered their overall risk of death by 31%. And those involved in physical activity for 1500 minutes or more per week saw their overall risk of mortality declined by more than 46%.
The researchers also noted that when given the choice of more time or more vigorous exercise, the statistics clearly indicated that more intense physical exercise caused a greater reduction of mortality, as well as a series of other positive physical and emotional benefits.
The good news for us is that however sedentary we might be, it is difficult to say that we cannot find 10 minutes a week to take a leisurely walk or do some pleasant physical activity. To add to this good news is the fact that once a person begins with 10 minutes of physical activity a week, they will find that within a month it will be easy to add more.
And finding more leisurely activities is itself a fun activity that will improve both our physical life and the pleasure we derive from life. We just need to find an activity we enjoy, whether it’s dancing slowly to a song we like, planting a garden, or going window shopping are all easy and pleasant.
At the Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers, we offer the very best of care in the most appropriate and patient-centered environment. This means always listening to our residents and patients and respecting their capabilities, while helping them to achieve maximum functionality and independence. And always maintaining the highest professional and quality standards in our staff and our facilities. Our 25 years of excellent care have led to us being awarded a Best Nursing Homes award by US News & World Today, a 5-Star rating by USA Today, and an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau, among many other awards.
Contact us by clicking here to see which of our three facilities will best meet your needs or the needs of your loved one.
It’s almost summer. Your friends are planning summer vacations, but you’re not because you’re taking care of Mom. You’re hardly alone. According to an AARP report, nearly 40 million Americans act as caregiver for an older adult, usually a relative.
Caregiving is not an easy job. Nearly half of family caregivers consider themselves “somewhat stressed,” and over one-third say they are “highly stressed.” The care their loved ones receive might be free, but caregivers themselves often pay an unexpectedly heavy price: burnout.
Caregiver Syndrome is only an “unofficial” diagnosis, but it reflects a very real problem. Caregivers, often caring for an older relative while also being a spouse and parent, often find that they neglect their own care. This leaves them subject to burnout, a condition that includes a high level of stress, and high incidence of depression and chronic illness.
How can you prevent Caregiver Syndrome? The Cleveland Clinic recommends respite care. By allowing your loved one to have a short stay in a well-run facility, you give the time you need for to recharge your own batteries.
Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers, we offer the very best of care in the most appropriate and patient-centered environment. Our respite program includes three delicious, healthful meals a day, stimulating and entertaining recreational programs, and the opportunity for your loved one to enjoy social interaction with their peers. Allow us to give you the opportunity to tend to your needs at the same time that your loved one is receiving everything they need in a warm and compassionate environment.
We offer a comprehensive and stimulating array of programs is designed to appeal to a variety of tastes, interests and levels of ability, seven days a week. With an emphasis on empowering the residents, our recreational programs encourage patients and residents to fulfill their potential and remain engaged and involved. Individually tailored activities and programs include live entertainment, lectures, trips and events that encourage socialization and participation.
Regency care centers also offer a full continuum of care, including exceptional short-term rehabilitation, sub-acute care, long-term nursing, a range of specialty programs and complex clinical services, and hospice care, as well as temporary respite care. Our compassionate, personalized approach has established our long-standing and unparalleled reputation for excellence.
Our 25 years of excellent care have led to us being awarded a Best Nursing Homes award by US News & World Today, a 5-Star rating by USA Today, and an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau, among many other awards.
If you are a caregiver, remember that you also need to take care of yourself. So, make those vacation plans. Mom will be fine with us!
Contact us by clicking here to see which of our three facilities will best meet your needs or the needs of your loved one.
The humble fruit fly, drosophila melanogaster, is not merely a kitchen pest. Its short lifecycle and large number of offspring have made it a favorite for genetic research, including the massive Human Genome Project (HGP).
The fly’s genes were studied and mapped in the early 1900s, but it was not until the 1990s that international collaboration allowed the mapping all human genes, collectively known as the human “genome.” The project was completed in 2003, with over 20,000 human genes identified.
