Empty Nest - March 2023

March Special Section

Partnering with a therapist to strengthen your child’s EQ

In the busyness of life, many of us grew up thinking we must keep going despite how we feel, and if symptoms of mental illness are not screaming at us, then we are “fine.” In other words, because our symptoms are not always visible, we often neglect considering therapy until things get extremely bad. In my experience, many adults who started therapy later in life had symptoms that began in childhood and would have benefitted from seeing a therapist in their youth. Statistics show that 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24, with it taking an average of 11 years after symptoms first appear for an individual to seek treatment.

Due to many common barriers surrounding mental health, parents tend to seek therapy for their child as a last resort when they experience difficulties at home and school - often after exhausting all other options. While more attentiondemanding symptoms like anger issues, wishing to harm themselves or others, or crippling depression are valid reasons to consider therapy for your child, therapy can still be beneficial for children with more subtle symptoms like social withdrawal, acting out, or experiencing the impact of recent life events.

Therapy is an individualized process where kids can acknowledge their own experiences and develop coping skills to work through their emotions, also known as strengthening their EQ, or emotional intelligence. In therapy, kids build confidence, social and emotional awareness, conflict resolution, anger

management, problem-solving tools, stress management skills, selfawareness, and self-discovery (Many of us could use these skills even though our lives appear normal and healthy).

Although these skills can be taught at home, parents may run into roadblocks when they try to fix a child’s symptoms rather than address the root of their behavioroften unknowingly bringing in their own predispositions and biases. Alternatively, therapists are trained to put aside their beliefs and biases to hear their client’s voice and help them build healthier living habits. Throughout this process, parents can partner with their child’s therapist, ask questions, and receive advice as they support their child’s mental well-being.

While therapy is a safe place for children to share their experience and find support, it is also important for parents to create this space at home. Teaching a child healthy way to identify and manage their emotions at a young age will encourage them to avoid hiding their problems and know that they never have to face them alone. Each child not only has different experiences, but they also react to those experiences in different ways - even within the same family. Validate these experiences and normalize conversations around mental health, allowing kids to feel seen, heard, and acknowledged – knowing that no problem or feeling is too small to receive support or too large to overcome.

Summit Counseling Center is offering therapy groups for students throughout the summer, teaching skills to overcome anxiety, develop social skills, prepare for college, and more. Learn more about our groups and register your child at tinyurl. com/sccsummer23.

Brought to you by – Shaquanta “Shelley” Shelley, LAPC, Staff Associate Therapist at Summit Counseling Center

Don’t procrastinate!

Brought to you by- Jay Looft, Senior Source Medicare

When you are approaching your signup window for Medicare, do not wait until the last minute- don’t procrastinate!

The most common reason for beginning Medicare is turning age 65. Medicare gives you a “long runway” of 3 months prior to your birthday month and 3 months after your birthday month to get Medicare Part A and Part B in place.

Use the 3 months before your birthday month effectively.

If you sign-up during the 3 months prior to your birthday month, your coverage begins the first day of your birthday month.

I can’t stress being proactive enough, because we are seeing longer and longer processing times from the federal government in processing Medicare Part A and Part B enrollments. Recently, it’s taken several of our clients 30 days to see their Medicare Part A and Part B in their online account.

Don’t leave it to memory, put it in your calendar.

Set yourself a reminder on the 1st

day of the month, 3 months before your birthday month. This will be the soonest date that Medicare will allow you to go online and sign-up for Medicare Part A and Part B. Once you are ready to signup, you can go to the Social Security website at www.ssa.gov/medicare/signup.

For those who are above the age of 65 and still on group health insurance, your sign-up window is different than the one discussed above. In many cases, your window is shorter and needs careful planning in order to execute correctly. When to sign-up for Medicare is just one of many questions you may have when turning age 65, coming off of group insurance, or just wanting a change.

Bring your questions and meet us in-person!

We will be hosting two upcoming Medicare 101 Educational Meetings:

April 20th, 10:00 AM @ The Historic Log Cabin, 200 Milton Ave, Alpharetta, GA 30009

April 26th, 10:00 AM @ Forsyth County Library-Post Road Branch, 5010 Post Road, Cumming, GA 30040

The smart alternative to conventional fitness

Medical ethics and dermatology

Ethical questions arise in all fields of medicine, and dermatology is no different. One of the more remarkable cases that I encountered during training was that of a woman who became pregnant while taking a medication known to cause birth defects. Despite explicit and severe warnings, she insisted that she be allowed to keep taking the medicine throughout her pregnancy. When her dermatologist refused to prescribe the medicine, the patient convinced the hospital’s ethics board to recommend that her obstetrician continue prescribing the medication during pregnancy. The woman received her prescriptions at the board’s recommendation, and the baby was tragically but not unpredictably born with birth defects.

Although I wholeheartedly disagree with the ethics board’s recommendation, I can see how ethical principles are sometimes difficult to apply in practice. The four guiding principles of medical ethics are often taught to be “autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.” Loosely translated, these principles mean: respect someone’s right to choose; do good; do no harm, and act in a fair or equitable way.

The above example is extreme. The ethics board made a mistake and prioritized “autonomy” above all other considerations (including “do no harm”). But many less dramatic ethical considerations occur almost every day in practice. When treating patients, I find that the common sense strategies of putting the patient first and asking what I would want for a family member go a long way towards making sound ethical decisions.

