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December 2008
Got coverage? Many don’t.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Losing your job is difficult enough, but losing health insurance doubles the catastrophe. In the past year, nearly 2 million jobs were lost in the United States, and with them, many employer health insurance benefits.
There are alternatives, of course. Some of the newly unemployed will use COBRA to fill the gap between jobs, and others will look into individual plans. But according the the Kaiser Family Foundation, half of those looking for work last year did so with no health insurance at all.
Further surveys by Kaiser found that more people are postponing health care and the filling of prescriptions; putting off elective surgeries and diagnostic tests; and even cutting dosages of medicines, all in an effort to save money.
Do any of these tactics sound familiar? Are you trying to get along without health insurance? How are you surviving?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: General
Let’s talk about sex…in the nursing home
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Should senior citizens forfeit their desire for sex and intimacy when they go to live in a nursing home? Researchers in Kansas tackled the taboo subject in a recent study. They found caregivers had little to go on to help them navigate the touchy topic. But experts say they expect the issue to grow as baby boomers, with more liberal attitudes toward sex than their parents, continue to age.
Solutions can be as simple as providing “do not disturb” signs or making sure staffers don’t barge into residents’ rooms without knocking, the experts noted. Or even to provide a discreet room for residents.
We’d like to hear from you. Should caregivers give consideration to the sexual needs of their nursing home patients?
For more senior subjects, go to Atlanta Senior Living page
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Face transplant raises tough questions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday’s announcement about a pioneering face transplant was greeted mostly with cheers. The patient, a woman who had 80% of her face transplanted with the face of a cadaver, is reportedly over the initial hurdles of recovery and stands to benefit from her new nose, palate and jaw.
But some doctors question whether facial transplants are worth the risk. After all, the drugs that the patient must take afterward can be deadly. And further, will the patient still benefit from the surgery if the transplant is rejected?
What do you think? Is the surgery worth the risks involved? Would you have the surgery knowing it might not work?
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: Ethics
Job loss and thoughts of suicide?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
During these tough economic times, people are having to cope with the humiliation, depression and feelings of failure that come with losing their jobs.
Factor in the holidays and you’ve got a recipe for suicidal despair, says mental health experts.
Clinical pyschologist Leslie Seppinni, in a recent article urges people to seek support. “I tell them to go online and look for mental health support groups in their area.”
Facing the holidays with limited resources makes people feel more vulnerable and isolated, said Pamela Schuble, who runs a Georgia crisis line. Twenty-five percent of calls in October were people in severe crisis, she said.
What about you and your friends and loved ones? How are you coping with job losses during the holidays? What advice can you give to others?
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Mental Health
How is your doctor’s bedside manner? Does it matter to you?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A recent New York Times story mentions the six habits of highly respected doctors. There were no surprises. Two words sum up how doctors should treat patients: Be respectful and professional.
In a related story, nurses reported having to deal with doctors who ran the gamut from inattentive to downright obnoxious.
Have you ever switched physicians simply because you didn’t like the way your doctor interacted with you. Did his or her bedside manner leave a lot to be desired? What’s been your experience? How do you doctors respond to your critics?
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Lifted by a stranger?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ever been lifted by a stranger?
A new study shows how happiness is contagious. Strangers and neighbors especially revealed a stronger effect on your happiness than once thought. According to one author of the study, “Emotions have a collective existence - they are not just an individual phenomenon.”
Why strangers? The study showed that experiencing happiness in proximity to someone made the difference, whether or not you knew that person well, or at all.
How about you - have you experienced happiness from a stranger? Has a casual acquaintance’s good mood rubbed off on you?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Mental Health
How has AIDS impacted your life?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day. We’ve come a long way from the early ’80s when an AIDS diagnosis was a likely death sentence and carried a stigma. There were few treatment options then, and many Americans were terrified of people infected with HIV.
Today, AIDS in the United States has become a chronic condition to be managed. Americans with the disease are stronger and healthier, their concerns fading from public view.
Like many other people, I’ve lost friends, family and colleagues to the disease. I recall fondly one friend, a fashion designer, who in 1990 made my wedding dress and those of other women even as he battled AIDS, a battle he eventually lost. At his funeral, the church was filled with women who showed up in the wedding dresses he had designed for them. He was a talented, lively, lovely young man who left us way too soon.
How has AIDS impacted your life? Have you lost someone close to you to the disease? Do you know someone living with the disease? What is your own experience?
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