Hands to Help Seniors
Salinas, CA Parkinson’s Caregivers Have Hope : Google Has Come Up With A Novel Device To Help With Essential Tremors
by Richard Kuehn on 12/08/14
Google has been working on a number of fascinating projects in the booming health care sector. The latest : reinvention of the spoon. Called spoogles, these spoons use hundreds of algorithms to enable people that have Parkinson’s disease and other conditions which cause essential tremors to eat easily with a spoon. In clinical trials, the Liftware spoons reduced shaking of the spoon bowl by an average of 76%. “We want to help people in their daily lives today and hopeful increase understanding of the disease in the long run,” Google spokesperson Katelin Jabbari told the Monterey Herald. Google co-founder Sergey Brin’s mother has Parkinson’s disease and we thank him for turning this bad situation into something positive via this invention and the more than $50 million he has given to charities looking for a Parkinson’s cure.
Salinas, CA Diabetes Management Gets More Difficult As We Age
by Richard Kuehn on 12/08/14
A whopping one in four Americans over the age of 60 have Diabetes, and management of the disease can become even more difficult as you get into your 80’s and 90’s. Health care experts say that two of the most important things seniors can do to help deal with the disease is admit that they need help and ask for it. Barbara Resnick, professor of gerontology at the University of Maryland School of Nursing told the magazine, “A lot of people don’t want to admit they are not checking their glucose levels. If you cannot adhere to your self-care regimen, be honest. Talk to your provider about it so you can work out a system that is realistic for you,” she said. Also, pay attention to any new health symptoms like being fatigued or light-headed and share these with your physician. As Benjamin Franklin once said, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Nurses Union Authorizes A Strike
by Richard Kuehn on 12/07/14
| The California Nurses Association sent out a press release on Friday stating that nurses at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital are ready to strike in order to stop an erosion in patient care standards and win needed improvements. The strike was authorized by employees who belong to the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CAN/NNU) to protest management's refusal to address issues that are fundamental to quality patient care at the facility and answer basic questions regarding their proposed restructuring plan. This strike might get very nasty. "My first interaction with the Hospital CEO, Pete Delgado, resulted in retaliation and silencing of our voice," Linda Sarratt, RN, Telemetry/Step Down Unit, stated in the press release. "My nursing license requires that I speak up about patient care conditions in the hospital. When management tries to stifle RN voices, dangerous conditions can persist in the workplace," she said. The union cited the following conditions which have been documented although the hospital management no longer allows the nurses to fill out Assignment Despite Objection (ADO) forms which were meant to formally document unsafe patient care conditions and bring them to management for review and resolution. | |
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Delays in care due to management's refusal to have a live person on the unit viewing patient heart rates. A lack of staff leading to numerous unsafe care conditions including patient's not being moved sufficiently risking bedsores and other problems and delays in answering call bells which can contribute to the risk of falls and patient's not receiving timely pain medication. Delays in providing necessary physical therapy to recovering patients. Problems that arise due to the hospitals refusal to hire interpreters and reliance on faulty electronic translation systems. Nurse fatigue caused by extended work shifts and no time off for breaks and lunch. |
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Natividad Medical Center Level II Trauma Center The Subject Of Town Hall Meeting Monday Night At 6:00 P.M.
by Richard Kuehn on 12/07/14
The new Level II trauma center at Natividad Medical Center will be the topic of a town hall meeting Monday, December 8 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Greenfield City Hall at 899 El Camino Road. Although there has been some controversy over the center, it’s well needed. Prior to its opening, those in major accidents had to be airlifted over the hill to the San Jose area. In cases like these, precious minutes can mean the difference between life and death. Natividad needs one more medical review before its trauma center certification is finalized and public support is appreciated.
Community Hospital Of The Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) Offers Free CT-Scans To Former Smokers At High Risk Of Lung Cancer
by Richard Kuehn on 12/07/14
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) is offering up free lung screenings to the first ten qualified people who call in, thanks to the generous donation from an anonymous donor to the Community Hospital Foundation. In order to participate, you must be at high risk for lung cancer due to smoking. The hospital is offering CT scans, which a new study found could reduce cancer deaths by 20% versus using traditional X-rays. In order to qualify, you must be a Monterey county resident between the ages of 55 sand 80 and have smoked approximately one pack of cigarettes per day for 30 years or the equivalent. For more information, contact the hospital’s Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Department at 625-4845. The hospital also offers a “Kick the Nic” program, which pairs you up with a one-on-one coach (call Cardiopulmonary Wellness at 883-5660 for more information on quitting smoking).
