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Medical Alert Systems

February 26, 2011 By 1 Comment

What is a medical Alert System?

A medical alert system is a device that consists of an emergency button transmitter and a base station that contacts an emergency professional in case of an emergency.  If a user becomes suddenly disabled all they have to do is to press the button on their transmitter and they are connected with a professorial who summons the appropriate help.

What to look for in a Medical Alert System

There are three main factors to consider when looking the appropriate  medical alerts

1) Monthly cost – typically around $30 a month

2) Length of contract – should be month to month

3) range of transmitter  - should reach at least 300 feet or more.

Conclusion

There are many choices and systems to consider when choosing this product.  One way to seek help is to view a product review site which pulls together the many different features of these products.  I personally like the site Medical Alert Reviews as this site reviews  many of the big players in this industry.

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Martha Stewart Cooking, Martha Stewart Home Decor, Martha Stewart Eldercare?

January 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Martha Stewart at the 2009 premiere of the Met...
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I was a bit surprised when my niece told me about an article she read in one of her magazines. She told me that Martha Stewart has a center geared towards the elderly — It’s called the Martha Stewart Center for Living.

Martha Stewart donated $5 million dollars to develop this center in 2007 in coordination with Mt. Sinai Medical Center. She says she wanted a center different from typical, “sterile” and overcrowded clinics.  Individualized care is stressed as seniors have different needs.

Active Aging

This is their “one-stop-shop” principle. Not only do they receive primary care, they also get a treatment of yoga, art and health education. They key here is to obtain a high quality of life. Few places in the country offer care which includes a holistic approach to elderly care. The clinic itself excudes calmness. Everything is spacious, no sterile white colors — Martha chose earth-tone colors finishes, large windows and stone flooring. This gives it a more “homey” feeling.

This is reminiscent to the Gesundheit Institute founded by Hunter “Patch” Adams where the focus is on the person and not the disease. I think it’s a great thing and I hope that clinics around the country will follow suit. Many times people forget that although an elderly person may be sick, it doesn’t mean that their quality of life has to focus on medication and sustenance. Why? They should be able to feel good too? If they feel good, studies have shown that it can bring biological changes. While it may not cure Alzheimer’s, a good, happy and healthy spirit can do wonders for mental and physical health. How about lower blood pressure? Reduction in depression? What do you think?

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Medical Home Approach to Healthcare — What our future should be

November 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Hospital room (Denmark, 2005)
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The polarizing health care bill has many Americans up in arms over how health care should be paid for, and how it should be carried out. While you have two sides on opposing ends playing tug-of-war, the majority of us are somewhere caught in the middle, not knowing what to expect. We think we know, but we may be wrong once this health bill passes or doesn’t pass. However, one thing is clear — no matter what happens, costs will skyrocket as more and more people get sicker and sicker. President Obama, whether you agree with his policies or not, stressed the importance of preventive medicine during his election bid to the presidency. It seems that some medical clinics are now falling suit.

MSNBC recently published a story on “Medical Homes” and it would seem that we are getting a possible glimpse of our health care future.

Doctor’s Office or Medical Home?

What exactly is a medical home? It’s just a concept really. It’s still your doctor’s office but it’s a different approach to care. The reality is that right now, focus is on treating illnesses. Doctors are responsible for making sure that the patient gets the necessary treatments and prescriptions for whatever is ailing them. However, with the medical home approach, primary care doctors work with other staff to form a care plan that includes preventative medicine—that is, making sure that patients are counseled, treated, and referred to specialists who then will help them prevent (hopefully) further complications of their disease or injury.

Instead of waiting until the illness gets worse, the illness is treated as much as possible and then the patient is educated on keeping staff and their doctors up-to-date on their illness and by following the instructions they are given to help them get better. Hindsight is 20/20 but I think that if my dad had taken better care of himself and seen doctors earlier on for his illness, he probably would be fairly healthy today instead of relying on several prescriptions to sustain him. I can say the same about our mom. Her diabetes could have been prevented and her dementia slowed down a lot sooner.

Given that, this type of preventative medicine could end up saving money — at least in theory for now. As more and more medical establishments adopt this progress we’ll be able to see what rewards both health and monetary gains will provide.

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