#Chronic Condition Care

[silverbirdhomecareservicesllc]

In today’s fast-paced world, individuals often seek reliable healthcare solutions to ensure their well-being. It’s crucial for those who live there to establish the ideal support network. While nursing home in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, offer comprehensive care, personalized assistance extends beyond institutional settings. Here’s where the idea of in-home care is useful.

[nemaeldercare12]

Chronic Condition Care

Chronic Condition Care: Understanding and Managing Chronic Health Conditions in Elderly Patients

As people age, the likelihood of developing chronic health conditions increases. Chronic health conditions persist over many years or even for the rest of an individual’s life. Examples of chronic health conditions include diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, heart disease, and many others. These conditions often require ongoing care and management, which can be incredibly challenging for elderly patients who may also be dealing with other age-related health issues.

In this blog post, we will explore the importance of chronic condition care in eldercare, the challenges faced by elderly patients, and the strategies that can be used to help manage and improve chronic health conditions.

Understanding Chronic Conditions

Chronic conditions are long-term health problems that cannot be cured but can often be managed with appropriate care and treatment. These conditions can impact different body parts, such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, or joints, and can cause various symptoms, including pain, fatigue, difficulty breathing, or mobility limitations. Chronic conditions can also affect mental health, leading to depression, anxiety, or cognitive impairment.

Many chronic conditions are more common in older adults due to age-related changes in the body’s function and structure and lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, and smoking. Some common chronic conditions that affect the elderly include:

Diabetes: a condition where the body cannot regulate blood sugar levels properly, leading to high blood sugar and related complications such as nerve damage, kidney disease, and vision loss.

Hypertension: a condition where blood pressure is consistently high, putting strain on the heart and blood vessels and increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.

Arthritis: a group of conditions that cause inflammation and damage to joints, leading to pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility.

Heart disease: a group of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels, including coronary artery disease, heart failure, and arrhythmias, which can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, and other symptoms.

Challenges of Chronic Condition Care in Elderly Patients

Managing chronic conditions in elderly patients can be challenging for several reasons:

Elderly patients often have multiple chronic conditions simultaneously, complicating treatment and increasing the risk of adverse reactions or drug interactions.

Elderly patients may have other age-related health issues that require attention, such as hearing loss, vision problems, or cognitive impairment, making it challenging to manage chronic conditions effectively.

Elderly patients may have limited mobility or transportation options, making accessing healthcare services or following treatment plans harder.

Another challenge of chronic condition care in elderly patients is medication adherence. Many chronic conditions require medications to manage symptoms or slow disease progression, but elderly patients may forget to take their medication or have difficulty managing complex medication schedules. In addition, some elderly patients may have trouble affording medications or accessing pharmacy services.

Strategies for Managing Chronic Conditions in Elderly Patients

Even though the challenges of chronic condition care in elderly patients, several strategies can help improve outcomes and quality of life. These strategies include:

Comprehensive care: Elderly patients with chronic conditions often require care from multiple healthcare providers, including primary care physicians, specialists, and allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, dietitians, or social workers. Coordinated care involving all providers can help ensure the patient receives appropriate care and treatment and reduce the risk of complications or adverse events.

Patient education: Educating elderly patients and their caregivers about their chronic conditions can help improve self-management skills and increase medication adherence. Patients should be provided clear and concise information about their conditions, treatment options, and potential side effects. Educational materials should be tailored to the patient’s literacy level and preferred learning style and provided in various formats, such as written materials, videos, or interactive workshops.

Medication management: Medication adherence is crucial for managing chronic conditions in elderly patients. Healthcare providers should work with patients and caregivers to develop medication management strategies that are easy to follow and tailored to the patient’s needs. This may include simplifying medication regimens, using pill organizers or reminder apps, or involving caregivers in medication administration.

Lifestyle modifications: Lifestyle modifications such as diet and exercise can help manage and prevent many chronic conditions in elderly patients. Healthcare providers should work with patients and caregivers to develop realistic and achievable goals for physical activity and healthy eating, considering any mobility or dietary restrictions.

