Beautiful Home

In my previous articles, I have talked about the benefits of hospice care for people with dementia or terminal illnesses.

Today, I will now discuss the considerations that patients and physicians face when navigating the different choices for hospice and palliative care. Choices for end-of-life care, when cure is no longer possible, have improved greatly in the following years. For instance, there are many hospitals that now have palliative care teams to assist physicians in accessing the next level of care, allowing a peaceful life closure for both patients and family members. Sometimes patients can access both hospice care and palliative care programs simultaneously. Other times, hospice care can follow a palliative course in the hospital setting.

With this article, I will now define the differences between receiving services from the hospital-based palliative care team and services received from a hospice agency.
Hospice Care Vs Palliative Care

The concepts of both palliative care and hospice care are parallel, but generally do not intersect one another. Both of the philosophies give the quality of life when the quantity of life is no longer possible. However, palliative care follows the curative course that the patient has been on, and it is always in the hospital setting. On the other hand, after palliative care, hospice care follows after is typically provided in the home rather than a hospital setting, and is appropriate when all curative measures, as well as therapies, have been exhausted.

Making the Choice Between Palliative Care & Hospice Care
Once you are selecting between hospice care program or a hospital-based palliative care, how can a physician know which one will provide the most benefit to the patient? And to add, what makes a quality palliative care team? And: how does one choose an outstanding hospice?

A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association attempts to clarify the choices.
1. Today, physicians and patients can access over 1,400 hospital-based palliative care programs and there are now well over 4,700 hospice care programs in the United States. The main reason for this expansion is to accomodate an aging population living with chronic illnesses and, simply, a cure is not always possible. The good news is that these programs provide options to patients, and acknowledging the choices allows families to make informed decisions about hospice and palliative care.

This will be especially important to the 76 million baby boomers as they confront near death issues for their parents as well as for themselves. Physicians have been trained to make objective, well-thought-out decisions with regards to end-of-life care for their patients. Choosing between a hospital-based palliative care team and a traditional hospice care approach will depend on the needs and desires of the patient as well as the disease trajectory.

One good place for physicians to start is by researching and learning what each of the option can offer, what to expect from each, and what guidelines should be used in choosing a program. However, the physician should first determine the patient’s preferences regarding quality of life to help clarify mutual end-of-life goals.

(Read more about why it’s important to work with the patient’s doctor regarding hospice and palliative care at the end of life.) In my next article, I will continue an exploration of this topic, including how physicians can help determine the quality of a hospice agency before making a referral to a patient, and a basic look at the similarities and differences between hospice care and palliative care in the hospital and home environments.

As I said in my last post, understanding the different terminology applied to incontinence care products can be a troublesome task. A lot of manufacturers use different names for similar products for senior care. Adult diapers or briefs, liners or inserts, guards or pads, slip-ons or pull-ons, protective underwear or discreet underwear, belted undergarments or belted shields: how do you know which is which? There are six basic categories of incontinent products. So read on to find out more.
Pads or Guards: The first group of products includes pads or guards. These products have the ability to absorb light to moderate amounts of urine. Pads or guards work usually best for women with stress incontinence. When we speak of Liners or Insert Liner, commonly called inserts, are larger than pads or guards. This are commonly used for adult day care.
This category of product, which is designed to hold more urine, works well for people with urge incontinence. Belted or Beltless Products Belted or beltless products are also designed for people who have urge or reflex incontinence, but tend to void more than can be contained with an insert or a liner.
Protective Underwear or Discreet Disposable Panties: The fourth in the disposable products category is rising fast. It includes protective underwear, which are also known as discreet disposable panties. This category of products is created to hold more than the first three groups mentioned. These products can be used by either women or men.
Tabbed Briefs: Tabbed briefs are composed of a group of products that boasts superior absorbency and can be worn by men and women, ambulatory and non-ambulatory individuals.
Disposable Underpads: Disposable underpads can be used by everybody, as they offer surface protection. Unlike the other products, which are designed to be worn against the body, these pads are designed to protect what is under the incontinent person (e.g., linen, mattress or chair). There are actually seven standard sizes, which run from 17 x 24 to 27 x 70. I hope this article will help you in navigating those aisles of confusion. Next month, you can look forward to a more detailed breakdown of the categories. And more importantly, I’ll address how to choose the products that are right for you. Feel free to leave me some comments and stay tuned for my future posts for long term care.

HealthDay – SATURDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) — Ragweed, the bane of many
allergy sufferers, will soon be in bloom.

You and your parents are in the most unique position of doing something that has never been done in the history of the world. Are you aware that your parent is among the first generation ever to live en masse into late life? In all previous generations, most people have diead before they reached later life. They died from disease, warfare, childbirth, famine, and other hardships.

