When adults teach children about manners, they might remind them to say ‘please’ by prompting, ‘What’s the magic word?’ This is our introduction to ‘please’ — as the gateway to getting anything we want, whenever we want it. But by the time…
What is palliative care? Fairly new on the health care scene (within the last decade or so), palliative care is often confused with hospice care. While some of the main principles, like comfort and pain or symptom management, are shared…palliative care is…
National Home Care and Hospice Month The National Association for Home Care & Hospice celebrates November as Home Care and Hospice Month. The theme for 2015 is ‘Home Care and Hospice Deliver Freedom’ — that is, the independence to remain living at…
Preparing for Surgery or Treatment with ‘Prehab’ Patients who undergo surgeries, or other aggressive treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation, are often guided in rehabilitation exercises afterward to build back lost strength and endurance. However, some specialists have begun to explore the…
The Skinny on Limiting Sugar We’ve been warned about the dangers of consuming too much sugar, but now the FDA is making a proposal that could make excess sugar harder to overlook. The organization has suggested two changes to nutrition labels: first,…
Coping with a serious illness is challenging in itself, from emotional strain to related treatments that can cause physical upset or fatigue. Sometimes, however, the disease or its necessary therapies can also cause pain, a side effect that may become a predominant…
New Shingles Protection Shows Promise for Seniors If you’ve ever suffered through chickenpox, then you’re at risk for shingles. Although chickenpox subsides over time, the virus that causes it stays dormant in your body for the rest of your life. In some…
Book of the Month Medical innovations have resulted in remarkable lifesaving advances. If a person’s heart or breathing stops, or he or she is unable to eat or drink, hospitals and other medical facilities are often equipped to intervene so that the…