Regular monitoring: Regular monitoring of chronic conditions is essential to detect symptoms or disease progression changes and adjust treatment plans accordingly. Elderly patients with chronic conditions should have regular check-ups with their healthcare providers, including blood tests, imaging studies, or other diagnostic tests as needed.

Social support: Chronic conditions can isolate and impact mental health, especially in elderly patients. Healthcare providers should work with patients and caregivers to identify social support resources, such as support groups or community programs, that can help improve quality of life and reduce social isolation.

Conclusion

NEMA Eldercare recognizes the importance of chronic condition care in elderly patients and is committed to providing comprehensive care to help manage chronic conditions effectively. By implementing patient education, medication management, lifestyle modifications, regular monitoring, and social support, NEMA Eldercare strives to improve the overall health and well-being of elderly patients with chronic conditions. With a personalized approach to care, NEMA Eldercare aims to address each patient’s unique needs and challenges, ensuring that they receive the best possible care for their chronic conditions. For more information feel free to contact us.

[liminalweirdo]

Poll: Health and gender re medical malpractice

if you feel comfortable please share your choice as well as whether you have ever experienced medical malpractice

not to be that person but please consider reblogging this, my tumblr don't have a ton of traffic and i'm genuinely interested in the results.

[pyjamacryptid]

me surrounded by all of my medical paperwork that disability services deems “not enough evidence” to claim support, after applying for the 5th time:

[ejunkiet]

😭

[my-gender-is-void]

Hello chronic conditions side of Tumblr.

I've been experiencing many symptoms for a very long while (technically all my life but obviously I didn't start paying attention until I was like 12-13) and I don't want to self diagnose but I do know it might be a key part of getting a formal diagnosis, I'm going to list the main symptoms and tell you what I through my research and various legit symptom checkers have concluded I might have.

I am hyper mobile, the orthopaedic told me that when I was like 5 but I never got a formal diagnosis because my parents didn't think it was relevant, however to this day my hip does something weird sometimes when I walk and then hurts afterwards and I have to overstretch it so it stops hurting as much, all of my articulations pop, I've had chronic low back pain since I was like 9 and back pain in general since I was 11, my injuries have a thought time scarring and they scar badly, my hands and feet are generally cold and peripheral blood circulation is kind of a mess, my skin is sensitive and reactive and I get cuts on the less damaging things ever, I have a propensity for bruising and they take a long time to reabsorbe, my pinky and ring finger get numb and tingly when I hold certain stuff (carpal tunnel is on the other 3 fingers I checked), my legs go numb often, sometimes my muscles just feel weak and I'm scared to pick up stuff in case they stop responding. I have a propensity for all kinds of headaches, my gums are also sensitive, I tend to be constipated no matter how much fiber I eat (and yes even if I eat lactose being lactose intolerant I'm still constipated, I just bloat), I have a heat intolerance (I even get rashes if it's too hot out).

I forgot but my ribs feel like they shift when I lay on my side and a couple of times I've had people horrified at something a joint of mine could do (generally my shoulder) and I quite frankly think I almost popped my shoulder out in one of those.

I'm also hypotensive and have a propensity to tachycardia and dizzy spells (or that thing where your vision gets black around the edges) when I stand up and when I do exercise (it doesn't happen when I walk, no matter how fast I do it) and when I exercise I have to stop even if my body doesn't feel tired because I feel like my heart rate is too high but I get cold sweat and shaky hands like it happens when I'm going to pass out. Which I might add I get those symptoms even just sitting sometimes and I have to lay down on the floor or sit with my head between my knees.

I live in a constant state of fatigue no matter how happy I feel, how well I eat or how much I sleep, which I also struggle with sleeping. And the brain fog makes it hard to concentrate.

That fatigue includes my body feeling heavy for no reason at all and being like a zombie all day struggling to even do stuff I want or hang out with friends most days.

