NEW HARTFORD FARMERS MARKET STILL GOING STRONG Fresh fruit and vegetables available every Wednesday until Sept. 28. See story on page 20. LOCKDOWN MVHEALTHNEWS.COM SEPTEMBER 2022 • ISSUE 199 Look through the help wanted ads online and you’ll often see: “Must have ability to multi-task.” Fact is, true multitasking is a myth, according to a new book. P. 14 THE MULTITASKING MYTH FREE
Some schools, like in Little Falls, have become like a small fortress. All classrooms are locked once students are in the room, all windows are shut and access from outsiders is limited.
ALZHEIMER’S Annie Andresen, a Florida woman, is the younger face of Alzheimer’s disease. At 65, she discusses getting the news of her diagnosis for the first time.
P. 10
P. 14-15 DISMAL FINDINGS FOR HEART HEALTH Story on page 9
Page 2 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • September 2022 Registered Nurses, Nursing Assistants & Student Nurse Assistants Looking for a new opportunity? • Inclusive Culture • Supportive Work Environment • Generous Benefits • Incentive Programs SIGN-ON BONUS crouse.org/careers/RN Mary Ellen Greco, MD, FACS Breast Surgeon Kristen A. McNeil, PA-C Breast Specialist Experienced Breast Surgeon Roswell Park Cancer Network Affiliate Advanced Imaging Technology Oneida Health is excited to welcome Dr. Mary Ellen Greco MD, FACS and Kristen McNeil, PA-C to our new Breast Care Program. Breast ProgramCare New In Oneida 301 Genesee St, Suite B • OneidaBreast Care ACCEPTINGNOWPATIENTS 315-606-2768
September 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • Page 3
The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s® is full of flowers, each carried by someone committed to ending this disease. Because like flowers, our participants don’t stop when something’s in their way. They keep raising funds and awareness for a breakthrough in the fight against Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. It’s time to add your flower to the fight.
2022
participants don’t stop when something’s in their way. They keep raising funds and awareness for a breakthrough in the fight against Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. It’s time to add your flower to the fight.
Join us at alz.org/walk End Alzheimer’sSyracuse, Onondaga Community College Sept. 25 | 11a.m. NATIONAL PRESENTING SPONSORS
Join us at alz.org/walk 2022 Walk to End Alzheimer’sSyracuse, Onondaga Community College Sept. 25 | 11a.m. PRESENTING SPONSORS
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A: A lot of my referrals come from primary care physicians, and we have a lot of great ones in our area. It’s usually when a problem is severe, recurrent or not breaking that a specialist comes into play. If a toddler has one ear infection, a pediatrician can probably handle that. But if they’re having recurrent infections and not clearing their fluid, that’s when an ENT can be useful. If allergy meds and nasal sprays aren’t working or multiple rounds of antibiotics aren’t helping, that’s when you start to look into advanced
A: I would say the vast majority of surgery is outpatient surgery. If my patients do need to stay in the hospital, it’s usually only for one night. It’s rare that I have patients staying longer than that.
Q: What are the recovery times typically like for ENT surgeries?
A: I split my time. Three days in the office and two days, more or less, in the myofcaretakelikeroom.operatingIto
Q: A lot of common ailments involve the ears, nose and throat. In what circumstances should a patient see you as opposed to primary care?
“This is roughly only 16 extra calories, which is not significant,” said DiMarino, who wasn’t involved with the study. “In contrast, most specialty coffees run hundreds of calories from sugars and fats.”
A: I came to Central New York and established an allergy practice. The St. Joe’s practice didn’t have much in the way of immunotherapy, so we’ve already started introducing that. We have shots available, sublingual treatments and biological therapy, which is leveraging your immune system against things like chronic itching and chronic sinusitis and things like that. We also now have the ability to do in-office procedures like balloon sinoplasty, which is a way to treat chronic sinusitis in patients who are good candidates for it. We have cryotherapy for people who have chronic running noses. So these are things that are minimally invasive that we’re introducing into this group to provide some more convenient forms of care to the patient. I like to treat soup to nuts, so I like being able to treat whole families at a time, because a lot of these issues run in families.
Name: Haidy Marzouk, M.D. Position: ENT physician at St. Joseph’s Health
Q: What kinds of surgeries do you perform?
Q: What kinds of challenges does the interconnectivity of the ears, nose and throat present when it comes to diagnostics?
