Put Preventative Care on the Calendar

Those famous birthday landmarks: 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80... 

Some see them as milestones, others see them as wrinkles, however your doctor sees them completely different. With age, comes the increased risk of certain types of health conditions. In fact there are screenings, tests, and vaccinations that are highly encouraged based solely on age. But who can keep track of them!?

Let me introduce you to the Aging for Healthcare Research and Quality Electronic Preventative Services Selector (AHRQ ePSS). Based on five questions (including your age), this program will give you a printable list of health promotion and prevention recommendations unique to you. 

 Consider that in 2012, a scant 3 percent of current health care spending in the United States is now focused on prevention and public health, while a whopping 75 percent of health care costs are related to preventable conditions. The United States can — and must — do better, especially considering that its per capita health care spending is twice the average of other industrialized nations even as it still ranks a dismal 24th out of 30 for life expectancy.

Obamacare will radically change this, offering free (yes, free) preventative care. 

Today people are living longer but are also spending more time living with chronic ailments. Over the course of the 20th century, global life expectancy soared by 30 years, 25 of which stemmed from public health advances such as improved sanitation, environmental advances, vaccine campaigns, and tobacco control. 

So at your next milestone, put preventative care on your calendar. You and your loved ones can be the start of a new statistics of people who choose to max out their preventative care and take care of things early. It's never too late to start. 

When it hits home

They say, “Practice makes perfect.”

As a nurse, it’s my job to connect with older adults and their families. I read and hear their stories all day. I've been trained to "speak doctor" and understand the weight of the conversation down to the numbers. My professional career is all about aging – the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

Nothing could have prepared me for being a caregiver. 

I’ve written before about my grandfather and the day both our lives changed. At the end of the story though, our lives did go back to normal--a new normal. Physically, he rebounded. Time in an assisted living with daily physical therapy brought back most of his strength. We were all looking forward to having him back home when...

I walked into my grandmother’s hospital room. She was there after she fell backwards onto the concrete sidewalk while fixing the garden. As I leaned over to give her a hug, she yelled, “Don't you touch me! I saw you kissing that other man. What are you going to tell John!?”

Her hallucinations only increased as she sat in an empty room speaking with her "visitors".  I'd walk in quietly, not to interrupt, and shortly after get blamed for "scaring away friends". As she slept, my eyes would darn between her heart monitor, to her, to the number on the IV pump, back to her. The two roles inside me, all nurse yet all granddaughter, drove both into over drive.    

I fought to catch my breath and hold back the tears, all the while trying to keep a smile on face for Grandma. Why wasn’t I prepared for this? I knew what to expect. I knew how to handle this. Yet the thousands of stories, the countless talks with the doctors, and all my research and training, could have never prepared me for the emotions of actually being a caregiver.

Today,  I applaud you caregivers as a nurse and I empathize with you as a caregiver. Our journey may differ greatly, but now when I look into the eyes of another caregiver to teach them about their "new normal", I allow them to look into my eyes. With just a glance, those who have been there, know. The dreaded call, the late night in the emergency room, the torture of waiting for that result or that doctor, that shred of hope that still holds on.

Fellow caregivers and healthcare workers, I'd like to invite you personally to join me Monday nights on twitter. I'll be hosting a TweetChat at #Nurseup at 4pm PST or 7pm EST. Topics will center around caregiving and available resources.

Our first meeting, Monday November 18th, will cover challenges of being a caregiver and helpful resources. I would like to partner with you to bring to light the true role of a caregiver and put the best resources into the right hands.

Looking forward to meeting you and hearing your story.