The research I first did was regarding the whole hypotension, tachycardia, sport/rest/standing up dizziness fainting thing and honestly every conclusion lead me to POTS as the most likely condition.

That sent me into a rabbit hole of trying to find where the other symptoms where coming from, my search on hypermobility lead me to EDS, particularly H-EDS and honestly I must say a lot of things would make sense but I don't want to self diagnose so what do you guys who suffer any of this conditions have to say? Should I see a professional and just ramble all if my symptoms and see if that gets me somewhere?, or do I have enough of a valid basis to go to a doctor and tell them I suspect I might be suffering from POTS and maybe H-EDS?

Keep in mind I'm from Spain and I can tell you most if not all of the primary care doctors I've gone to have shrugged off all of my symptoms once they checked my heart worked properly in general, they don't even care that I have passed out from low blood pressure during blood draws and have even had convulsions twice after fainting, that and my sensitivity to anesthetics, fuckers just said "you're probably just tired because you're a high school/college/master's degree student", I've gone a fair amount of times since I was 16 and they never check it's always a "maybe it's your period", "maybe you're anemic" (I'm not, my reserves are a bit low but not enough to be considered a deficiency to treat), my blood tests come back well so they couldn't care less, my body weight sits in it's normal range (thankfully, because otherwise I know a good chunk of them would just point to my weight and my period).

Thing is, because I keep overworking myself due to my family situation and I was gifted and I guess that kind of transferred a bit to college, I've finished a degree and I'm on my way to my 3rd master's degree this academic year, and honestly I probably don't complain about the level of pain and tiredness I'm in enough because a) my mother would try to instantly blame it on weight or Physical activity or even just food itself (she's one of those everything you eat is bad, white carbs are the devil incarnate types of person) and I already had an ed for years due to her

b)when I complain about the fatigue my mother tries to one up me and everyone else just advices me to do more sports, spend time with family (no thanks), blame my sleep pattern even though the fatigue is purely physical, tell me I'm over exaggerating or over complaining and that I used to handle pain better as a child (she yelled at me when I complained and told me I couldn't be that tired because I was too young)

I'm going to tell you some more things about me as a child I just now remember my mother complained about: every school day I came complaining that the soles of my feet hurt and my palms too (particularly the right one since I'm right handed) and they'd turn out to be distended. My skin was even more reactive, I was so tired and borderline translucent even when they made me spend all summers at the beach that they took me to the cardiologist several times to check if I had a heart condition and It was working just fine, I experienced headaches almost daily, my immune system was an absolute disgrace, I refused to grip the pencil (scissors and other tools) right because it hurt my fingers, I was always coming home with bruises and injuries that were too extreme for what they would've been for my brother and to reiterate I started complaining about back ache at around 9 years old and of fatigue at 11, and even then me being seemingly constantly tired granted me a couple visits to a doctor to check for leukemia or heart conditions.

I need opinions and people to tell me if there are other conditions I should be researching or if I should just go ahead with the ones I have.

[i-amusemyself]

whhhyyyy must my long covid flare again!?! i do not have TIME for this 🙃🙃🙃

like for real if you arent avoiding covid try imagining all the things you wanna do today and pick one (1). every day. indefinitely. thats your life if you get this wretched condition put on a fucking mask for your own sake i beg you.

[sage-nebula]

The heroic version of "Mother Knows Best" from Disney's Tangled is me singing it to my dog to reassure her during scary storms ("mother's right here, mother will protect you"), to convince her to not run off down the street with reckless abandon because she saw a small animal and slipped out of her collar ("mother knows best, listen to your mother, it's a scary world out there [. . .] skip the drama, stay with mama"), and to convince her to not eat random scraps of garbage at every opportunity.

. . . that last one requires more creativity, admittedly.

"Mother knows best / take it from your mumsy / eating that will make you sick. / Stomach pain and puke / an inflammed pancreas - yes / it'll mess you up quick! / Bits of plastic, tape / tons of toxic acorns / and some odd slimy . . . bone? / None of these are food / you're weird to wanna eat them / I'm just sayin' 'cause I wuv you . . ."