A: I’m a general ENT surgeon, so I do a wide breadth of cases. Probably the most common surgeries I do are ear tube, tonsillectomies, fixing deviated septums, sinus surgeries, removal of nodes, bumps, salivary glands. Things like that.
That Morning Cup of Coffee May Extend Your Life Folks who take their coffee with a little cream and sugar have reason to rejoice, health-wise.Anewstudy shows that coffee’s potential health benefits persist, even if you add a bit of sugar to your java. People who drink any amount of unsweetened coffee are 16% to 21% less likely to die early than those who don’t im bibe, based on data drawn from more than 171,000 British par ticipants without known heart disease or cancer. And even folks who take their coffee with sugar saw some health benefits, researchers found.Sweetened coffee drinkers who downed an average 1.5 to 3.5 cups a day were 29% to 31% less likely to die during an aver age seven-year follow-up than non-coffee drinkers, according to findings published May 31 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
New ENT doctor at St. Joe’s: ‘I like to take care of my patients soup to nuts’ Haidy Marzouk. M.D.
Q: What does advanced care look like for allergies?
A: If we’re talking about the more common things, I’m lucky in that sense because all of those things have a very good prognosis. No surgery is risk-free, but those surgeries generally have a very high success rate.
Q: How did you come to be at your current ear, nose and throat practice with St. Joseph’s Health?
A: When we talk allergies,aboutalot of people will have symptoms and get treated aboutwhensprays.orantihistamineswithnasalsteroidButyoutalkadvancedmanagement,abigpartofthatis
figuring usuallyThenissue.thecausingwhat’sexactlyout advanced allergy management has three big limbs to it. One is environmental strategy to lower your allergen load. The second is medical therapy with different combinations of medication. And the third is immunotherapy, where we try to desensitize patients to the things they’re allergic to. We have a couple modes of doing that. Most people associate this with allergy shots, but we actually now also have sublingual immunotherapy, both approved and off-label, that you can use to desensitize patients without needing a needle on a regular basis. It’s basically just a tablet you put under your tongue and let it dissolve.
A: I actually grew up in New York City. I did my medical training in Brooklyn. Shortly after I started my career, my husband and I wanted to move to a more rural, family-oriented area. So we came to the Syracuse area just about seven years ago with two small kids. I was originally full-time faculty at SUNY Upstate, and then I switched over to St. Joe’s a couple months ago, but I still maintain a faculty position at the university.
A: When I talk to patients, I like to get down to root causes. So if you have an ear problem and a throat problem, it’s my job to get to how those may be connected by asking the right questions and using the right tools. That could be lab work, endoscopy, imaging. If I’m able to find the root cause, I can manage that rather than just shooting from the hip at the different components. I think patients appreciate it when you get to the bottom of their problems rather than just putting a Band-Aid on their symptoms.
Q: What kinds of allergies are those available for? A: Grass, weeds, dust.
Q: Is your practice mainly geared surgery?toward
By Chris Motola
patients soup to nuts. So when the patient comes into the office I like to talk to them and give them their time to understand what’s going on with them. I like to do full physical exams and endoscopies in office. I do allergy testing, allergy treatment, in the office. The nice part of ear, nose and throat surgery is that it’s hybrid between medical management and surgical management. I feel like that kind of gives you the whole package in terms of being able to treat a patient’s problems. I also do allergy shots and a lot of allergy treatment. All of this allows me to treat problems as a whole rather than getting into the mindset of when all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail. You’re able to put everything together to optimize care for a patient. So I like to split my time between both wings of my practice.
Q: What kind of impact do you want to have on your new practice? Is there anything different you plan to try?
Hometown: Staten Island Education: SUNY Downstate Medical University Affiliations: St. Joseph’s Health; SUNY Upstate University Hospital Organizations: American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy; American Academy Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery
Page 4 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • September 2022 Meet Your Doctor
Family: Husband, three children Hobbies: Church activities, reading, watching movies
Lifelines
Q: Do these surgeries generally have good outcomes? Are they easy things to fix?
“On average, even when your coffee is a little bit sweet ened, it still seems to be poten tially beneficial and at least not harmful,” said physician Chris tina Wee, the journal’s deputy editor, who wrote an editorial that accompanied the study. Don’t rush out to order that caramel macchiato just yet, though — people in the study tended to add modest amounts of sugar to their brew, experts noted.On average, people put about 1 teaspoon of sugar in each cup of coffee, said Wee and Anthony DiMarino, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Human Nutrition.
