Family Physician the New Healthcare Star (VIDEO)

General Posted by anthony Date June 18, 2012

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Berry Berry Brainy – Healthier Brains Through Blueberries and Strawberries

General Posted by anthony Date June 18, 2012

Eat more!
David Bishop Inc.

Eating more sweetberries can keep our brains healthier, according to a new study published in the Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society.

The study, conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Devore with Brigham and WomenÛªs Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass., suggests cognitive decline can be delayed up to 2.5 years in elderly women who eat more flavonoid and antioxidant-rich berries.

“We provide the first epidemiologic evidence that berries slowed progression of cognitive decline in elderly women,” notes Dr. Devore. “Our findings have significant public health implications as increasing berry intake is a fairly simple dietary modification to test cognition protection in older adults.”
The research team used data from the NursesÛª Health StudyÛÓa cohort of 121,700 female, registered nurses between the ages of 30 and 55 who completed health and lifestyle questionnaires beginning in 1976. Since 1980 participants were surveyed every four years regarding their frequency of food consumption. Between 1995 and 2001, cognitive function was measured in 16,010 subjects over the age of 70 years, at 2-year intervals. Women included in the present study had a mean age of 74 and mean body mass index of 26.

Findings show that increased consumption of blueberries and strawberries slows cognitive decline in older women. A greater intake of anthocyanidins and total flavonoids was also associated with reduced cognitive degeneration.

Researchers observed that women who had higher berry intake delayed cognitive aging by up to 2.5 years. The authors caution that while they did control for other health factors in the modeling, they cannot rule out the possibility that the preserved cognition in those who eat more berries may be also influenced by other lifestyle choices, such as exercising more.

The abstract can be found at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ana.23594/abstract

World Elder Abuse Day

General Posted by anthony Date June 15, 2012

June 15th is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. In the United States it is estimated that elders lose $2.6 billion or more annually.

The Mature Market Institute has two tip sheets to help make sure your family is protected:
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Planning Tips: Preventing Elder Financial Abuse for Family Caregivers and Planning Tips:åÊ

Preventing Elder Financial Abuse for Older Adults.

Visit www.maturemarketinstitute.com.

Family Physician the New Healthcare Star

General Posted by anthony Date June 15, 2012

The proportion of Americans 65 and older is projected to increase from 12 percent in 2005 to 20 percent by 2030, according to Family Physicians’ Present and Future Role in Caring for Older Patients, which was produced by the American Academy of Family Physician’s Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care.

No surprise:

Family physicians often are the key caregivers for geriatric patients.

They are caring for more geriatric patients.
That care presents both opportunities and challenges.

The shortage of family physicians in the United States is documented. There are even fewer physicians certified in geriatric care, just 7,162 certified geriatricians in the United States.

The combination of payment and treatment challenges tends to discourage physicians, residents and medical students from pursuing further training in geriatric care. But adoption of innovative care and delivery models, such as the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) could make it easier for family physicians to meet the needs of their older patients by focusing more on care management and care coordination.

Interestingly, the company we launched in New York, Touchstone Health, had just this model and some 10 years before it was fashionable. We had our own medical director in place and did intense medical management for the senior population. That meant a focus on wellness and prevention, fewer hospitalizations and better coordination. That saved medical costs and also helped the company earn money too. Back then they were affiliated with a Medicare+ Choice plan. Now they have their own Medicare Advantage offering. In fact Medicare Advantage I believe is a precursor to the medical home concept of today.

Still, work is needed. According to a recent poll from the John A. Hartford Foundation, many patients over 65 aren’t getting the recommended interventions to maintain their health, Kaiser Health News reported. In particular, the results, which cover a 12-month period, revealed the following shortcomings in seniors’ care.

One-third of older adults said doctors didn’t review all their medications.
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More than two-thirds of the time, health providers didn’t conduct a fall-risk assessment or history for older patients.
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62 percent of seniors surveyed said they were not screened for depression.

All are part of Medicare’s annual wellness visit, though more than half of the patients surveyed by the foundation had never heard of the no-cost benefit.

As you plan your healthcare going forward donÛªt get too bogged down in medical terms like medical homes. Do look for a practice that will help you maintain your health and quality of life, coordinate your care and one which is becoming more sensitive to the needs of an aging population by employing certified geriatricians.åÊ

And you may want to look at Medicare Advantage as one model of care for this. It may take some time for traditional practices to catch up.åÊ