Health Advice Archives - The Next Horizon Seniors and Military Senior Care Advisor

HOW TO RESEARCH A SURGEON

Posted on January 25, 2024 | by Brenda Armstrong

Here is a four-step process to find out most everything you need to know about a surgeon’s background & skill level.

CONFIRM STATE CREDENTIALS. The Federation of State Medical Boards can tell you if the surgeon is licensed in your state. Go to fsmb.org and click on Consumer Resources to get to the free tool, “Learn About Your Physician.”
CONFIRM SURGICAL CERTIFICATION. To find out if the surgeon is board certified or eligible in a particular specialty, check with the American Board of Medical Specialties (go to certificationmatters.org). Board Certified means a physician has undergone lengthy training in a specialty and passed a stringent exam. It means the doctor has finished the appropriate residency but has yet to pass the test. It’s OK for young doctors to be board eligible – they have a few years to take the test. But, thee ABMS recently issued a ruling that physicians who try to use the term “board eligible” for their entire careers face penalties.
UNCOVER PROFESSIONAL REPRIMANDS. Knowing if a doctor has been sanctioned by a professional licensing board should be an essential part of your search. For a $9 fee, the Federation of State Medical Boards will provide the disciplinary history of specific doctors in any state (click Credentialing, then Physician Data Services on its website). State medical boards also have doctor profiles that include board certifications, board actions, criminal convictions and medical malpractice claims. There are links to state websites; go to fsmb.org/policy/contacts.
CHECK RATINGS, NUMBER OF PROCEDURES PERFORMED & COMPLICATION RATES: Pro-Publica & Consumers’ Checkbook both have websites where they rate surgeons & provide information on the number of procedures and complication rates, based on recent Medicare data. Plug in your zip code at the ProPublica website and you will find a directory of local hospitals that perform eight common procedures, along with surgeons on staff who perform them, the number of procedures they have done and their complication rates. SurgeonRatings.org from the nonprofit group provides a more comprehensive analysis that encompasses more than 5 million operations performed by 50,000 surgeons. It compares surgeons’ results for 12 types of surgery.

SURGERIES & SIDE EFFECTS: These 10 are the most common surgeries for Americans over 50, and the most common complications.

CATARACT REMOVAL: Complication: Posterior capsule opacity (blurry or cloudy vision develops after surgery. (Occurrence 20%)

PACEMAKER IMPLANT: Complication: Hematoma (a collection of blood outside a blood vessel) (Occurrence 2.2% patients over 70)

COLECTOMY: (partial or total colon removal). Complication: infection (Occurrence 12.4%)

CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS: Complication: Atrial Fibrillation (irregular heartbeat). (Occurrence About 24%)

HIP REPLACEMENT: Complication: Dislocation (Occurrence 2%)

KNEE REPLACEMENT: Complication: Blood Clot (Occurrence 1%)

PROSTRATE REMOVAL: Complication: Bleeding (Occurrence 5.3%)

INGUINAL HERNIA: Complication: Infection (Occurrence 0.2% (laparoscopic surgery), 0.3% (open surgery)

CHOLECYSTECTOMY: (gallbladder removal) Complication: Infection (Ocurrence 1% (laparoscopic surgery), 7.6% (open surgery)

APPENDECTOMY: (appendix removal) Complication: infection (Occurrence: 1.9% (laparoscopic surgery), 4.3% (open surgery))

*Information provided by International Journal of Surgery

Brenda Dever-Armstrong, CEO/Owner/Senior Advisor
The Next Horizon Seniors & Military (Veterans/Spouses) Advocate/Resources/Services/Locator
Business Cell: 210-275-3002
www.nexthorizonlocators.com

MEDICARE OPEN ENROLLMENT (OCTOBER 15, 2023 – DECEMBER 7, 2023)

Posted on September 27, 2023 | by Brenda Armstrong

The Medicare Open Enrollment starts from October 15, 2023 – December 7, 2023. This time frame gives you an opportunity to review your plan choice and make changes, if necessary. Review your current plan and if that plan is making any changes for the coming year. The changes you can make is: Switch to a different Medicare plan like Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C) or drop your Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Traditional Medicare (Parts A & B). Medicare has added more accepted care. You can look at a Supplemental Insurance that may cover the remaining 20% that Traditional Medicare does not – they cover 80%. Now, if your Veteran spouse served 20 years or more – after age of 65 you are covered with Tricare For Life…. Best coverage – Medicare (Primary) Tricare For Life (Secondary) – you do NOT need an additional medical insurance policy. (If divorced from Veteran not eligible).

WHAT ARE THE CHANGES FOR MEDICARE PART B IN 2023? – The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $164.90 for 2023, a decrease of $5.20 from $170.10 in 2022. The annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries is $226 in 2023, a decrease of $7.00 from the annual deductible of $233.00 in 2022.

CAN YOU SWITCH TO MEDICARE ADVANTAGE DURING THE OPEN ENROLLMENT? If you are in Traditional Medicare, you can switch Part D plan or switch to a Medicare Advantage Plan during the Medical Open Enrollment period that runs from October 15, 2023 – December 7, 2023. One CANNOT use the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment period(from 1 January to 31 March) unless you are enrolled in Medicare.

WILL MEDICARE PART D PREMIUMS INCREASE IN 2023? With a premium stabilization-capped 2024 base beneficiary premium of $34.70, the average basic Part D premium is projected to increase from $34.09 in 2023 to $34.50in 2024, a 7.5% increase.

