The Power of Sharing Our Stories

Reyna Marder Gentin writes on NextAvenue.org about how playing a game at an assisted living facility opened up surprising connections.

Gentin describes the experience:

"My friend runs an assisted living residence not far from where I live. When she called to say she had a mitzvah (a good deed) for me that was 'right up my alley,' I was wary, to put it mildly. She explained that she was running an event where the residents would play a game encouraging them to share, open mic style, stories from their lives. My friend knows I write — essays, memoir pieces, a novel. I tell stories.

'Will you come?' she asked.

I wanted to say no. As my children will tell you, with the rare exception of a Shabbat round of Scrabble or Bananagrams, I don’t play games. Maybe I’m uptight, or just no fun, but games are not my thing. The idea of helping to facilitate an octogenarian quiz show was not high on my list."

She continues later in the article, "The stories of the residents, though brief, are filled with gratitude and pathos. One woman says that she is heartbroken to have been forced to leave her home, but others are clearly thriving. And there is much humor. One woman is asked to describe something she wishes she were good at but isn’t. She admits that she can’t come up with anything, and asks if she can list the things she does well. Another agrees to play the game, but when she gets the microphone, refuses to answer the question on the card.

She has another story to tell.

Back in my seat, I feel that rush that comes with being vulnerable, and then finding acceptance.  We’re family now.

Telling our stories is life affirming. Telling our stories is critical. Our stories are what we will always have left."

Read more about Reyna's experience here.

6 startups that see opportunity in an aging population

From a MarketWatch.com article:

"Evin Ollinger went home for Christmas two years ago to visit his aging 84-year-old father. While there, he learned his dad hadn’t paid the mortgage for three months. His father told his son he didn’t keep up with financial details anymore. 'I realized I needed to take charge of his financial life,' says Ollinger...

Kimmey Hardesty is an experienced health care industry consultant but when her grandparents left a hospital after an incident, she struggled navigating the system of follow-up appointments, home health visits and other services for them. “Nothing seemed to really guide caregivers,” Hardesty says."

 Author Chris Farrell says these stories are becoming common with adult children caring for aging parents. These types of situations are leading to a boom of small businesses serving both populations.

Minneapolis recently hosted the first-ever Aging Startup Challenge, one of many popping up all over the country.

To find out more about the 6 finalists, read further here.

A Message from Uber Health

The following is a message from Uber:

Whether it’s helping seniors regain their independence, providing newfound mobility to those living in underserved areas, or providing a safe alternative to drinking and driving, Uber has changed the way people live their lives in ways that were never expected.

Yet, still, there’s so much more that can be done. We’re unveiling a new service focused on an issue vital to all of us: health. Every year, 3.6 million Americans miss doctor appointments due to a lack of reliable transportation.* No-show rates are as high as 30% nationwide.** And while transportation barriers are common across the general population, these barriers are greatest for vulnerable populations, including patients with the highest burden of chronic disease.

Today, we’re introducing Uber Health as a way to partner with healthcare organizations to provide reliable, comfortable transportation for patients. The dashboard allows healthcare professionals to order rides for patients going to and from the care they need. We are also launching an Uber Health API to enable easy integrations into existing healthcare products. Developed with healthcare in mind, new features include:

• Flexible ride scheduling for patients, caregivers and staff. Coordinators can schedule rides on behalf of patients, caregivers and staff to take place immediately, within a few hours, or up to 30 days in advance. This allows for transportation to be scheduled for follow-up appointments while still at the healthcare facility. Multiple rides can be scheduled and managed at the same time, all from a single dashboard.
• Access for patients without a smartphone. Riders don’t need the Uber app, or even a smartphone, to get a ride with Uber Health because it’s all done through text message. We’re even going to be introducing the option for riders to receive a call with trip details to their mobile phone or landline instead. For many, their first ever Uber ride will be through Uber Health, so we’re committed to providing the necessary education tools that ensure every patient feels comfortable and at ease during their journey.
• Simple billing, reporting, and management. Organizations can easily keep track of what they’re spending on rides. Reporting on requested rides and viewing monthly billing statements, appointments, and scheduling reports is simple.
• HIPAA Compliance. To ensure Uber Health meets HIPAA standards, we have been working hard to develop, implement, and customize numerous safeguards. We also worked with Clearwater Compliance, a leading HIPAA compliance company, to conduct comprehensive risk and compliance assessments. We are thus pleased to sign Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with our healthcare partners.