Participants were tracked for an average seven years to see whether coffee drinking affected their overall risk of death, as well as their risk of death from cancer or heartResearchersdisease. found that unsweetened coffee reduced par ticipants’ risk of death regardless how much they drank, with a “sweet spot” of maximum bene fit around 2.5 to 3.5 cups a day. Sweetened coffee also had health benefits, as long as the person drank fewer than 4 cups a day. Sweetened or unsweet ened, coffee also appeared to consistently reduce the risk of death from specific causes such as cancer or heart disease, the researchers found.
Just 8% of Americans Lack Health Insurance, a Record Low No material may be reproduced in whole or in part from this publication without the express written permission of the publisher. The information in this publication is intended to complement — not to take the place of — the recommendations
your health provider. Editor & Publisher: Wagner Dotto Contributing Writers: Barbara Pierce, Deb Dittner, Gwenn Voelckers, David Podos, Deborah Jeanne Sergeant, Anne Palumbo, Daniel Baldwin • Advertising: Amy Gagliano Layout & Design: Kris Adams • Office Manager: Bernadette Driscoll In Good Health is published 12 times a year by Local News, Inc. © 2022 by Local News, Inc. All rights reserved. 4 Riverside Drive, Suite 251, Utica, NY 13502 Phone: 315-749-7070 • Email: IGHmohawkvalley@gmail.com A monthly newspaper published by Local News, Inc. 20,000 copies distributed. To request home delivery ($21 per year), call 315-749-7070. SERVING ONEIDA, HERKIMER, & MADISON COUNTIES Highest Prices Paid We BUY TEST STRIPS We will pick up and pay on the spot We pick up 6 days a week. 11am to 6:30pm One Touch Ultra & Freestyle Lite. All Brands Considered. Up to $50. (315) 927-4035 BUILD BUILT.LEGACIESLEGACYYOURWHEREARE For over 100 years, Bassett has been a pioneer in delivering innovative care and fostering healthy rural communities. JOIN OUR TEAM bassett.org/careers
The number of Americans with out health insurance continues to drop, reaching 8% in 2022 — a record low. That leaves about 26 million peo ple living in America without health insurance.Theannouncement was made early in August by the U.S. Depart ment of Health and Human Services. “Every American has the right to the peace of mind that comes with access to affordable, quality health care,” President Joe Biden said in a HHS statement, according to the As sociated Press. The significant decline began last year, helped by the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package approved by Biden and Congress. Federal subsidies for people buying private insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) helped more people afford coverage, driving the percent age of uninsured folks down to just under 9% in 2021. Also, premiums and out-of-pock et expenses were set at lower rates for new and returning customers.
Those numbers may improve again after Congress passed the Democrats’ latest proposal, which would provide money for climate and health care, including extending federal subsidies for health insur ance.As part of their 725-page pack age, Democrats proposed spend ing $64 billion to extend those price breaks for three more years, the APBeforereported.lastyear’s decline, the rate of uninsured Americans was in double digits for decades, though it began dropping after the ACA was enacted in 2010. The ACA expanded Medicaid and offered health in surance to people who didn’t have health plans through their jobs. About 2% of children in the United States are among those who remain“Weuninsured.knowthat access to qual ity, affordable health care is key to healthier lives, economic security and peace of mind,” HHS Secretary Xavi er Becerra said in a statement. of
September 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • Page 5
HealthcareinaMinute
Nursing Homes Struggle It seems like everyone has a horrific story about their or someone else’s experience in or with a skilled nursing facility (SNF). We all know bad news travels faster and further than good news. Some perspective is needed. There are currently about 15,000 SNFs in the U.S. More than 1,000 SNFs closed between 2015 and 2021 and another 400 will close this year. Most closed for financial reasons. There are 60 million people older than 65 (Medicare-eligible). This number is growing exponentially as baby boomers age. At any given time, there are about 1.3 million to 1.5 mil lion SNF residents. The average resident is 83 years old. About half of SNF residents die in six months with the average pass ing being in 14 months. Nursing homes are facing un precedented and dangerous staffing shortages, certainly exacerbated by the seemingly interminable pan demic. SNFs, like hospitals, are paid prospectively by CMS (Medicare and Medicaid.) In other words, payment rates are predetermined based on a patient’s acuity and need for thera py services. Higher acuity results in higherButreimbursement.prospectivepayment is based on budget neutrality. CMS budgets a fixed amount for SNFs every year. The theory (hope) is high er-than-average claims will be offset by lower-than-average claims which results in budget neutrality or breakeven. Of course, this never works as planned. The system basically encourages what critics call acuity creep. SNF costs and patient acuity
But Wait… I t’s a victory, but don’t get too excited. After years of frustra tion, Congress has passed a bill allowing Medicare to use its massive purchasing power to negotiate drug prices with manufacturers. The drug lobby has managed to keep this bill from passing for decades, even though 85% of us sup port
Shouldn’tnegotiating.the government be negotiating the price of just about everything it buys with our tax dollars? Fearing the passing of the bill, the huge drug lobby ran total ly misleading and threatening ads claiming government “price fixing” will lead to less drug development. First, negotiating prices is not “fixing” prices. Second, most manufacturers invest just 20% of income on research and development. The top 14 largest manufacturers spent $57 billion of income more on stock buy backs and dividends than R&D. The bill also includes a 1% excise tax on stock buybacks.
