Bronchitis Blaahs!

Can’t Stand the Coughing!!!

Happy President’s Day everyone, for those of you who get to stay home for the holiday, enjoy.  For those of who are staying home because of an acute case of bronchitis, I welcome you to my little clubhouse.  How do I know its bronchitis and not the common cold you might ask?  Well, several weeks ago, I had the common cold that moved to my chest…not this time around.  It started with a little tickle and slight cough that blossomed into a very productive cough that was almost never ending.  Ironically enough, last week I wrote about getting enough sleep and challenged everyone including myself to get more sleep…after a few days, there was no sleep!

Bronchitis, by definition of the Mayo Clinic, “…is an inflammation of the lining of your bronchial tubes, which carry air to and from your lungs. People who have bronchitis often cough up thickened mucus, which can be discolored…acute bronchitis usually improves within a few days without lasting effects, although you may continue to cough for weeks.”  There are two general types of bronchitis, acute bronchitis and chronic bronchitis.  The acute variety is the short term type that usually improves after several days…the chronic variety is a much more serious illness that can have long term impact on health and quality of life.  In both cases I would recommend that a trip to your personal physician would be in good order.   Signs and symptoms may include: Coughing (duh!)…Production of mucus (sputum), which can be clear, white, yellowish-gray or green in color — rarely, it may be streaked with blood…Fatigue (don’t I know it!)…Shortness of breath (Which helps cause the fatigue)…Slight fever and chills…and (my favorite understatement) Chest discomfort.  I’m not saying that I cracked a rib because I was coughing so hard…but I really feel like someone has taken a baseball bat and beaten me in my torso due to the heavy coughing, especially in the middle of the night.

The ironic thing is that the Mayo Clinic recommends that a person who is suffering from bronchitis NOT take a cough suppressant because it’s GOOD that you’re coughing up all the crud and getting it out of your lungs.  The website has all kinds of great information and I highly recommend that everyone gives it a read…here is the web address:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bronchitis/basics/definition/con-20014956

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) greater than 90% of all acute bronchitis is non-bacterial meaning that it is not recommended that anti-biotics be given to help with the cough.  By taking anti-biotics without need (it has no or little effect on bronchitis), anti-biotic use increases the risk of an antibiotic-resistant infection later down the road.  If you have further questions or want to read up more on what the CDC has to say, you can check them out at http://cdc.gov  The best course of action is to just ride it out…and I just hate that!

I consider myself to be a reasonably healthy middle aged man and I know how much this illness has kicked my butt.  I can’t imagine what it would be like to have the chronic variety of bronchitis which can lead to COPD…Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.  Being short of breath, feeling weak all the time, not being able to accomplish the things that I once was able to do…This little bout of bronchitis has given me more than just a nagging cough, on the positive side of things, it has given me a brief and empathetic look into the lives of those who have issues breathing normally.  I feel it is important that we as providers of care should have an understanding of our clients of whom we serve.  When we as providers have better understanding of how our clients feel, then we as providers can give better care. 

I hope everyone had a safe Valentine’s Day and survived the latest round of snow…be safe and take care, remember we’re all in this together.

Thanks for reading,

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

besthomecareservices@comcast.net

Health Tech

Reinventing the House Call

            When I was a kid growing up in the 70’s (I was born in the summer of 69’) I can remember my parents and those of my cousins telling stories of when they were ill the doctor would stop by the house and provide services for cash… or a chicken… or some other home produced product like pies or jams.  My family (on my mother’s side) lived in rural southeastern Ohio…many of them still do.  When a family member became ill, they couldn’t always make it in to town to see their physician, sometimes he had to come to them.  Many of us know this bygone practice of a doctor coming to the home of the patient to provide services to be simply called the “house call”.  A great example of this practice can be seen in the classic movie, Doc Hollywood (1991) starring Michael J Fox & Julie Warner.  Now, I can’t say with certainty that this practice has completely vanished from our modern landscape but it has been a very long time since I’ve heard anyone mutter that phrase which was so common at one point in our past.  What I have been hearing (and reading) about with greater regularity these days is something called Telemedicine…

            What is telemedicine you ask?  According to the ATA (American Telemedicine Association) the definition of telemedicine is as follows, “…telemedicine is the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve a patient’s clinical health status. Telemedicine includes a growing variety of applications and services using two-way video, email, smart phones, wireless tools and other forms of telecommunications technology.”  Cool!  What the heck does that really mean to me?  Well, in short, telemedicine allows patients who are restricted by travel capabilities or by distance to be able to communicate with their health care provider via internet or cell phone.  If you and your family doctor reside in Franklin County say between Brookville and Batesville and the specialist you see is at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis…you, your doctor and your specialist can all communicate in real time via whatever electronic devise will work for all the parties.  Health information can easily, quickly and safely be distributed so everyone is on the same page at the same time.  This technology allows the physician to come back in the house so to speak, reinventing the house call in order to better serve those who need it. 

