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5 Ways to Lower Health Care Costs in America

Date: October 15, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
How to Protect Yourself from Pharmacists' Mistakes

It’s no secret that staying heathy in America is expensive. It effects everyone, but especially seniors. With a limited budget, getting sick could mean financial ruin. Here are 5 ways to lower health costs in America.

5 Ways to Lower Health Care Costs in America

5 Ways to Lower Health Care Costs in America

 

Experts are working together to figure out how to lower health care costs. Health care spending will grow an average of 5.5% every year through 2026.

At the West Health summit, experts came together to come up with a few different plans to challenge rising health care costs.

1. Give Patients and Health Care Consumers More Info

Different panelists talked about differences in price for the same medical treatment within the same city. Some places can be more expensive than others.

Patients don’t know about the different prices because they aren’t given information.

This doesn’t happen in other countries. Countries like France and Australia, there aren’t any price walls.

In America, we need to stop being afraid of talking about costs.

2. Give Patients and Health Care Patients More Power

Many people feel powerless when it comes to the system. You need to show the system you have power with who you give your money to. Look for high value plans and providers and others will follow.

3. Lower the Number of Medical Tests for Patients

There is a study showing that more than 1 million Medicare patients are getting 1 of 26 tests or treatments that were seen as having no benefits. Some could even cause harm.

42% of patients got unnecessary tests in a year.

4. Increase Competition Among Providers

Since practices have been merging, consumers have a limited amount of options. Because of this, prices increase up to 25%.

Plus, the 4 largest health insurers have 76% of the fully-funded market nationally. The largest 2 insurers have more than 70% of the market in half of the nation’s metro areas.

5. Let Medicare Negotiate Prescription Drug Costs for People

People want Medicare to negotiate prescription drugs costs for Americans 65 and older.

Read more here.

Breaking Bones is One the Rise

Date: October 15, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
10 Common Health Issues for Seniors

People over the age of 50 aren’t checking on their bones as much as they should. This means there are fewer treatments for osteoporosis. If people don’t learn more about osteoporosis, breaking bones will be on the rise.

Breaking Bones is One the Rise

Breaking Bones is One the Rise

 

A lot of people are at risk of breaking bones, and doctors aren’t talking about the pros and cons of bone preserving drugs.

One serious change has already happened. There’s been a reversal in a 15-year decline of hip fractures among postmenopausal women. The study showed a decrease in hip fractures in women 65 and older on Medicare to 730 for every 100,000 in 2015. This is compared to 931 for every 100,000 in 2002.

But in 2012, the rate suddenly leveled off. If the pattern of decline continues, around 11,464 fewer women would have broken their hips between 2012 and 2015.

Bone Medication

 

Bone medication has shown that it helps reduce the chance of a second hip fracture.

Though one study of 22,598 people found that those who used the drug went from an already bad 15% of breaking a bone in 2004, to an even worse 30% in 2013.

Even though there are proper medications out there, people are choosing not to take them or are not getting them prescribed to them.

Breaking Hips is Expensive

 

Depending on how a hip fracture is treated, it can get pricey fast. The average medical costs for the first six months can range from $34,509 to $54,054.

Every year more than 300,000 people over 65 are hospitalized due to a fractured hip. Three-quarters of these patients are women.

It’s not just a money costs that come a fractured hip. Around 20% to 30% of patients die within a year after having a fracture. Those who do survive are never able to get around the same way again.

How to Help Your Bones

 

There is one suitable bone medication called Fosamax that came out in 1995. It’s a bisphosphonate that slows or prevents the loss of bone density. This makes stronger bones.

It’s now available as a generic called Alendronate.

People are afraid to take it, though. There has been overly aggressive marketing, and doctors were overprescribing it. Reports began to appear to link the continued use of bisphosphonates with two uncommon bone problems.

One being a very rare fracture of the femur, and the other is an even more unusual condition called osteonecrosis of the jaw. Fear of these two conditions caused a 50% decline in taking these medications.

The best thing you can do though is to take medication when needed, a good intake of calcium and vitamin D, and trying not to fall.

Read more here.

Elderly Dialysis Problems on the Rise

Date: September 23, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Elderly Dialysis Problems on the Rise

The End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) in the US is growing. Patents over 65 have the highest percentage of ESRD. Because of this, doctors are now trying to identify and treat the fact that elderly dialysis problems are on the rise.

