Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Attacks On Health Workers Put Fight To End Polio Under Fire

Excerpt from: NPR (click for full article)

 

The global effort to eradicate polio has reached a bizarre stage: More people have been gunned down recently over the disease than actually infected with it.

On Friday, nine polio vaccinators in northern Nigeria were shot dead and their clinics were torched. The BBC reported on Tuesday that two journalists have been arrested for inciting the attacks through a radio program. A police chief said the men denounced the polio vaccine on the air two days before the killings.

Glaucoma Awareness Month & Resources for Free/Low-Cost Eye Exams & Eyeglasses

Excerpt from: Disability.gov (click for full article)

 

Glaucoma affects more than 2 million Americans over the age of 40, though nearly half are unaware that they have this eye disease, since it presents no early symptoms. Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness and, once vision is lost, the damage is permanent. The National Eye Institute recommends regular annual exams for early detection. However, doing so can be challenging for people with disabilities and the elderly, as they are often on limited incomes.

Fortunately, there are many national and state resources available to provide financial aid to people with vision problems. In recognition of National Glaucoma Awareness Month, below is information on free or low-cost resources for eye exams and eyeglasses.

Another Side Effect Of Chemotherapy: 'Chemo Brain'

Excerpt from: NPR (click for full article)

 

For Yolanda Hunter, a 41-year-old hospice nurse, mother of three and breast cancer patient, these cognitive side effects of chemotherapy were hard to miss.

"I could think of words I wanted to say," Hunter says. "I knew what I wanted to say. ... There was a disconnect from my brain to my mouth."

Before getting treated for cancer, Hunter led a busy, active lifestyle. But the effects of chemotherapy on her brain made it difficult for her to do even the most basic things.

"I couldn't even formulate a smile. I had no expression," she says. "I might feel things on the inside, but it didn't translate to the outside. ... It literally felt like you were trying to fight your way through fog."

Some cancer patients call this mental fog "chemo brain." And now researchers are trying to quantify exactly what chemo brain really is.

Oncologist Jame Abraham, a professor at West Virginia University, says about a quarter of patients undergoing chemotherapy have trouble processing numbers, using short-term memory and focusing their attention.

 

United States Lags in Alzheimer’s Support

Excerpt from: The New York Times (click for full article)

 

This month, the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging released a report examining how five nations — the United States, Australia, France, Japan and Britain — are responding to growing numbers of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Every country has a strategy, but some are much further ahead than others. Notably, France began addressing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in 2001 and is in the midst of carrying out its third national plan. (Scroll down at this link to find the English version of the 2008-2012 French plan.)

By contrast, the United States released its first national plan to address Alzheimer’s in May.

The Senate report highlights several trends under way in all five countries, including efforts to coordinate research more effectively, diagnose Alzheimer’s disease more reliably and improve training in dementia care by medical practitioners.

Study Bolsters Link Between Routine Hits and Brain Disease

Excerpt from: The New York Times (click for full article)

 

The growing evidence of a link between head trauma and long-term, degenerative brain disease was amplified in an extensive study of athletes, military veterans and others who absorbed repeated hits to the head, according to new findings published in the scientific journal Brain.

The study, which included brain samples taken posthumously from 85 people who had histories of repeated mild traumatic brain injury, added to the mounting body of research revealing the possible consequences of routine hits to the head in sports like football and hockey. The possibility that such mild head trauma could result in long-term cognitive impairment has come to vex sports officials, team doctors, athletes and parents in recent years.

Michigan families file lawsuit alleging wrongful adoptions

Excerpt from: ABC Action News (click for full article)

 

"It was frustrating.  We felt deceived," says "Kimberly H."

We're calling her Kimberly H. in order to protect the identity of her little girl, who we refer to as Zola.
Kimberly and her husband of Waterford adopted Zola two years ago, but Kimberly says she feels betrayed by the state's Department of Human Services, or DHS, and some adoption workers.

She says they withheld information that Zola had sickle cell disease.

"We asked (if she had any health issues) and they had very little information to give us. They didn't even know why she was in foster care," she says.

Zola was placed with Kimberly's family as a foster child when she was 6 weeks old.
Kimberly says she and her husband found out on their own that Zola had sickle cell when she was 6 months old.

"She should have started treatment for sickle cell when she was 2 months old. If she had contracted pneumonia, it could have been fatal to her. I was devastated for this sweet child who I didn't know for sure was going to be our daughter. I was so angry. We had tried so hard to advocate for this child and the system had blocked us at every move," she says.

"It was frustrating We felt deceived," says "Kimberly H."

We're calling her Kimberly H. in order to protect the identity of her little girl, who we refer to as Zola.
Kimberly and her husband of Waterford adopted Zola two years ago, but Kimberly says she feels betrayed by the state's Department of Human Services, or DHS, and some adoption workers.

She says they withheld information that Zola had sickle cell disease.

"We asked (if she had any health issues) and they had very little information to give us. They didn't even know why she was in foster care," she says.

Zola was placed with Kimberly's family as a foster child when she was 6 weeks old.
Kimberly says she and her husband found out on their own that Zola had sickle cell when she was 6 months old.

"She should have started treatment for sickle cell when she was 2 months old. If she had contracted pneumonia, it could have been fatal to her. I was devastated for this sweet child who i didn't know for sure was going to be our daughter. I was so angry. We had tried so hard to advocate for this child and the system had blocked us at every move," she says.