            There are those who think this is not the best way to treat patients and that it poses some privacy and security problems…that very well may be.  It could be that the information that is put out there may fall into the wrong hands and that is something to take a closer look at…however, I feel (my personal thoughts) that the idea is one that who’s time has come and as computing technology and smart phone technology continue to improve, why not use these tools to better the lives of our patients.  After all, is that not the ultimate goal of all of us who serve some function in the healthcare industry, to make the lives of those around us better?  Healthcare at home via telemedicine and the help of a home healthcare nurse is the direction more and more patients who need it will be heading.  It will be interesting to see the data come in over the next several years.  As always, feel free to email me with any further thoughts or comments.

            Have a great weekend everyone, I look forward to posting again soon and remember, take care of each other, we’re all in this together.

Thanks for reading,

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

besthomecareservices@comcast.net

Health Highlight

Coffee Anyone?

Happy Monday everyone.  If many of you are like me, (and I suspect you are) you stayed up to not only watch the fiftieth rendition of the Super Bowl, but you stayed up to watch the festivities on the field during the post-game celebrations and awards ceremony.  By the time I headed off to the bedroom for some long overdue sleep, I realized that the alarm clock was just rolling past midnight and that 6am was going to come faster than I would have liked.  Alas, I know it’s my own fault because I made the decision to stay up rather than go to bed and thus I shall face the consequences of my actions with a nice hot cup of coffee in my hand in the morning.

My morning sleepiness brings me to the point of today’s topic, sleep…or rather the lack of it. In recent years there have been more and more prescription and over the counter aids to help people get a better night rest.  The needs for these medications range from an overactive brain to restless legs.  There are a whole host of reasons that people fail to get a good night sleep, some self-induced by staying up to watch the big game or finish that really good book…or maybe there is a medical condition that prevents a peaceful nights slumber.  Whatever the reason, this past January, the Center for Disease Control released the NCHS Data Brief “Sleep Duration, Quality of Sleep, and Use of Sleep Medication, by Sex and Family Type, 2013–2014” by Colleen N. Nugent, Ph.D. and Lindsey I. Black, M.P.H.  The brief shares some valuable information that really impacts us all in some way or another.  The lack of a good night’s sleep has a negative effect for diabetic patients, heart disease patients, people suffering from mental health issues such as depression and leads to driving and workplace accidents.  According to the brief, one out of three people in the US get less than the recommended seven hours sleep a night…no wonder coffee houses do so well here in the states…

The report looks at the sleep patterns and habits of three primary groups, adults without children, single adults with children under the age of 18 and adults in a two parent household with children under the age of 18.  It wasn’t a huge surprise that the adult group without children was able to get the best sleep and the group with the single parent had the least amount of sleep.  The point of the article is that as a nation, we are sleep deprived and it is not healthy for us as individuals or as a community.  I want to challenge my readers to a week-long test…try and get at least eight hours of sleep a night for the next seven days and then let me know how you feel.  I will take up this challenge and report back to you all next week.  I know for some this could pose a challenge, but if you can fit in an hour at the gym with a busy schedule, try and fit in some extra sleep and see how you feel.  Have a great day and remember, we’re all in this together.

Thanks for reading,

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

besthomecareservices@comcast.net

Spotlight

Who We Are                                                                                                              

Best Home Care Services is a small, privately owned, home healthcare agency based out of Connersville, Indiana that has been in business for the past 14 years.  We are licensed by the state of Indiana and we even have real people who answer the phone when you call us! As a Medicaid provider we are not only subject to all state rules and regulations set forth by the Indiana Department of Health (ISDH) but also the federal rules and regulations set forth by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Systems (CMS). I know that spouting off about being licensed seems to be a silly thing, but not all home health care agencies are and as a consumer, you should know that.  Even though we are based out of Connersville, we service a five county area in southeastern Indiana know as Area 9 (see http://www.iue.edu/area9/index.html ) which encompasses Fayette County, Franklin County, Rush County, Wayne County, and Union County.  Best Home is comprised of over 30 employees that cover a wide variety of nursing care...we have RN’s & LPN’s that cover a broad spectrum of medical needs from highly skilled nursing services for both elderly and pediatric clients who are ventilator dependent, require Infusion therapy, wound care and medication set-ups.  We also have CNA’s & Home Health Aides that provide/assist with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing, transfers, meal preparation and Homemakers that assist clients with maintaining a safe and clean home environment.  We also have companion servicesif that is a need as well.  All of our staff, including the personnel in the office, is a licensed care giver…everyone that is except me, the Marketing Guy.