Elderly Dialysis Problems on the Rise

Elderly Dialysis Problems on the Rise

 

Even though it helps, dialysis therapy is not the end all be all. In older patients, it doesn’t seem to preserve functional status or independent living. The most vulnerable time for older patients is when they first start the therapy.

Older patients that get hemodialysis (HD) show a high prevalence of functional disability and dependence.

The consequences of normal aging combine with dialysis side effects, like post treatment hypotension, increases the chances for falls. These falls can even cause accidental death.

The American Geriatrics Society recommends that all older patients be screened for falls. This empowers members of multidisciplinary dialysis teams to perform fall screenings and functional assessments. This is an easy way to identify patients who are at risk and increase their quality of life.

Many ESRD patients are also at risk for cognitive and executive function impairment. This can cause problems with complex thinking, compliance, quality of life, and decision making.

Time Limited Treatments

 

Because of the risk of further suffering from side effects in older patients getting dialysis, it’s important to check in with patients often. A time limited trial begins with identifying patient specific goals.

These are often tied to quality of life and geriatric syndromes, along with planned re-evaluations to assess the patient’s perceptions of the benefits and burdens of dialysis.

By talking about all this, it allows for a fluid transition into advance care planning. Advance care planning with dialysis patients can help promote the use of hospice, a benefit often that is usually not used with this group of people.

With advance care planning, there is connection to fewer intensive procedures at the end of life, death at the location of choice, increased patient satisfaction, and increased use of hospice.

More is being done to figure out what is best for patients and how to make it easier for both patients and their families.

Read more here.

Do Eating Disorders Affect the Elderly?

Date: August 5, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Different Ways to Stimulate a Senior's Appetite

When we think of eating disorders, we usually think of younger people. But this disorder is not exclusive to younger people. Eating disorders affect the elderly too, though it’s not often detected.

Do Eating Disorders Affect the Elderly?

Do Eating Disorders Affect the Elderly?

 

Sometimes people think that with age comes the freedom from self image. That’s just not the case. That kind of pressure for having a certain type of body has been around for a long time.

Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. They are psychiatric illnesses marked by extreme feelings and behaviors around weight and food. It can have life threatening physical and mental consequences.

As mentioned before, they often appear during adolescence, but that doesn’t mean seniors are safe from it. A survey found that 13% of women age 50 and older experienced eating disorder symptoms over the past 5 years.

More than 70% were trying to lose weight, 62% felt their weight or shape was negatively affecting their lives.

Like body changes during adolescence, a lot of common changes that come with getting older can spike eating disorders symptoms. Changes like increased caregiving responsibilities, retirement, deaths, and moving are some of the most common.

All these changes causes a need for control that eating disorders seem like they provide.

Why Eating Disorders Are Hard to Detect

 

With seniors, eating disorders are hard to notice because they could be related to other age related conditions. Things like taste bud decline, dementia, and lack of access to food can cause eating problems without being part of an eating disorder.

Also, few people who work with older adults have the training or awareness to think about eating disorders affecting the elderly. They don’t think that this could cause weakness, dizziness, or dehydration.

It’s always assumed that it’s part of getting older.

Treating Eating Disorders in the Elderly

 

It’s critical to find eating disorders in older people because treating them is a lot different than treating teens. It’s also a lot different than treating age related eating problems. Though the consequences are the same: weak immune system, poor recovery from wounds, anxiety, cognitive impairment, weakened muscles and bones, and increasing fall risk.

Read more here.

A New Way to Make Vaccines More Effective

Date: January 29, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Creating a Coronavirus Vaccine that Works for Everyone

Seniors’ immune systems weaken as they get older, causing some illnesses that they were immune from when they were younger to now pose a threat. The University of College London wanted to know why this happens, so they did a study to find out. The study shows a new way to make vaccines more effective.

A New Way to Make Vaccines More Effective

A New Way to Make Vaccines More Effective

 

The study found that inflammation is the root cause of why vaccines are not as helpful in older people. Doing a test with 175 participants (78 were over 65 years old and the rest were under 40), they injected a fake version of varicella zoster virus (VZV), which causes chicken pox.

Once you have the chicken pox, you are immune to it, but sometimes it surfaces in older adults as shingles. This means that the T cell immune responses weren’t strong enough to fight the virus as they got older. All the participants had the chicken pox, so in theory they should be immune.

