Hands to Help Seniors

Chinese medicine has traditionally been a niche are in the United States but some western medical practitioners are starting to embrace herbal and other remedies which have been around for thousands of years.  Researchers are now studying how genes and proteins interact throughout the body as a disease develops, rather than examining single genes or molecules, something which the Chinese have been doing for years.  "Traditional Chinese medicine views disease as complete a pattern as possible," Jennifer Wan, a professor in the school of biological sciences at the University of Hong Kong, told The Wall Street Journal.  She studies traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, and is working with a 200-scientist consortium at King's London College on a project that they dub good practices for studying traditional Chinese medicine, or GP-TCM.  They hope that herbal concoctions can be standardized and lead to drug developments.  One has already been a success.  A Pharmacology Professor at Yale University, Yung-Chi Cheng, has developed a four-herb combination known as PHY906 which reduces the side effects of chemotherapy.  This once niche area appears to be gaining traction, with the renowned Cleveland Clinic recently opening a herbal therapy clinic and the U.S. government's National Center for Complementary Alternative Medicine has seen its budget increased to over $120 million.  It's great to see that natural treatments which have been well known in China for centuries can be helpful to people with cancer and other devastating diseases.

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Natividad Medical Center is once again in the press with an unflattering story about the hospital getting an "F" grade on hospital safety for the third time in the past two years (the ratings are done twice per year).  The grading came from the Leapfrog Group's Hospital Safety Score report which grades hospitals based on 28 different safety measures relatable to preventable harm.  Some of these include infection rates, protocols to prevent medical errors, nurse staffing and education.  The hospital scored the lowest rating in the nation in all five elements of the category involving staff actions to improve safety during surgery and gauging access to specially trained doctors caring for ICU patients.  A Natividad spokesman said that the poor showing was due to Leapfrog using old data and the hospital not responding to their survey.  They said that looking at data from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services would give consumers a better handle on how the hospital is doing.  However, one person told the Herald that Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) also does not participate in the survey but received an "A" grade.  Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz also got "A" grades while Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister received a "C" grade.  Roughly 1% of the hospitals that Leapfrog analyzed received an "F" grade.

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Knee-replacement surgery has become increasingly common.  However, research has shown that some people jump the gun, getting knee-replacements without first trying to find other ways to improve movement in the knee.  A whopping 600,000 of these surgeries were performed in 2012, more than double the number which were done 15 years ago.  According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the problem isn’t as bad with seniors as it is with baby boomers.  The number of knee replacement surgeries done on people between 45 and 64 leaped 205% between 2000 and 2012 but only 95% for those 65 and older.  That’s still a big number, however.  Two major studies which were published this year concluded that knee replacement surgery should only be done for those whose arthritis in the knee was medically proven to be advanced.  Take pause and think about the implications before taking this leap.  You may be able to improve knee function with exercise.

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Architects are paying attention to the increasing number of baby boomers and are building so-called silver design complexes.  In San Francisco, a leading medical center has integrated green architecture and design with top-notch design and health and wellness spaces which are senior-friendly.  The Americans With Disabilities Act guidelines are part of the reason for the new designs, but architects are also taking advice from seniors.  This includes making sure that the buildings are well-lit, don't require pulling open heavy doors or having a key.  In addition, building materials should minimize noise, overstimulation, distraction and the risk of falls.  Doors, rooms and public areas should accommodate walkers, wheelchairs and a person walking arm-in-arm with a caregiver.  Although this will take time, I expect more and more of these senior-friendly buildings to sprout up in the future.

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It appears that the battle has been lost to turn the old Carmel Convalescent Hospital site on Valley Way into condos, and a new project is on track to build much needed housing for senior citizens.  The plans are to start building an assisted living facility starting in January, which will house 62 seniors with an Alzheimer's/dementia wing.  "The historic buildings and the location are going to make quite a large attraction," said developer Frank Prach, who purchased the site for $3.7 million in March of this year.  Neighbors, who had complained about the proposed 46-unit condo project which was rejected by the Board of Supervisors in 2011, will be invited to a meeting about the development next week.  The Board could meet about the project on December 4.

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