[dizzy1ife]

I saw hypermobility is commonly comorbid with fibro and pots.

I've always been told I'm flexible even though I've done nothing to contribute to that.

Several doctors have said things such as, "well flexibility certainly isn't an issue for you, you're almost hypermobile."

I looked up the diagnostic criteria.

I fulfill the diagnostic criteria.

I asked my PT about hypermobility and showed her what was multiple of the criteria.

She said she noticed that I was abnormally flexible.

I overhear her asking one of the PT assistants if she knew how to diagnose it.

They didn't know either.

A quick Google search will tell you the specific diagnostic criteria, which I fulfill.

I have yet to be diagnosed or assessed for hypermobility.

[lacefuneral]

thing that sucks about fibromyalgia is that it really only started to be taken seriously by doctors the last couple of years so there isn't much information about what treatments are effective and what aren't

so a lot of people lean into like. pseudo science bc they think it will fix their pain

which is frustrating because it's like. i want to know what is actually helping people. not some anti-vax person covering themselves in arnica montana (which is a poison at best and absolutely nothing at worse, which is the case of homeopathy) and guzzling laxatives (i shouldn't have to explain why is this an issue)

the scary thing too is seeing ppl on reddit say "no yeah my doctor just mixes me a special lotion with opiods and ketamine and gabapentin" or people saying they're taking all of these medications orally. ARE YOU INSANE.

other people are like "ya my routine is simple!" and then lists no less than 10 very expensive supplements

like. okay. i do take some supplements. i am intending on trying another. but like..... can we get some actual medical professionals running trials on fibro that don't rely on extremely addictive drugs? y'know, during a fucking opioid crisis. and stop having doctors shrug at their patients and say "idk maybe go for a swim? get stabbed with needles?"

[nemaeldercare12]

Why we need Chronic Condition Care?

The chronic condition may get cured completely. Therefore, it is good medical advice to take care of oneself by living a healthy life and having a positive attitude. Chronic condition care by NEMA ElderCare helps to maintain one's best quality of life.

The NEMA Healthcare Team

Helps one by finding information about the disease, its cure, and management.

Help one to feel good and provide one with a sense of control over the illness.

Understand the specific type of medication for one, along with any special instructions or side effects.

Sets goals to give one a sense of progression.

Helps one manage one’s pain and fatigue.

Pain Management

NEMA Healthcare team is trained to manage Pain, one of the most important aspects of chronic illness. They identify pain in dementia or a bedridden patient by regular monitoring of vocalization and facial expression by a pain scale chart.

There are two ways of pain management; medication and non-medication.

Palliative care is provided by our specially-trained team of nurses, care attendants, and doctors who work with a patient's treating doctor to provide an extra layer of support.

It is based on the needs of the patient and not on the patient's prognosis, provided along with curative treatment.

[literalbirdperson]

So I'm going to tell the story of my yesterday, which started with an appointment with an ENT and ended with me in the ER. I'm doing this in bullet points, because I am very tired. (Also incredibly angry, but that might be adding to the tiredness.)

1:00 PM. Check in at the new doctor's. The facility is clean and bright, and all the staff are really friendly! That's always nice.

Meet the ENT I was referred to. I like him immediately. He's got a really relaxed, informal manner, but also very clearly knows his stuff.

Talk about surgical history, since I've had several nose and sinus procedures.

Since one of the reasons I am there for ear pain and recurring sinus issues, he starts the exam. Ears look great, he says! The pain is probably referred pain from my mouth. Do I grind my teeth? Yeah, I used to, but I might be again due to The Maladies.

He checks the back of my throat. "Oh, you have tonsil stones?"

"I... I do?"

Then he pulls out the horrible snake camera, and I resign myself to discomfort while he tours my nose and sinuses. I watch the screen and make very attractive "man was not meant to feel something pressing against a sinus wall" noises while he digs around.