Over 100 healthcare organizations in the U.S, including hospitals, clinics, rehab centers, senior care facilities, home care centers, and physical therapy centers are already using Uber Health as a part of the beta program, including Adams Clinical, Blood Centers of the Pacific, Georgetown Home Care, LifeBridge Health, MedStar Health, Manhattan Women’s Health, NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center, Pro Staff Physical Therapy, ProActive Work Health Services, Project Open Hand, Renown Health, Thundermist Health Center and Yale New Haven Health. Healthcare technology companies like Bracket Global andCollective Health are also exploring ways that Uber Health can work with their offerings.

“Uber has helped us drastically reduce appointment cancellations. It’s great to be able to quickly request a ride with so that in-need patients can make an appointment they’d otherwise miss. ” – Pete Celano, Director of Consumer Health Initiatives, MedStar Health

“Coordinating rides for patients with Uber Health has been incredibly easy. By allowing us to schedule multiple rides at once we’ve been more productive and able to focus on the patient experience. Our patients have been very receptive and enjoy this wonderful service Uber and Pro Staff Physical Therapy offers.” – Areyls Rodriguez, Receptionist, Clifton ProStaff

“My health crisis was a lot to manage. Knowing I had reliable and comfortable transportation to and from my oncology appointments was one less burden on a very long list.” – Patient, San Diego, CA

Both our dashboard and API are available publicly starting today everywhere in the U.S. Visit www.uberhealth.com to learn more about the unique features designed specifically for health. Keeping our partners and their patients in mind, we’re looking forward to seeing what’s possible when transportation is no longer a barrier to care.

Upcoming Events

Healthy Habits at the White Hall Library with Ms. Helen will be held Monday, March 12 at 10 am.

Dr. Meyers clients will met at the Jonesboro Hilton Gardens on Wednesday, March 15 at 1 pm

Call the office at 501-664-7100 for more information about these events.

Not Just Chest Pain--Warning Signs You Should Not Ignore

In a recent article on AARP.com, Cheryl Bond-Nelms explains there are several other, more subtle warning signs of health problems.

One of the symptoms she describes is a "tearing sensation." Sometimes, this is a muscle injury, but if a person hasn't engaged in physical activity, it could mean something more serious. "It could be a rupture of the aorta. An aorta rupture can give the sensation of sudden, severe, stabbing pain in the back. If this type of pain persists for more than 20 minutes and it’s accompanied by nausea, seek immediate medical attention."

A second surprising symptom is sweating. Ms. Bond-Nelms explains, ". Heavy sweating may also be a sign of thyroid problems, diabetes or heart issues... If you are sweating more than usual, you don’t need to call 911, but you should consult a physician to rule out a serious underlying medical condition."

To get the full list, click here.

Caregiver Support Groups

Caregiver Support Groups

These groups meet on a monthly basis to provide a place for Caregivers to gather with others who are Caregivers, just like you.  The group provides disease/condition specific education, stress and care management, resource availability, emotional support and a quarterly newsletter.  Caregiver Support Groups meet in the following locations:

· Jonesboro (Craighead)                             · Paragould (Greene)

2nd Monday at 2:00 p.m.                               2nd Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.

3rd Monday at 3:00 p.m.                               Greene County Public Library

EAAAA Conference Room                               120 N. 12th Street

· Pocahontas & Walnut Ridge

(Randolph & Lawrence)                             · Forrest City (St. Francis)

3rd Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.                          3rd Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.

Pocahontas Community Center                       2550 South Washington St.

300 Geneva Drive, Pocahontas, AR                 Forrest City Senior Life Center

· Helena (Phillips)                                      · Marianna (Lee)

4th Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.                              4th Wednesday at 1:00 p.m.

Phillips County Library                                   Mid-Delta/Marianna Senior Center   

702 Porter Street, Helena                              53 S. Poplar, Marianna

· West Memphis (Crittenden)                     · Wynne (Cross)

4th Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.                             2nd Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.

West Memphis Senior Life Center                    Wynne EAAAA Office

318 Tyler Street, W. Memphis                         1421 South Falls Blvd 

"Hacking Our Cells"--Could this be the key to slowing the aging process?

According to a recent article on healthline.com, some scientists say yes. 

"Cutting carbs, reducing calories, and using key supplements may help your cells produce more energy and protect you against many diseases of aging..." says Marsha McCulloch in her article.

The key may be in the mitochondria of individual cells as it converts food and oxygen into energy in the body.

“The latest research strongly suggests that the vast majority of age-related degenerative diseases have tangled roots in dysfunctional mitochondria,” Dr. Lee Know, author of “Mitochondria and the Future of Medicine,” told Healthline. “This is because everything that happens within the body’s cells requires an input of energy, and it’s the mitochondria that produce over 90% of that energy.”

Get the details at: http://bit.ly/2oKaVjL