Digging Out the Right Way: A friend in Canada recently sent me a message complaining of severe pains in his legs and arms, the result of digging his car out of snowdrifts for the second time in one day! Although used to heavy snowfalls, he was unprepared for having to repeatedly “rescue” his only means ….
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), annually there are about 1.7 million cases of healthcare related infections (HAIs) resulting in 99,000 deaths at an additional cost of $28-33 billion for institutions. Equally concerning is the fact that a large percentage of those deaths are preventable, through compliance with hygiene guidelines, particularly ….
In 1971 the “Great American Smokeout” began when Arthur P. Mullaney, a Massachusetts high school guidance counselor, asked townspeople to stop smoking for a day and donate that money to a scholarship fund instead. Six years later, the American Cancer Society took the idea nationwide. Not insignificantly, the November 15th “Smokeout” coincides with both Lung ….
Mark Twain once famously said: “ Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” He was being facetious, but the notion that age is just a number has really taken on new meaning with the Baby Boomer generation. So many are living longer thanks to better, more accessible ….
“Let Food Be Thy Medicine, And Let Medicine Be Thy Food.” – Hippocrates Cooking, as therapy, is as ancient as that saying. It can be used for every age group and any setting – a patient’s home, assisted living or a rehab facility. Cooking is not only a sensory activity, but it is also physical, ….
The long, hot, lazy days of summer will soon be replaced by vibrant colored leaves, crisp air and the distinctive roar of bright yellow school buses. As the summer winds down, families prepare for the new school year by buying clothes, lunch boxes and backpacks, and by scheduling physicals for their kids. In anticipation of ….
This month, we honor the men in our lives on Father’s Day June 17, 2012 and also in celebrating National Men’s Health Month. This is a good time to raise awareness about health issues that are male gender specific, but also those diseases that are not. Osteoporosis is a prime example. This “silent disease” is ….
March 21st is National Brain Injury Awareness Day sponsored by BIAA (Brain Injury Association of America) on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. With over 200,000 troops suffering traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is no wonder that TBI is a “hot topic” in healthcare circles. The drastic rise ….
The trend in patient care has been the use of multidisciplinary healthcare teams to improve treatment success rates and augment preventative care. Multidisciplinary healthcare team members are mutually accountable for both the planning and the execution of plans at every stage of the process. The days of a singular doctor-patient relationship are more and more ….
With this Winter not packing much of a punch in Sunny South Florida (sorry everyone else that is experiencing bad weather), tennis and golf elbow will undoubtedly re-emerge as the big injuries of the summer recreational sports season. Both are common and both are preventable.What is Tennis Elbow? Tennis elbow is an overuse injury and, ….
With “patient-centeredness” as the latest buzz word in healthcare reform, many organizations know they are working toward the patient-centered goal but still question what it is exactly. Legal experts at the ECRI Institute’s 18th Annual Conference at the FDA in Silver Spring, MD, on Tuesday said the definition can vary, depending on who you talk ….
American football, which has been coined as America’s new past time, could be argued as the greatest sport on the planet or at least in the US. Unfortunately, due to it’s very violent nature, it is also our most dangerous sport. With constant contact and crushing blows, this modern game of warriors has given way ….
As a Home Health Professional, you are likely to see a wide range of things as you enter a home to treat a patient. The only preparation you have are your experiences and experiences that your peers may have shared. Your goal is simply to treat your patient and get them back to a level ….
Over the course of a career, rehab professionals will see symptoms and health related issues that may be foreign to them. Often they are textbook, with defined symptoms and effective treatment protocols to quickly advance patients to the next level of care. However, there is a chance that you will come across symptoms or a ….
In the full career of a Physical Therapist, one may see thousands of physical afflictions. Most diagnosis’ have standard treatment protocols that help the patient progress to the next level of care. Unfortunately, some disorders lack immediate satisfaction in terms of diagnosis and treatment. In fact, some movement disorders, especially those linked with neurological conditions, ….
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are a series of measurements that determine the functional status of a patient. As a skilled therapist, you should be able to develop or master a way of understanding if a patient may or may not be improving from an injury or Neurological event. Depending on your discipline and/or setting, ….
We have all heard the cliche perception is reality, which is more prevalent now than ever before. Following the recent mandate by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regarding the HCAHPS survey score and its direct relation to hospital revenue, you, as a rehab professional, have more power to influence the patient and his/ her ….