Investigation over, he gives me a tour! Everything is about what I expected, he shows me old surgery sites, and then scrubs the footage forward a bit and goes "but here's where your problem is."

See, the other problem is, I keep spitting out these awful discs of dried mucus. And they stink!

Well. It turns out that I have a chronic infection in my adenoids. And what I keep spitting out is from there. I'll spare you the details.

Gross! But treatment should be pretty simple if it's staph, which it usually is. A couple of rounds of antibiotics usually knocks it out. If not, we'll culture it and go from there.

"So my throat has been infected for over two years?"

"Maybe even a lot longer than that!"

So we have a game plan. His assistant checks me out, hands me some papers and says "here's your record and a paper copy of your prescription, but we faxed it to your pharmacy as well."

2:00PM. The pharmacy app isn't showing them working on the RX.

3:00PM. I call them to see what's going on, get into a verbal fight with the phone tree, am finally allowed to leave a message. I am polite!

3:15PM. Pharmacist calls back. "We don't have an RX for that medication for you." Cool. I'll check with the Dr and have him re-fax. Oh! I have a paper copy of the-- there is no RX in my discharge papers, either. Fine. Calling.

3:30PM. There's nothing to re-fax, either, as the prescription was never even entered into my medical records! They are so sorry about the oversight, this is being flagged as high priority and his assistant will call you to let you know when it's been faxed to the pharmacy.

5:00PM. Why did I think something was going to go right for me medically? Why? Why me? Exhausted chronically ill/disabled breakdown incoming.

5:13PM. Text from pharmacy. They're working on the RX. It will be ready by noon tomorrow. Do you need it sooner? [YES]

5:15PM. Your prescription is ready.

5:30PM. Emotional collapse staved off for another day. Go to get RXs, with plans to stop to get ramen with spouse across the street from the pharmacy and enjoy the week being over.

5:45PM. Pharmacy tech tells me to go to the consult window if I want to talk about the antibiotic. Since it's completely new, I head over.

5:55PM. Pharmacist storms over, very clearly annoyed, and at me, not in general. Makes direct eye contact with me and starts reading me, word for word, the information on the bottle like I am a small child who can't read. I just wanted to know if there were any worrisome side effects.

Tell her to "have a good night!" She scoffs, literally holds up her hand in a "shut the fuck up" gesture and storms off.

Me and my spouse: "Huh. That was weird."

6:00PM. Take first dose of antibiotics with dinner to help keep stomach upset to a minimum.

7:00PM. Hives break out on my forehead. Then my thigh. Then my arms. Then suddenly my skin is bright red, bumpy, and burning literally everywhere.

That's not good. So I start looking up Bactrim side effects, since the pharmacist didn't deign to tell me. Discover I am having an allergic reaction, but only need to go the ER if my lips and face begin to swell, my vision gets blurry, or I have heart palpitations.

8:00PM. Lips are tingly. Look in mirror. I am lobster red and my face is swollen, as are my lips! I take two benedryl and both my inhalers, and we start looking for which ER to go to.

While we're looking, throat starts to swell. Swallowing is becoming impossible. Closest ER it is, even though I fucking hate it there. But it's a mile away and I want to be where the adrenaline and intubation kits are in case this keeps getting worse.

I am going to regret that decision.

Am forced to go through security and submit to a bag check before I can enter the ER itself. While actively struggling to breathe, which is distressing to both me and the guard.

Receptionist asks what I am there for. "I'm having an allergic response to an antibiotic. I can't breathe well."

She hands me a ten-page thick clipboard and tells me to fill it out, and then she'll get me in the queue.

What queue? There are TWO OTHER PEOPLE HERE. (See, everyone hates this hospital.)

So I start struggling to fill out the paperwork, but I am now to the blurred vision, mental confusion state. I keep having to pause to gasp for breath, and my penmanship is fucked because my hands are shaky from either albuterol or fear.

Spouse walks the paperwork back over to the receptionist.