Read more: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/michigan-families-file-lawsuit-over-wrongful-adoptions#ixzz2DdfCNsqx

"It was frustrating We felt deceived," says "Kimberly H."

We're calling her Kimberly H. in order to protect the identity of her little girl, who we refer to as Zola.
Kimberly and her husband of Waterford adopted Zola two years ago, but Kimberly says she feels betrayed by the state's Department of Human Services, or DHS, and some adoption workers.

She says they withheld information that Zola had sickle cell disease.

"We asked (if she had any health issues) and they had very little information to give us. They didn't even know why she was in foster care," she says.

Zola was placed with Kimberly's family as a foster child when she was 6 weeks old.
Kimberly says she and her husband found out on their own that Zola had sickle cell when she was 6 months old.

"She should have started treatment for sickle cell when she was 2 months old. If she had contracted pneumonia, it could have been fatal to her. I was devastated for this sweet child who i didn't know for sure was going to be our daughter. I was so angry. We had tried so hard to advocate for this child and the system had blocked us at every move," she says.

Read more: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/michigan-families-file-lawsuit-over-wrongful-adoptions#ixzz2DdfCNsqx

Top 10 Illnesses Your Doctor Lies to You About

Excerpt from: Listverse (click for full article)

 

One thing that you must consider when you have been assessed by a doctor is the possibility that the diagnosis could be incorrect. If a condition troubling you is not diagnosed and treated properly, you may undergo additional pain, physical harm or even death in particularly extreme cases. At the very least, a misdiagnosis that is not corrected will lead to unnecessary delays in treating the condition correctly, and therefore added discomfort for you.

Patients need to realize that doctors are human; that means that even the best and most well-intentioned will occasionally make mistakes. Do not wait until it is too late to do anything about your condition. Make sure when you go to a medical appointment that you are prepared to talk about the issues you are experiencing. Even when you are not experiencing symptoms of a specific disorder, you should still regularly get routine check-ups to monitor for any conditions that you might not necessarily be able to detect yourself. After all, sometimes a patient never has a symptom but is still seriously ill. Therefore, regular tests and routine check-ups are essential if you want to protect your health and minimize the risk of a misdiagnosis.

10. Infection

9. Vasomotor Rhinitis

8. Celiac Disease

7. Fibromyalgia

6. Stroke

5. Thyroid Disorders

4. Heart Attack

3. Cancer

2. Bacterial Meningitis

1. Coronary Artery Disease

Ending the Misuse of Antipsychotic Medications among Nursing Home Residents

The general factsheet: End the Misuse of Antipsychotic Medications among Nursing Home Residents

More specific factsheet: Support Senate Bill S. 3604, The Improving Dementia Care Treatment for Older Adults Act; Help End the Rampant Misuse of Antipsychotics in Nursing Homes!

Revised Page: Misuse of Antipsychotic Drugs in Nursing Homes 

 

Today’s topic is Ending the Misuse of Antipsychotic Medications among Nursing Home Residents. This information is very timely because legislation - S. 3604, the Improving Dementia Care Treatment For Older Adults Act - is currently pending in the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. This bill would require informed consent for the use of antipsychotic medications for residents with dementia, along with other important measures that would help to address this problem.  

Finally, if you have not heard from us yet about supporting the Improving Dementia Care Treatment for Older Adults Act, stay tuned! We will need your help in urging the Senate to pass this important bill!

Ask the treatment expert: How should we calculate pressure ulcer prevalence?

Excerpt from: McKnight's (click for full article)

 

Prevalence is defined as a cross-sectional count of the number of cases at a specific point in time, or the number of people with pressures ulcers who exist in a patient population at a given point in time. 

Prevalence indicates the number of pressure ulcers whether they are present upon or developed after admission. It is a snapshot of the number cases at any given time.

Incidence is defined as the number of new cases appearing in a population and indicates the rate at which new disease occurs in population previously without disease. Incidence will capture the percentage of patients that have developed a new pressure ulcer while in your facility.

To calculate the prevalence rate:  

1.
Take the number of residents with any pressure ulcer and divide by the total number of residents during that month. 

2.
Multiply the results by 100. This equals the prevalence rate.

Example of prevalence rate:  8 residents with pressure ulcers divided by 100 census = 0.08.

Multiply 0.08 by 100 and you get 8%.

To calculate the incidence rate:

1.
The number of residents with a new pressure ulcer developed after admission divided by the total number of residents admitted during that time.

2.
Multiply the results by 100. This equals the incidence rate. 

Example of incidence rate:  2 residents with a new pressure ulcer divided by 100 census = 0.02.

Multiply 0.02 by 100 and you get 2%.

With both, count only the number of residents, not the number of ulcers.

2012 New York Times Article on CCSVI

Excerpt from: About.com (click for full article)

 

By now many of you will have read this lengthy article in the New York Times Magazine, entitled A Controversial 'Cure' for M.S.

I read it. Although it contains some factual errors about MS, it does offer a pretty comprehensive overview of CCSVI (chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency), including the controversies and rifts that the CCSVI theory and its treatment have caused in the communities of MS patients, researchers and neurologists.

I happen to know that this article was over a year in the making. The author was conducting interviews and attending sessions at the ECTRIMS conference in October 2011.

What did you think of the article? Did it change your mind about CCSVI? Did you learn anything you didn't know? Is there anything in the article that you particularly agree with or disagree with? Share your opinions about this article (and CCSVI) in the comments section below.