However, most people born into your parents’ generation have survived to become older adults. The flip side of that story is that you are part of the first generation to experience caregiving as a normal part of midlife. Not only that, but you are providing care for longer than every generation prior to yours, and are caring for parents who are more frail. Your parents might have provided care for their aging parents for months, or maybe a few years, but your generation provides caregiving to aging parents for an average of 17 years! Many of you will give long term care for four parents or more, if you assist your in-laws and step-parents as well as your own parents.

Back in the past, most people would have died of their first physical crisis, which might have been a heart attack, stroke or cancer. Now many people survive the first incident, often for many years, but not completely recovered, and not with the same health and vigor they had before the crisis. They need a bit of help from you. Here’s where a support group becomes important.

Since no one from your previous generation has experienced this, you have few options for advice. You are the leading edge. You never had a model from earlier generations of how to choose between attending your son’s baseball game or visiting your chronically ill mother. Your co-workers, friends and neighbors might not know what criteria to consider when you’re faced with making heartbreaking decisions about money, time, and energy. And you certainly were not raised knowing how to say ” no ” to mom or dad when it comes to giving them senior care.

A group whose participants are currently facing the very same issues as you have experienced can provide support in a way nothing else can. Another advantage of discussing aging issues with a peer group is that you can become a better and more knowledgable caregiver. By drawing on the experiences of other participants, you have information on how to cope with events even before they happen. Most participants will say at some point, ” Thank goodness I knew what to do, or had heard of that before. ” It’s reassuring to know that you are not the only one who resents the burden of giving continuous care while fearing the end of it.

Another great reason to find a peer support group is to share your hard-earned knowledge with others who may be floundering. You may even be able to guide someone else through the process of taking the car keys or moving their parent out of the home they’ve lived in for the last 70 years.

The human immune system serves as the body’s main defense that constantly shields us from virus, bacteria and illness. Numerous medical trials have evidenced and concluded that diet hold an essential part in bolstering our immunity. Though, there are still a lot of things that we need to learn and comprehend to successfully equip ourselves of the knowledge on how to build the immune system up. Phythochemicals, essential fatty acids, and probiotics are all essential constituents of an excellent immune natural eating plan. Devouring healthy immune foods raises your chances of avoiding several types of dreaded medical illnesses.

Take time to glance into the following immune natural power foods that can greatly facilitate in bolstering our immunity to counteract health problems and aid us recover total control over our body’s main defense system.

Acai Berry

Produced in the beautiful rainforests of Amazon, this amazing immune-boosting food is a very potent antioxidant. As a matter of fact, it carries the highest ORAC (Oxygen Reducing Absorbance Capacity) beating blueberries and strawberries (which are also considered as good sources of antioxidants). Antioxidants ward off free radicals in the body, and preclude the development of cancer immune system.

Yogurt

A probiotic-wealthy food that is now vastly well-known. In addition, most experts recommend eating yogurt as opposed to munching on junk foods. Yogurts are excellent snack foods since they are healthy and wealthy in live excellent bacteria. It is critical to procure yogurts with active cultures because these friendly live microorganisms helps to improve our digestive health.

Red and green cabbage

Categorized under the Brassica group, cabbages are wonderful in enhancing the body’s immunity. They are superb addition to any food because of their usefulness. Other kinds of vegetables under the brassica family include kale, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli. The usual types of cabbage normally utilized in most dishes are bokchoy, red, green and napa cabbage. Bear in mind to involve cabbages in your eating plan to assist build excellent immune system support.

Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds are types of protein-wealthy foods, which are also packed with omega-3 fatty acids, lignans and fiber. They are commonly incorporated in breads, grain products and tortilla chips. The best means to consume flaxseeds is to pound them so you can easily sprinkle them over cereals, different dishes and even coffee.

Beans

Beans are another kind of protein-wealthy foods that are extensively sold in the market. Canned beans are expedient robust, quick cheap meals but strive to select those with reduced sodium content, or just stick with dried untreated beans. They are good immune natural super foods that reinforce strong immunity against medical disorders, and are also rich in antioxidants.

Garlic

Garlic is one of the well-acknowledged super immune foods that have numerous of health benefits. By crushing and walloping them, you are mounting the number of strong elements existing in garlic. Professionals advise waiting at least 15 minutes after shedding the garlic before cooking them to ensure that you will get its utmost health advantages.

Berries

Berries are high in antioxidants and good immune-reinforcing foods. Blueberries, strawberries and blackberries are just some of the few types of berries that should be included in your diet. They assist fight off immune system disease by increasing cell immunity and eradicating free radicals.

Bear in mind to incorporate these 7 immune natural disease-fighting foods to aid build your immune system as well as to support a strong mind and body!

All About The Author

Edwin Sproat Jr is fervently loyal to achieving perfect health. If you aspire to acquire valuable immune system facts, unite with Ed and other Eexceller users for they now know the secrets on how to sustain GOOD HEALTH. Through the teachings of Nutritional Immunology, they were able to understand the importance of consuming natural and wholesome foods. For more details, visit the Eexceller site.