All Posts in "Health & Fitness"

A free, information-only presentation about extended healthcare for older adults and people with disabilities will be held May 20 under the sponsorship of Pierce County’s Aging and Disability Resource Center and Health Care Providers Council of Pierce County. The event is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Pierce County Library Administrative Center, 3005 112th St. E. in Tacoma.
Topics include in-home care, elder law, adult homes, memory care and assisted living.
“Life is fragile,” said Aaron Van Valkenburg, manager of Aging and Disability Resources. “For some people – even the youngest and healthiest individual, life can change in a blink with an accident or illness. For others, the gradual onset of disabilities may lead to need for extended care. In either case, knowing about community resources and how to tap into them is crucial.”

srmedia by — April 22, 2014 in Health & Fitness

If you could reduce your risk of becoming diabetic by 58 percent, wouldn’t you? A collaboration between the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the YMCA is doing this through the Diabetes Prevention Program at local Ys.

According to the CDC, half of all American adults are destined to develop diabetes or pre-diabetes by 2020, so community organizations like the Y are taking action. Research by the National Institutes of Health has shown that programs like the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program can reduce the number of new cases of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent, and 71 percent in adults over the age of 60.

After struggling to find a plan that worked, Mark Hurst joined the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP).

“I joined the Diabetes Prevention Group, because I had been diagnosed with pre-diabetes by my doctor,” he said. “I went to the YMCA on and off over a couple of years with no distinct direction or plan.  I guess I thought watching others sweat, through osmosis, I would lose weight. Didn’t happen!

“I saw that a diabetes prevention group was meeting at the Y, and I called to find out more and joined. The YMCA staff is energetic, positive, knowledgeable, and very good at listening to what my needs are. Joining the group was the best decision I have made to improve my fitness, reduce my weight, to do the things necessary to prevent the onset of diabetes in my life. I did it. As I stepped off the scale smiling, I even impressed my skeptical self.  I met my program weight goal (of 7 percent body weight loss).”

YMCA DPP is an evidence-based lifestyle change program taught in two sections over a year. The first section is a weekly meeting in a small group format led by a trained lifestyle coach, and then after the first 16 weeks, the group changes to monthly meetings for maintenance. The goals of the program are to gradually lose 7 percent of body weight (or more) and add in 150 minutes of physical activity over time. These goals come from rigorous studies about what works to prevent the onset of diabetes. YMCA membership is not needed to participate.

To find out more, contact Susan Buell at 253-460-8912 or sbuell@ymcapkc.org, or submit an interest form at: http://www.ymcapkc.org/diabetesprevention/

Susan Buell is the association director of adult healthy lifestyles and chronic disease for YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties.

srmedia by — March 28, 2014 in Health & Fitness

While more than one million hip and knee replacements are performed in the U.S. each year, countless men and women continue to live with severe arthritic pain and immobility because they cannot afford joint replacement surgery.

But that wasn’t a concern three months ago for a patient at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma.

On Dec. 9, St. Joseph Medical and Dr. John Bargren, an orthopedic surgeon, partnered to provide a free knee replacement to Tacoma resident Teri Tveten at no charge as part of Operation Walk USA.

Currently in its third year, Operation Walk USA, an independent medical charitable organization, provides all aspects of knee and hip replacement treatment – surgery, hospitalization, and pre-and post-operative care – at no cost to patients who may not qualify for government assistance, have insurance or afford surgery on their own.

Bargren, a member of the Franciscan Health System medical staff ,donated his services for the third consecutive year. St. Joseph provided the operating room, anesthesiologist and other clinical staff.

Tveten applied for orthopedic surgery through Operation Walk USA.

An estimated 120 orthopedic surgeons will treat more than 230 patients, and that is twice the number of patients and orthopedic surgeons in Operation Walk USA in 2011, the first year of the program.

“We are very pleased to continue to partner with the Operation Walk program because it offers life-changing benefits for individuals who are coping with severe pain and limited mobility,” said Eula Ramroop, associate vice president of Franciscan Orthopedics, Spine and Podiatry Services. “Regaining one’s mobility and living free of pain are essential for enjoying the simplest pleasures of life.”

Arthritic disease is the most common cause of disability in the United States, affecting approximately 48 million people or more than 21 percent of the adult population.