Researchers noticed the older subjects showed a weaker response, meaning there was less T cell activation, and less reddening and swelling of the injection site. As a control, they also injected a harmless saline solution in the other arm of each participant. With that injection, many of the people who had the weakest response to the VZV, had a strong inflammation response to the saline. This suggests that too much inflammation was stopping the VZV’s immunity.

Doing a Followup Test

 

Researchers did a follow up test with 18 of the over 65-year-old participants. They took a drug called Losmapimod, which reduces inflammation responses. The drug was designed for long term use, but with this test, participants only took it for 4 days before being injected with the VZV again. Losmapimod successfully increased the immune responses to the VZV.

“A short-term blockade of the inflammation response opened up a window of opportunity for the immune system to respond effectively,” explained the study’s first author, Dr Milica Vukmanovic-Stejic (UCL Infection & Immunity).

What’s Next

 

The researchers are currently planning a follow-up study which will test whether a flu vaccine is more effective for the elderly when combined with brief use of Losmapimod. The researchers know that vaccine effectiveness declines as we age, so they are hoping this new way of giving vaccines can make them more helpful.

Read more about the study here.

Yoga Can Help Strengthen the Body and the Mind

Date: December 31, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
4 Lifestyle Changes to Help with High Blood Pressure

While exercising as you get older can seem daunting, there are more options than weight training and intense exercise. Yoga can help strengthen the body and the mind through poses and mediations. Yoga has been shown to help slow down the effects of aging.

Yoga Can Help Strengthen the Body and the Mind

How Yoga Can Help Strengthen the Body and the Mind

 

Yoga’s meditation and need to focus while posing can help strengthen the brain and thinking skills. For one study, researchers followed a group taking part in learning Kundalini yoga, which involves breathing exercises and meditation, as well as movement and poses.

They went for one hour classes once a week. Researchers chose this form of yoga because it’s a easier form of yoga. It’s good for people who may be out of shape or having difficulty moving.

The yoga participants also were taught a type of meditation called Kirtan Kriya, which involves repeating a mantra and finger movements. They were asked to do meditation for 15 minutes a day.

After 12 weeks, the yoga participants showed improvements in their moods and a lower chance for depression. They also did better on a test of visuospatial memory, a type of remembering that is important for balance, depth perception, and the ability to recognize objects.

Researchers found those who had practiced yoga developed more communication between parts of the brain that control attention, suggesting a greater ability now to focus and multitask.

You can read more here.

Ageism in Healthcare

Date: December 10, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Most Seniors Who End Up in the ER Can't Afford Medicine

Sadly for seniors, many people underestimate them. Whether it’s their cognitive or physical ability, everyone always assumes that they cannot do anything for themselves. This is called ageism, when people assume the stereotypes of older people are the norm. Not only can it be frustrating, but ageism in healthcare can be dangerous.

Ageism in Healthcare

Ageism in Healthcare

 

This is especially true when a senior is in the hospital. Due to how busy and strained staff can be, they may often jump to the easiest conclusion, and because they have no prior history with the patient, they don’t know what is normal for them.

So lets say someone went in due to a side effect of medication, which we become more susceptible to as we get older, and they become a bit delirious. Doctors may write them off as having Alzheimer’s before actually looking for a cause. This could happen if a patient is dehydrated or even if they have a UTI which becomes more common for seniors as they age.

Many seniors are really vulnerable when they end up in the hospital and would need the help of family and friends to speak for them. Though this can take time and time is precious in a busy hospital.

Read more here.

A Body in Motion, Stays in Motion

Date: December 10, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
9 Easy Tests to See If You're Fit

We have all the heard the phrase “A body in motion, stays in motion.” What if this phrase is a key to aging well? Of course, exercise is important to stay healthy, but are you aware of the good it can do as you get older? Exercise can help stall the natural decline that comes with age.

A Body in Motion, Stays in Motion

A Body in Motion, Stays in Motion

 

For many people, they feel that they are too busy to work out, they have work, families, and other things that get in the way. But, you can do high intensity but short workouts. While it sounds intimidating it really means exercising at a 100 percent for a few minutes and have long recovery times in between.

A Mayo Clinic study found that high intensity workouts have helped change muscles at the cellular level, even reversing decline due to a sedentary lifestyle. A typical high-intensity workout lasts less than 15 minutes, including a warm-up and cool-down, but has been shown that the benefits are the same or greater than an hour or more of continuous and moderate exercise.