IS MEDICARE AGE CHANGING TO 67? The progressive changes are nearing their conclusion: Beginning in 2022, the standard age for full benefits will be 67 for anyone born after 1960. Besides the Medicare eligibility age of 65, what remains unchanged is that you can opt to begin drawing partial Social Security benefit as early as 62.

*Check with your current medical plan and contact them with questions you may have or go onto the website: www.medicare.com
**Next month topic will cover: What are Medicaid Advantage Plans

Brenda Dever-Armstrong, CEO/CSA/Geriatric Advisor
The Next Horizon Seniors & Military (Veterans/Spouses) Advocate/Resources/Services/Locator (TX & nationwide)

MENTAL HEALTH CARE MATTERS

Posted on August 4, 2023 | by Brenda Armstrong

Millions of people in the U.S. are affected by mental illness each year. It’s important to measure how common mental illness is so we can understand the physical, social and financial impact – and show that no one is alone. The numbers are also powerful tools for raising public awareness, stigma-busting and advocating for better health care.

In my business/profession, my team and I have seen more “mental” issues in the last year than ever before. Below are some fast facts:

1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year
1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year
1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience as mental health disorder each year
50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14
One in 5 adults experienced mental illness last year

More facts: Texas ranks 50 out of 50 states to access for care.
Texas operates 39 local mental health community health services. (In the San Antonio area, we recommend only 3 Behavior hospitals that do a good service helping those with behavioral issues). We have some excellent behavioral facilities outside of San Antonio.

One can be detained up to 48 hours after arriving unless a judge signs an order of “protective” custody. The most common mental illness in America is:
Anxiety disorder, major depression, & bi-polar

Question asked is: What can get you or a loved one sent to a mental hospital?
If high risk of serious harm to themselves or others and need to be in a place of safety.

One organization for those needing to reach out for help is NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness in San Antonio. NAMI provides free peer-led mental health education classes and support groups for individuals living with a mental health condition and their loved ones. NAMI provides advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals & families affected by mental illness can build better lives. NAMI offers FREE training of six core modules.

PTSD is also common among civilians not just our military men & women. For those who are veterans/spouses of a veteran, we have VA resources we can provide to those needing information and/or care.

This is a topic that needs to be addressed as it is a “crisis” in America.

Brenda Dever-Armstrong, CEO/Owner/CSA/Geriatric Advisor
The Next Horizon Seniors & Military (Veterans/Spouses) Advocate/Resources/Services/Locator (TX & nationwide)
Bus Ph: 210-275-3002
Email: deverb@att.net
www.nexthorizonlocators.com

KNOW THE SIGNS OF (DEMENTIA/ALZHEIMER) AND HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH SOMEONE WITH ALZHEIMER DISEASE

Posted on May 10, 2023 | by Brenda Armstrong

This is an excellent article for those that may have a loved one with signs of Dementia/Alzheimer. Recently, my team and I are seeing more families with a loved one with these early signs.

Early Detection Matters:
(1) Memory changes that disrupt daily life (early signs forgetting recently learned information).
(2) Challenges in planning or solving problems (Difficulty concentrating or taking longer to complete a task).
(3) Difficulty completing familiar tasks (Complete daily tasks: driving familiar area, managing their budget)
(4) Confusion with time or place: (Cannot remember appointment(s) or location).
(5) New problems with words in speaking or writing (May have trouble following a conversation or joining in a conversation). They may repeat themselves. Trouble finding the right words.
(6) Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps (Placing things in unusual areas). Often accuse others of stealing and re-occurs more often.
(7) Decrease or poor judgement (Demonstrate unusual changes in judgement or decision-making).
(8) Withdraw from work or social activities (They remove themselves from family, hobbies or sports).

COMMUNICATING WITH AN ALZHEIMER/DEMENTIA PATIENT

HELPING THE PERSON COMMUNICATE: Helping someone communicate takes patience and understanding. Here are some Suggestions:
(1) Be calm and supportive. Maintain eye contact and use touch to reassure them. Show them you are listening.
(2) Show your interest in what he/she is saying or feeling.
(3) Pay attention to their voice/gestures for clues to what they are feeling. Sometimes, their emotions are more important than she they are trying to say.
(4) If you do not understand what they are trying to say, encourage them to point or gesture.
(5) If they cannot find a word, they may be less frustrated if you offer a guess.
(6) If they use the wrong word, and you know what they mean, supply the correct word. If this upsets them, do not correct future mistakes!
(7) Do not try to get them to explain as this may make them more upset. If possible just go along with what they are saying or agree with them – less agitated.
(8) Approach the person from the front but some may feel more comfortable if you talk from a handshake distance away.
(9) Keep confusion, distraction and noise to a minimum.
(10) Say your name first then address their name to get their attention.
(11) Speak slowly and distinctly. Use a lower voice pitch to convey sense of calm.
(12) Pay attention to your tone of voice. A person with Dementia/Alzheimer can sense your emotions. Limit the number of “don’t) and avoid harsh or direct orders.
(13) Confrontation may make the situation worse or get the person “worked up.”

Your observation and sensitivity will make a big difference. A hug or kiss can express affection. Remember: Treat the person with dignity and respect.

I suggest for any family or family member to go to www.alz.com. The Alzheimer Association provides so much information about the “Stages” of Alzheimer. They also list the Support Groups throughout Texas for family members to attend – FREE! The support from other families going through this disease with their loved ones can provide “insight” on how they have handled their “loved one” and also received support from outside Speakers.

We need to keep on Congress to provide more “funding” for research….there is NO CURE at this time. The information listed was provided by the Alzheimer Association whom I work very closely with for my updated training working with families who have a loved one with this terrible disease.