In Mohs surgery, a tissue removal technique for curing skin cancers, shades of grey are often encountered. Cancer is not always black and white. Sometimes, invasive cancer has been eliminated, but the edges have “in situ” cancer – cancer

confined to the top layers of the skin, or the edges exhibit “actinic keratoses,” best understood as “pre-cancers.” Severely sun-damaged individuals sometimes have cheeks or scalps that are covered with precancers and “in situ” cancers. Continuing to cut in such cases is sometimes not in the patient’s best interest. Instead, once the invasive cancer is removed, I frequently discuss switching strategies with my patients. We often treat the area around an invasive cancer with an anti-cancer cream post-operatively instead of dogmatically continuing to cut and missing the forest for the trees.

Personalized medicine is often medicine at its best. One recent patient presented to me for a second opinion regarding a melanoma on his eyelid. The first surgeon the patient saw recommended complete removal of the lower eyelid and a 3 month reconstruction process during which the patient would not be able to see from that eye. The patient and I discussed that the large margin the first surgeon recommended is the standard of care. However, the patient stated that at his age he did not want to undergo an extensive surgery. He understood the risks and chose a smaller margin. He understands that the “middle ground” option that he wanted is not in line with the official guidelines for treating cancers like his, but the smaller surgery that he chose is the option that is right for him. The standard of care is a guideline. The patient comes first.

As interesting as philosophical principles like autonomy and nonmaleficence are, I have found that the most useful principles are variations of the Golden Rule. Treat patients like you would want your family or loved ones treated. And put the patient first.

If you or a loved one has a skin cancer or other skin care needs, please consider Premier Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta. It is our privilege to take care of you.

Brought to You by - Brent Taylor, MD, Premiere Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta

PEXELS

Misconceptions about active Adult 55+ living

Brought to you by - Outlook Gwinnett

Assumption: Active Adult and Independent Living are the same thing Reality: FALSE! Active adult communities serve as choice-based option for individuals 55 and better who may not be ready for the needsbased services and amenities of a traditional senior living community.

Assumption: Active Adult site staff are medically certified Reality: FALSE! Our staff does not provide any medical care or interventions. This allows our residents to maintain their long-time health care providers and medical independence.

Assumption: I have to be retired in order to move into an Active Adult community

Reality: FALSE! Just like living in a multi-family community, we encourage our residents to continue to engage in their career and social interests as they did prior to moving in!

The Active Adult environment caters to older adults who typically have lower health needs and prefer an active,

community-based lifestyle where they can engage with their neighbors of similar age. This may allow for a stronger sense of community and an easier adjustment to apartment living. Here at Outlook Gwinnett, we seek to provide luxurious, worry-free living long before you are ready to relinquish your independence. Look forward to spending hot summer days lounging by our meticulously cared for outdoor pool! Or connect with your neighbors and plan your evening get-togethers around our stocked wine nook and sports lounge. Add in our community calendar, packed with a never-ending variety of SUN program activities, the possibilities are limitless here at Outlook Gwinnett!

Stop by our leasing office today to find out how to reserve a spot in this unique community today.

1500 Laurel Crossing Parkway Buford, GA 30519

(678) 890-5371

outlookgwinnett.com

Your will needs a healthcare checkup

Brought to You by -- Geerdes & Associates

Some people may think an estate plan only includes a will or trust, but a complete estate plan should also contain supplementary documents such as a Healthcare Directive. In Georgia, a Healthcare Directive is essentially what is called a Living Will or Medical Power of Attorney in other states. It is also called a medical proxy. A Healthcare Directive is important to your estate plan because it determines who gets to be your guardian if you are ever declared mentally

GEERDES

incompetent and also determines whether you want life support in an emergency situation.

Advanced Healthcare Directives ensure that your choices for life and death aren’t determined by an arbitrary third party who doesn’t have your best interests at heart, and it also prevents family members from fighting each other on whether to give you life support. By making the hard decisions yourself and letting those who care about you know what your choices are beforehand, you can have peace of mind that no one will be forced to make a difficult choice for you.

Don’t procrastinate!

Brought to you by – Jay Looft, Senior Source Medicare

When you are approaching your sign-up window for Medicare, do not wait until the last minute- don’t procrastinate!

The most common reason for beginning Medicare is turning age 65. Medicare gives you a “long runway” of 3 months prior to your birthday month and 3 months after your birthday month to get Medicare Part A and Part B in place.

Use the 3 months before your birthday month effectively.

If you sign-up during the 3 months prior to your birthday month, your coverage begins the first day of your birthday month.

I can’t stress being proactive enough, because we are seeing longer and longer processing times from the federal government in processing Medicare Part A and Part B enrollments. Recently, it’s taken several of our clients 30 days to see their Medicare Part A and Part B in their online account.

Don’t leave it to memory, put it in your calendar.

Set yourself a reminder on the 1st

day of the month, 3 months before your birthday month. This will be the soonest date that Medicare will allow you to go online and sign-up for Medicare Part A and Part B. Once you are ready to sign-up, you can go to the Social Security website at www.ssa. gov/medicare/sign-up.

For those who are above the age of 65 and still on group health insurance, your sign-up window is different than the one discussed above. In many cases, your window is shorter and needs careful planning in order to execute correctly.

When to sign-up for Medicare is just one of many questions you may have when turning age 65, coming off of group insurance, or just wanting a change.

Bring your questions and meet us in-person!

We will be hosting two upcoming Medicare 101 Educational Meetings:

April 20th, 10:00 AM @ The Historic Log Cabin, 200 Milton Ave, Alpharetta, GA 30009

April 26th, 10:00 AM @ Forsyth County Library-Post Road Branch, 5010 Post Road, Cumming, GA 30040