Different Workouts to Try

 

One workout you can do is lift weights, and I don’t mean like those professional body builders. In traditional weight training, it’s advised to find the heaviest amount that we can lift one time. We then use this number to shape the rest of the program where you would lift 80 to 90 percent of that weight until your limbs shake from tiredness.

Recently, scientists have found that doing a weight program where the weight was set between 30 to 50 percent, study subjects could lift the weight up to 25 times before muscles were exhausted. The key for both groups was to grow tired. The volunteers in both groups had to attain almost total muscular fatigue in order to increase their muscles’ size and strength.

How Exercise Helps You

 

Exercise not only helps the inside of your body but the outside as well, exercise is good for the skin and reverses signs of aging. After around 40, the outer layer of our skin, the stratum corneum, gets drier, flakier, and denser as we age. The inner layer of our skin, our dermis, starts to thin, giving a sagger more translucent look.

In one study of volunteers, ages 20 to 84, researchers studied their skin. They found that the men and women 40 and older who exercised frequently, had thinner, healthier stratum corneums and thicker dermis. Their skin was much closer to that of the 20 and 30-year-olds, even if they were past age 65.

You can read more here.

Eating Well to Age Well

Date: December 3, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
7 Way You Can Help Prevent a Heart Attack

We all want to continue to feel good and healthy as we get older but sometimes it’s hard. Eating well to age well is important but there are so many tips, diets, and trends that it can be overwhelming. We found some simple tips that should be easy to implement.

Eating Well to Age Well

Eating Well to Age Well

 

The first has to do with weight loss. It’s been well established that being overweight is bad for your health, but did you know that just losing 5 percent of your body weight will vastly improve your health. By losing 5 percent of your body weight, you will reduce your risk for diabetes and heart disease, and improve metabolic function in liver, fat, and muscle tissue.

Eating less processed meat can greatly improve your health. It’s the level of sodium and chemical preservatives that make them so bad for your health. Processed meats have about 4 times more sodium and 50 percent more preservatives than unprocessed meats.

They use sodium and preservatives to make the meat last longer. This can increase the chances of heart disease by 42 percent and diabetes by 19 percent. Processed meat includes hot dogs, sausages, and deli meat. It’s still safe to have unprocessed meat though.

Speaking of processed foods, you should also try to avoid processed food and drinks. By doing this, it will eliminate the amount of sugar you eat. A basic rule to avoid processed food is if it comes in a package that has to be ripped open, it’s processed. Think chips, fast food, and frozen pizza.

There are exceptions to this rule, some unprocessed food like nuts and eggs are packaged and are good for you. So you can also check the ingredients and if there is only one, then it’s healthy. By cutting out processed food you will be eating more fruits and vegetables. Blueberries have been know to cut down on blood pressure and a lower risk of diabetes. Other dark veggies and fruits that are helpful are cherries, spinach, and kale.

You can read more here.

How to Get the Care You Want

Date: November 26, 2017
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
How to Get the Care You Want

Getting healthy and staying healthy is a demanding process. Part of the process is making sure you get the right health care. For some, doctors can seem intimidating, so if they aren’t listening to you, it can be hard to speak up. Maybe you don’t want so many medications, maybe you want to try an alternative like yoga, or maybe the care is clashing with your schedule. Here are some tips on how to get the care you want.

How to Get the Care You Want

How to Get the Care You Want

 

What you want to get is person centered care, this is defined by three things:

  • providers should ask about a person’s values, goals and preferences

 

  • they should use that information to guide all aspects of the person’s care

 

  • they should do so in a coordinated and collaborative way as a health care team, including coordinating with the patient and other people the patient may want to include in the care relationship.

 

Though it can be hard to speak up, and time constrained appointments can make it even harder, do your best not to let this stop you. The first tip is to not settle for a one sided conversation.

You are in charge of your care, so if you don’t want a test done, or don’t want a certain type of treatment feel free to speak up. Your provider should give you choices and if they don’t, then maybe it’s time to find a new one.

Another tip has to do with the big picture. What do you want for your health? Everyone’s definition of healthy can be different.

Maybe it’s being able to walk with ease or not feeling pain or even having your body move easier. If you don’t know what you want, it can be hard to find the right path. This can also help with appointments because you can prepare ahead of time which can help steer the appointment in the direction you want it to go.

Also ask for your provider to keep a document of your goals in your file. This can be helpful so that you don’t have to keep repeating yourself.

Check out more tips here.