Since 2003, this new data has allowed the blossoming of genetic research and genetic counseling. It has also produced a new industry: “over-the-counter” genetic testing. With just a small sample of genetic material, usually obtained through a swab of saliva, a variety of companies are ready to sell you a “genetically-based prediction” of your response to a variety of medications. There’s just one problem: the tests are not necessarily accurate.
While genetically tailor-made treatments for various conditions are currently in the research phase, and perhaps one day we truly will be able to find out useful information about our health at low cost, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that today is not that day.
The FDA published an alert to consumers and clinicians that the agency has not reviewed many of the claims made by genetic laboratories, and that those claims may not be backed by scientific evidence. The FDA warns of the “inappropriate treatment decisions and potentially serious health consequences” for people who rely on these tests, and recommends that no one change their medication based on an over-the-counter genetic test.
The FDA also announced that they are investigating developers who use misleading advertising to sell genetic tests. The agency requests that anyone who has a problem with any laboratory test files a report via Medwatch, the FDA’s Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.
At the Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers, we embrace innovation, but do not fall prey to trendy promises. We care for our residents with clinically-proven programming, nutritious and delicious meals, and, of course, compassionate care from specially trained caregivers and therapists.
We pride ourselves on offering the very best of care in a patient-centered environment. This means always listening to our residents and patients and respecting their capabilities, while helping them to achieve maximum functionality and independence. And always maintaining the highest professional and quality standards in our staff and our facilities. Our 25 years of excellent care have led to us being awarded a Best Nursing Homes award by US News & World Today, a 5-Star rating by USA Today, and an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau, among many other awards.
Contact us by clicking here to see which of our three facilities will best meet your needs or the needs of your loved one.
The humble fruit fly, drosophila melanogaster, is not merely a kitchen pest. Its short lifecycle and large number of offspring have made it a favorite for genetic research, including the massive Human Genome Project (HGP).
The fly’s genes were studied and mapped in the early 1900s, but it was not until the 1990s that international collaboration allowed the mapping all human genes, collectively known as the human “genome.” The project was completed in 2003, with over 20,000 human genes identified.
Since 2003, this new data has allowed the blossoming of genetic research and genetic counseling. It has also produced a new industry: “over-the-counter” genetic testing. With just a small sample of genetic material, usually obtained through a swab of saliva, a variety of companies are ready to sell you a “genetically-based prediction” of your response to a variety of medications. There’s just one problem: the tests are not necessarily accurate.
While genetically tailor-made treatments for various conditions are currently in the research phase, and perhaps one day we truly will be able to find out useful information about our health at low cost, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that today is not that day.
The FDA published an alert to consumers and clinicians that the agency has not reviewed many of the claims made by genetic laboratories, and that those claims may not be backed by scientific evidence. The FDA warns of the “inappropriate treatment decisions and potentially serious health consequences” for people who rely on these tests, and recommends that no one change their medication based on an over-the-counter genetic test.
The FDA also announced that they are investigating developers who use misleading advertising to sell genetic tests. The agency requests that anyone who has a problem with any laboratory test files a report via Medwatch, the FDA’s Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.
At the Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers, we embrace innovation, but do not fall prey to trendy promises. We care for our residents with clinically-proven programming, nutritious and delicious meals, and, of course, compassionate care from specially trained caregivers and therapists.
We pride ourselves on offering the very best of care in a patient-centered environment. This means always listening to our residents and patients and respecting their capabilities, while helping them to achieve maximum functionality and independence. And always maintaining the highest professional and quality standards in our staff and our facilities. Our 25 years of excellent care have led to us being awarded a Best Nursing Homes award by US News & World Today, a 5-Star rating by USA Today, and an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau, among many other awards.
Contact us by clicking here to see which of our three facilities will best meet your needs or the needs of your loved one.