Hip and knee replacement surgeries are the most cost-effective and successful of all orthopedic procedures, eliminating pain and allowing patients to resume active, productive lives.

Last year, Franciscan orthopedic surgeons performed 1,933 joint replacement procedures. Franciscan’s comprehensive orthopedic services include Joint Camp for patients undergoing hip and knee replacements at St. Joseph Medical Center, St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood and St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor. The hospitals are part of Franciscan Health System.

Joint Camp removes the mystery from surgery by allowing groups of individuals to go through the process together — from pre-surgical education and surgery to rehabilitation.

“By involving our patients and their families in the process from the beginning, joint replacements become more positive and successful experiences,” said Debi Williams, manager of Franciscan Orthopedic Services. “There’s even a reunion party at which Joint Camp ‘graduates’ meet again and share their success stories.”

Knee replacement, or knee arthroplasty, is a surgical procedure to replace the weight-bearing surfaces of the knee joint to relieve pain and disability. It is most commonly performed for osteoarthritis, which is more common among elderly patients, and also for other knee diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. In patients with severe deformity from advanced rheumatoid arthritis, trauma, or long-standing osteoarthritis, the surgery may be more complicated and carry higher risk. Osteoporosis does not typically cause knee pain, deformity, or inflammation and is not a reason to perform knee replacement.

Other major causes of debilitating pain include meniscus tears, cartilage defects, and ligament tears.

In addition to St. Joseph, St. Francis, St. Clare and St. Anthony, Franciscan Health System includes Highline Medical Center in Burien, Harrison Medical Center and Harrison HealthPartners on the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas, Franciscan Hospice House in University Place, Franciscan Medical Group clinics and providers in Pierce, King and Kitsap counties, and the Franciscan Foundation.

Franciscan is part of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), a national non-profit health system with headquarters in Englewood, Colo. CHI ranks as the nation’s third-largest faith-based health system, with annual operating revenues of $10.7 billion and approximately 78,500 employees. In fiscal year 2012, CHI provided more than $715 million in charity care and community benefit, including services for the poor, free clinics, education and research.

Contributing Author by — March 5, 2014 in Health & Fitness

Seniors would have better access to quality care in skilled nursing facilities under Governor Jay Inslee’s proposed supplemental budget proposal , according to an industry organization.

Inslee’s plan calls for allocating $29 million to provide an update to Medicaid daily rates for skilled nursing homes in Washington.

“We appreciate the governor’s understanding about the critical need to provide funding to those state Medicaid clients in nursing homes,” said Jeff Hyatt, chairman of the board of directors at the Washington Health Care Association. “Medicaid rates in nursing homes are already short by more than $33 per day, and that gap in payment has a significant impact on quality, particularly since the majority of care costs are labor-related.”

According to Hyatt, the supplemental budget plan reinforces Inslee’s desire to provide care for Washington seniors in nursing homes at a time when updating rates is critical. Skilled-nursing facility costs are based on 2007 costs, and fall short by more than $100 million annually, he said.

The governor’s plan aims resources toward providers serving the majority of Washington’s Medicaid clients. Nursing home operators have proposed an increase to a statewide provider assessment to fund rates. This funding mechanism is employed by a majority of states seeking to augment the federal match for services provided to Medicaid clients.

“While we appreciate this down payment on quality care, we are disappointed that there was no update for assisted living Medicaid rates,” said Hyatt. “Assisted living Medicaid rates average $65 per day—less than $3 per hour and are based on 2005 costs.”

Hyatt said the attention of Washington Health Care Association (WHCA) “must now turn to the Legislature,” which convened its 2014 session in January.

“We will be working to help policymakers understand the crucial need for funding this session,” Hyatt said. “Our seniors, who helped build this country and can’t afford to pay for care, should not be denied access. Assisted-living centers continue to reduce the number of Medicaid residents they care for based on the current rates being paid. This is creating access problems for our seniors that desperately need our help. The seniors of our great state deserve appropriate funding for appropriate care.”

According to WHCA, the 2013 Medicaid shortfall was projected at $100 million, more than 70 percent of long-term care costs is wage and labor-related, and more than half of the skilled-nursing facilities in the state lost money last year.

WHCA represents 400 assisted-living and skilled-nursing facilities with a combined workforce of 25,000 employees.

srmedia by — February 17, 2014 in Health & Fitness