We spend another 15 minutes sitting there while I am gasping for breath and grabbing at my throat every time I try to swallow because it feels like I'm being STRANGLED.

Nurse comes out to bring me back. We get intercepted by an angry man who has been watching me slowly dying but is still pissed because he got there first.

Nurse takes the time to explain to him what triage is while spouse literally holds me up.

I get a bed. Nurse tells me I'm having a classic allergic reaction and I'll probably be right as rain after some steroids. Hooks me up to all the monitors, tells me the doctor will be right in.

Doctor comes in. Listens to my lungs. Tells me my throat is not swollen even though she tried to grab to hold me upright when trying to swallow made me look like a gagging cat. But, my lungs are clear! Tells me they're going to monitor me to make sure I don't get worse, but she doesn't see anything to worry about.

LADY MY SKIN IS AS RED AS A VAMPIRE'S FAVORITE PAINT SWATCH FOR THEIR BEDROOM REMODEL.

She leaves. another nurse with the bedside manner of someone who enjoys kicking puppies walks in and starts taking my blood pressure.

The alarms go off.

"He put the cuff on wrong," he mutters, then wraps it so hard it hurts and runs it again.

The alarms go off.

"Do you have high blood pressure?" Mildly. NOT LIKE THIS.

"I'm going to go get the doctor." He leaves. He does not turn off the shrieking blood pressure machine.

10 minutes later: it's still screaming. Nobody has come by.

20 minutes later: see above.

30 minutes later: see above, except this time I start my stopwatch.

1 minute later: I get up and turn the fucking thing off, then unhook myself from everything.

40 minutes later: I am now itching so badly that I am scratching my arms bloody.

45 minutes after that, Puppykicker comes back in. "You ready to go home?"

Me, unnaturally red with hives so intricate that there are probably braille words on me, no longer struggling for breath, but 100% more bloody than I was when he walked out of the room an hour and 40 minutes ago: "Actually I'd like to speak with the doctor. I'd like to discuss steroids, since I am itchy."

"I'll go get her." Sure, Jan.

5 minutes later: Puppykicker comes in with a glass of water and a tiny cup of MASSIVE prednisone pills. "Here's 50mg prednisone. She says you're ready to be discharged."

The doctor. Is giving me. 50mg prednisone. Without speaking to me to see if I am allergic to it. When I came in with a severe allergic medication reaction. And is going to discharge me rather than wait around to see if I'll be ok.

Nurse watches me choke and struggle to take the pills. Because we're also giving an oral steroid to the bitch who can't swallow. Puppykicker does NOT care.

At that point, risking it and calling an ambulance if my throat closed up again was more worth it than staying there. Went home, stayed up long enough to confirm I am not going to start gasping for breath again. Passed out for two hours, got woken up by all 3 cats fighting over who gets to be in my lap. I have been taking two benedryl every 4h for the itching/hives and while my skin is its normal color again, everything itches so bad.

So my ENT is going to get a fun surprise on Monday when I inform him that the meds I had to fight to actually obtain have now left me with a hospital bill.

I also made an appt with my PCP, because this is the second medication since May that has done this to me. And they are not even remotely related to one another.

I guess what's 3 more days of living with a throat infection I've had for months, at a minimum?

[nautilusopus]

i think i just don't like kids now lol

[kavehater]

I cannot fathom the level of self importance some people must have to behave this way

[liesonthefloordramatically]

when I moved, pretty much no doctors were taking new patients, so the only place that would take me is a clinic training residents but the two residents I've gotten have been??? better than any other doctors I've ever had???? they have both been extremely decent about the gender thing AND the asexuality thing AND they take my symptoms seriously (probably far more seriously than I do). never have I had a doctor be like, "you should not be fatigued all the time"

I get that this is the most basic bar to clear but fatigue??? the thing that has been a normal part of my life for literally my whole life???? what do you MEAN it's not normal and you're going to do blood tests about it

[mindmxtters]

also I would like to thank u all for ur patience while I was MIA for so long. I was, as the kids would say, Going Through It (tm)