Health and Disability

http://goo.gl/v7pTbc

A study from the University of Colorado School of Medicine shows patients with Medicaid insurance seeking care in an emergency department may be driven by lack of alternatives instead of the severity of their illness. The study is published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM).

They found:

• Relative to those with private insurance, adults with Medicaid and Medicare were similarly likely to seek emergency care due to an acuity issue.
• Adults with Medicaid and those with Medicaid and Medicare (i.e., dual eligible) were more likely than those with private insurance to seek emergency care because of access issues.
• Reasons for seeking care in an emergency department by health insurance type may be driven more by lack of access to alternate care, rather than by differences in patient-perceived acuity for patients covered by Medicaid insurance.

Ingenious. The vaccine attacks the toxins instead of the bug. This should dramatically reduce the possibility of resistance...

http://goo.gl/UsrN2V 

They show that the anti-toxin vaccine almost completely protected lab animals whose lungs were infected with multiple strains of staph resembling those of human infections, including drug-resistant strains like MRSA.

The vaccine protected the animals even when infected with very high doses of bacteria. Not only did it prevent deaths, but 7 days after vaccination, there were no traces of the bacteria in the animals' lungs.

Previous attempts to prevent human infection have used a vaccine that targets cell-surface antigens or proteins. In the current study, the team showed that using this kind of vaccine actually increases the severity of infection.

This is the first actually usable info I've run across in my scans....

http://goo.gl/ZCIlSp

Results of the study revealed that patients who received the vitamin E had a 19% reduction in functional decline, compared with patients who received the placebo. The researchers say this is the equivalent to a "clinically meaningful delay in progression" of 6.2 months.

Furthermore, the investigators found that patients who received vitamin E needed 2 hours less assistance from a caregiver each day.

They note that memantine and a combination of both memantine and vitamin E demonstrated no clinical benefit for the patients.

The researchers point out that functional decline as a result of Alzheimer's disease is increasingly recognized as having a significant impact on a patient quality of life, as well as putting a strain on social and economic costs.

http://goo.gl/UD0SjY

More than 2.1 million people have enrolled in private insurance plans the marketplace, she said. An additional 3.9 million Americans were found eligible for coverage through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in October and November, with that figure including some renewals and new eligibility.

Those figures do not include 3 million young Americans in their 20s currently enrolled on their parent’s health insurance.

http://goo.gl/QFH2yr

Here are 10 Steps to take when preparing the home as a recovery environment:

The 10 Steps for preparing the Aging in Place Home for Surgical Recovery 

Step #1

Prepare Your Home in Advance

Since patients are likely to spend most of the post-surgery time at home, it is important to prepare the living area so it will better accommodate the process. Preparing the home in advance will make things easier and more comfortable. In the weeks before surgery, patients will want to evaluate their living environment and make the necessary modifications and adjustments for a successful recovery.

Step#2

Clear the Hallways

First, make sure they have a clear path to navigate hallways and rooms. Patients may need to move furniture and objects to make it easier to move around.

Inside info for navigators less familiar with our community....

http://www.nationaldisabilitynavigator.org/

The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) is pleased to be able to bring you the National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC) through funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The mission of the NDNRC is to provide cross-disability information and support to Navigators and other enrollment specialists(.)

You need to register for free to use the site.

http://goo.gl/XTxoOD

Now, Dr. Nathan Watemberg of Tel Aviv University-affiliated Meir Medical Center has found that gum-chewing teenagers, and younger children as well, are giving themselves headaches too. His findings, published in Pediatric Neurology, could help treat countless cases of migraine and tension headaches in adolescents without the need for additional testing or medication.

"Out of our 30 patients, 26 reported significant improvement, and 19 had complete headache resolution," said Dr. Watemberg. "Twenty of the improved patients later agreed to go back to chewing gum, and all of them reported an immediate relapse of symptoms."

If you missed the January insurance start deadline, you can still start in February....

http://goo.gl/2xp4j8

Officials stressed that the extra time is only for people who had started enrollment before the Dec. 24 deadline and ran into obstacles. Anyone who applies after the Dec. 24 deadline would be eligible for coverage starting in February, not January. Open enrollment runs through March.

Federal health officials have informed insurers that exceptions and assistance will be given to people who “legitimately tried to apply” on the website and couldn’t finish by the Dec. 24 deadline, an insurance source said. Tuesday’s announcement isn’t meant to be a blanket extension of a deadline that’s already been pushed back twice, the source said.

http://goo.gl/NM2x69

A new Johns Hopkins University study has found that most Americans with dementia who live at home have health, safety and care needs that aren't being met. Regular evaluation of patient and caregiver needs and simple safety measures, such as grab bars in the bathroom, could keep many people with dementia from having to move into nursing homes or assisted-living facilities.

http://goo.gl/5dZYre

Ashley Wright said, “You don't think it would happen to you, you know. We always worried about my son getting the flu shot. We're never really worried about the two of us because you don't really hear about any of this. You don't think it will happen to you.”

At least five people have died from flu in Texas -- all from swine flu. Health authorities say this year's flu vaccine can prevent swine flu and several other flu strains, if people get vaccinated. Last year, according to the CDC, only 45 percent of Americans got the flu shot.

Dr. Christopher Perkins, medical director for Dallas County Health and Human Services, said, “When things are quiet, people tend to let their guard down. But when there are a lot of bells and whistles going on, a lot of flu cases, and people hospitalized, actually some succumbing to death, then that gets a lot of attention. And we get overwhelmed with people seeking out the vaccine.”

Neither Dustin Wright nor his wife had a flu shot.