PhysicianAddressedShortage
Price Transparency As of July 1, 2022, all insurance companies and self-insured business es are required to post online what they paid for just about everything including physician services, hos pitals, surgery centers and skilled nursing facilities. This includes previ ously secretive negotiated rates. This is different from the law that requires hospitals to post their most common charges.
Thanks primarily to expanded Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, the US has achieved a record low of 8% uninsured or about 26.5 mil lion people without insurance. The continuation of ACA premium subsi dies for people making from 100% to 400% of poverty guidelines has been particularly instrumental in lowering the uninsured rate to 8%. Now, if we only had universal healthcare.
“There has been a precipitous, very important drop in the num ber of these events, which to me validates the idea that these were preventable,” said senior researcher Harlan Krumholz, a physician who serves as director of the Yale New Haven Hospital Center for Outcomes Research and Education in New Haven, Connecticut. “The status quo wasn’t written in stone. We have been able to actually make hospitals safer for those conditions.”
George W. Chapman is a healthcare busi ness consultant who works exclusively with physicians, hos pitals and consulting.com.atSyracuse.Consultingeratesorganizations.healthcareHeopGWChapmanbasedinEmailhimgwc@gwchapman
• Pneumonia (21%) had adverse events fall from 195 to 119 per 1,000 discharges.• Major surgical procedures (22%) experienced a decline from 204 to 130 adverse events per 1,000 discharges.
Are Getting Safer for Patients, Study Finds U
Page 6 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • September 2022
By George W. Chapman
The investigators found that for the four most common reasons a per son winds up in the hospital, safety has indeed improved:
• Heart attacks (17% of hospital izations) had a reduction in adverse events from 218 to 139 per 1,000 discharges.• Heart failure (17%) had an ad verse event reduction from 168 to 116 per 1,000 discharges.
“There was a recognition that patients are being harmed in hospi tals, and we can’t determine if things are getting better without tracking them in a reliable, consistent way,” said co-researcher, physician Mark Metersky, a professor of medicine at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, in Farmington. The researchers analyzed the de-identified medical records of nearly 245,000 patients treated at more than 3,100 U.S. hospitals during the past decade, looking at a list of 21 potential harms that can befall a hospitalized person during their stay.
The new study relied on data gathered by the Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring Program, an effort created in the wake of a landmark 1999 Institute of Medicine report that drew national attention to patient safety in hospitals, the study authors said in background notes.
Primary Care Upheaval Healthcare is a $4 trillion mar ket. Primary care is a $260 billion sub-market. Industry analysts pre dict giant retailers and new startups could grab 30% of the primary care market by 2030. There are a lot of negatives facing traditional primary providers including a shortage of physicians, increasing demand for digital and virtual medicine and the transition from volume-based fee for service to value-based care or even capitation.Onone side of the coin, deep pocket nontraditional upstarts like Amazon, CVS and Walmart are lick ing their collective chops. Amazon just bought fledgling One Medical for almost $4 billion. Although not profitable, One Medical operates around 200 offices in 30 markets. It has approximately 800,000 mem bers. Amazon will grow its online pharmacy and diagnostic services via this purchase. On the other side of the coin, cash-strapped tradition al providers like hospital systems continue to merge hiring more and more primary care physicians who are abandoning private practice. It remains to be seen which side of the coin will prevail in the delivery of primary care over the next several years.