            We here at Best Home Care Services have a pretty simple and straightforward philosophy about what we aim to accomplish…

            “We believe that health care is a basic human right.  It must be available, coordinated and provided in a comprehensive way, combined with other human services when appropriate. Home health care is an important part of the continuous health care system and it will be provided in the most cost effective way possible.”

            …like I said, it’s pretty straightforward. 

I believe that the principles the company operates by further reflects the philosophy of the organization.

OUR PRINCIPLES

1.  Best Home Care Services are designed to meet the unique needs of patients and families.

2.  Services are tailored to assist individuals and families to achieve optimal levels of function.

3.  Care is based on respect for the dignity and worth of each individual.

4.  Services will be provided in the least constrictive setting.

5.  Patients and their families are active participants in the care planning process.

            Most people have a boatload of questions about home health care and who needs it and why.  How can they afford it and who is going to pay for it, questions of that nature.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is no such thing as a “silly” or “dumb” question…they only dumb question is the one you never ask so don’t be afraid to call and talk to us (765-827-9833) someone will be there to answer your question.  If you’re not sure what type of coverage you have or need for services, again, call and ask…as general information, Best Home Care Services accepts the following forms of payment:  Medicaid, Medicaid Waiver, CHOICE, Private Pay, and Private Insurance.  And if you’re wondering if we really will make it out to your neck of the woods, we really do, from Richmond to Rushville, Liberty and Brookville, we can be there to help you take care of you.  Remember, we’re all in this together!

Thanks for reading,

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

besthomecareservices@comcast.net

The Start of Something New!

Happy February!

Welcome to the shortest month of the year and the roll out of our new home healthcare blog and our new monthly newsletter (The first edition to go public in early March).  The goal of the blog is to allow the readers to not only get to know us (Best Home Care Services) a little better but a chance to get to know the other health care professionals in the Area 9 region (Fayette, Franklin, Rush, Union & Wayne Counties in Indiana) a little better as well.  I hope to have the opportunity to “interview” providers of all disciplines in the field of healthcare whose purpose and profession it is to care for those patients who are in need.  I also plan to include blogs about healthcare events in the area and to give feedback on those events.  Other newsworthy post from a variety of sources will also be included such as news from local hospitals as well as updates or inputs from national news.

This forum I will be writing will be for the purpose of sharing news and information that is of first-hand account or from a reliable source (not rumors).  Any publications will be for the betterment of our community and not to air political rants or to push social policy…it is to share community news in the belief we can all benefit and grow together.  I will, from time to time, share my thoughts on different subjects and I will do my level best to be as uplifting and as edifying as possible.  There is enough negativity in the world, let’s try and build something positive, eh?

Having said all that, I encourage those who read my blogs to chip in and write me with any comments or thoughts they might have.  I know enough to know that I don’t know everything in the world and that there are a lot of really smart people in this area who work to make all of our lives better in so many different ways.  If a reader has a question about a blog or would like further clarification on something that I have written, please, I encourage you to drop me an email and just ask.  Remember, the only dumb question there is, is the one that is never asked.

I hope as the weather starts its slow climb out of the frigid part of the thermometer and as we move closer to spring, we can all think of one another in our caring for each other…remember, we are all in this together. 

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

besthomecareservices@comcast.net

Flu Shots

It's that time of the year again when the flu bug is starting to show its ugly face all over the country.  Just as a reminder to the good folks here in Indiana to take precaution and protect yourself and your loved ones from the possibilities of the flu and the complications that can come with the flu.  We strongly urge everyone to visit your physician or a local clinic to procure a flu shot.  Last years shortage of medicine has been sorted out and there should be a ready supply of the vaccine available at a variety of locations.  

Help protect yourself and those who are more vulnerable to the flu, young children and the elderly, by taking a few minutes out of your day to get your vaccination.  Depending on insurance status, vaccines are of little or no cost, so much less expensive then actually getting the flu! 

Do your part to help keep you and your family healthy heading into the holiday season.

Check out the Center for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season for more information about this years fight with the flu.