Wellness

  • Wellness

    Palliative Care

    What does one do when given challenging news regarding their health?  In cases of terminal illness, Palliative care may be one important answer.  The World Health Organization offers this information regarding Palliative care: Improving the quality of life of patients and families Palliative care improves the quality of life of patients and families who face life-threatening illness, by providing pain and symptom relief, spiritual and psychosocial support to from diagnosis to the end of life and bereavement. Palliative care: provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms; affirms life and regards dying as a normal process; intends neither to hasten or postpone death; integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of…

  • Wellness

    Transportation Cost for Seniors

            Written by Ronnie Friedland, Care.com editor   | Finding transportation options is a major issue for seniors who have had to give up driving. Having alternative means of transportation, whether through a town’s senior services or through family and friends, can be tremendously important to a senior’s sense of independence. But, as one senior said to Candace Gould, a licensed mental health counselor for Jewish Family & Children’s Services in the Boston area, “I have difficulty getting rides since giving up my car. Friends and relatives are forgetful.” Some seniors find that although they are lucky to have friends and family to provide transportation assistance, conflicting schedules mean it’s often difficult…

  • Wellness

    Aging

    Leandra Becerra Lumbreras, born in northeast Mexico, claims to have been born on Aug. 31, 1887 – meaning she turned 127 on Sunday and that would make her the oldest human being ever on the face of the earth. She is still able to chat and has some mobility despite her deafness and severe cataracts, EFE reports. She celebrated her birthday over the weekend in the company of some of her 153 descendants. They made sure she got enough rest and was awake for the event: these days this witness to three centuries usually sleeps in 72-hour periods, relatives say. My dad, Andrew Frank Hatch, will be 116 next month,…

  • Wellness

    Mill Valley Attracts Seniors

    Mill Valley, a small, charming town, located a few miles north of San Francisco, is perfect for senior visitors who enjoy history, museums and the arts.  Fodor’s calls the town “chic and woodsy.” Two financial magazines, MONEY and CNN/Money, named Mill Valley “One of the 10 top cities in America in which to live.” For the more active senior citizen, Mill Valley has 8 beautifully designed hiking paths. There areattractions going on every month of the year. The Fall Arts Festival is one of the major cultural events each September. It is the longest running festival in Marin County having celebrated its 57th year in 2013. When John Muir learned that William and…

  • Wellness

    Medicare to Help Seniors Choose Health Care Providers with Five-Star Ratings

    By Dr. Patrick Conway, CMS Deputy Administrator for Innovation and Quality,  Chief Medical Officer June 27, 2014 – When buying a product or service, looking at ratings can often help narrow down the choices. Some websites offer “star” ratings that give information about the quality of the products and services they offer. Wouldn’t it be helpful to have the same kind of ratings when choosing a health care provider? It can be overwhelming when consumers are faced with having to choose a health care provider, such as a hospital, nursing home, or physician. Providers differ in the safety and quality of care they give, and having quality ratings available to…