Health Info & Resources for Seniors
Medicare Enrollment
Preparing for the 2022 Medicare Annual Enrollment - Every year, Medicare changes the benefits on A and B, often increasing the deductibles and copays for medical services.
In addition, they change when a person will enter and exit the coverage gap under Part D. Medicare must allow Part D and Part C plans to adjust for the changes in the Medicare program, resulting in the Medicare Annual Enrollment period.
Stay at Home with Home Health Care Services
The availability of home health and hospice services can help patients retain their residence of choice, which is often their own home, but it’s important to have a clear understanding of what each benefit entails. Lisa Giovanni, MSN, RN, president of St. Luke’s Visiting Association, explains that while both home health services and hospice programs provide medically necessary, intermittent home visits, their focus is quite different.
Reflections on Life with COVID-19
"We should have gotten the COVID shots" My husband and I were scheduled for our COVID shots on Friday. The previous week, I suggested that we be tested for the COVID. The nurse told us that we both tested positive, but I must go to the hospital for more testing. My husband and I did not feel sick. The next day, my son took me to the hospital emergency room and I was admitted. Medication was administered and I was informed that I was diagnosed with pneumonia, COVID, and a pulmonary embolism. My husband and I did not feel ill. My husband stayed home, and after a few days, felt worse.
Finding Relief from Painful Spine Fracture
Nancy is one of more than 10 million Americans with osteoporosis, a disease marked by porous, brittle bones that can break more easily than healthy bones. Women over 50 have a 1-in-2 chance of breaking a bone due to osteoporosis.1 Osteoporosis is sometimes called a “silent disease” because it has no symptoms before a fracture occurs.2 That’s what happened to Nancy.
Advice for Coping with the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly challenging for older adults, says St. Luke’s clinical therapist Amie Allanson-Dundon, but there are ways you can enhance not only your own mental health, but that of your older loved ones. Even before the pandemic, older adults were already at risk for serious illness, says Allanson-Dundon, Network Director of Clinical Therapy Services. Add the fear of catching COVID with the normally higher rates of social isolation among older adults, and it’s not surprising that seniors are feeling increased stress. Moreover, the older adult population has suffered the greatest number of severe illnesses and deaths, with many seniors losing long-time friends and loved ones.
Stay at Home with Home Health Care Services
The availability of home health and hospice services can help patients retain their residence of choice, which is often their own home, but it’s important to have a clear understanding of what each benefit entails. Lisa Giovanni, MSN, RN, president of St. Luke’s Visiting Association, explains that while both home health services and hospice programs provide medically necessary, intermittent home visits, their focus is quite different. Both services are covered by Medicare and Medicaid and most commercial insurances.