.S. hospitals became much safer places for patients over the past decade, with medical errors and adverse events declining significantly across the nation, feder al government data show. Between 2010 and 2019, patient safety dramatically improved among the four types of conditions for which people are most often hos pitalized: heart attacks, heart fail ure, pneumonia and major surgical procedures.Peoplehospitalized for those problems became less likely to suffer from medication errors, hospital-ac quired infections, procedure-related adverse events, pressure ulcers from being bedridden or serious falls that cause injury, researchers found.
Just about every healthcare orga nization and association, including the AMA and AHA, has petitioned Congress to allow foreign medical students in the US to forego the visa requirement that they return home for two years before returning to the US toExpertspractice.are predicting a shortage of 45,000 physicians in just a few years.The Conrad 30 Waiver Program and Physician Access Reauthoriza tion Act would eliminate the twoyear visa wait if the student agrees to work in a designated physician manpower shortage area. This would be an immediate boon to rural and underserved communities.
U.S. Hospitals
• Adverse drug events, hospi tal-acquired infections, and general adverse events declined significantly across all patient groups, the findings showed. Events following a major surgery also declined.
Finally, Lower Drug Prices.
Uninsured Hits Low Record
Industry watchdogs will let us know if we will finally get the discounts that other countries have been getting for years. So, all is good, right? Well, not exactly. The bill allows Medicare to ne gotiate the price of just 10 drugs. Yep. Ten. The drugs selected must be on the market for several years and with no competition.Negotiations don’t start until 2026! That gives drug companies four years to jack up their prices ahead of negotiations. In 2027 Medicare gets to nego tiate a whopping 15 prices and then gets to negotiate 20 prices a year after that. Sounds to me like the drug lobby did its job and still controls Congress.ACEO of one of the largest and most profitable manufacturers was whining to congress about having to negotiate 10 prices. He’s fortunate to be negotiating ANY prices. Just ask a physician or hospital. are rising much faster than what CMS budgets. It seems like SNFs just can’t get ahead financially. The current reimbursement sys tem is gimmicky, confusing, divisive and, worst of all, consumes way too much of management’s valuable time, resources and attention. While there will always be legit imate cases of resident abuse, con sidering the overwhelming negative circumstances ranging from severe staffing shortages to totally inade quate reimbursement, most SNFs do a commendable job.
“In the last 10 years, the rates of those events overall have declined, so hospitals are becoming safer, at least as measured by this metric,” Meter sky said.Theresearchers credit the improvement in part to programs undertaken by hospitals to reduce harmful events like medication errors and infections.
September 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • Page 7
Q: What is For the Good and what ser vices do you provide to the community?
By David Podos
Q: What did you find out?
E xcellus BlueCross BlueShield regularly conducts health outcome surveys of a random sampling of its Medicare members to learn about their relationship with their health care providers and the conversations they have (or don’t have) about topics including their risk of falling, level of physical activ ity, mental health and memory, and bladder control issues. These are concerns for many in dividuals aged 65 and older, and they aren’t always easy to discuss. Excellus BCBS analyzes the sur vey results to find common themes, and then shares the findings with health care providers to help them better understand and address the needs of their Medicare patients and encourage conversations about these concerns. Patient education and hav ing an open and honest patient-pro vider dialogue is an important step in addressing health issues that accom pany the aging process.
Physical activity doesn’t only mean exercise — anything that gets you moving can improve your health. Being active can give you more energy and strength to do daily activities, help you sleep, and im prove your mood. Prior to beginning an exercise program, talk to your doctor about the kind of physical activity that’s right for you.
Uncomfortable Topics: Promoting Open Dialogue
A: The study buddy club is a program that grew out of the early days of For the Good, which was around 2002-2003. At that time, Bill Phillips, who was then Fifth Ward councilman for Utica, approached me and discussed his concern that there was a growing number of girl gangs popping up in Utica and could I help. So, I said of course and that began my journey talking to other women who were activists in our area as well as clergy to see how we could work with these young girls, what their concerns were, what problems were they facing etc.
Q: If someone wanted to help out finan cially, how would they go about it?
A: Well, after we had a number of in-depth conversations with them, we came to the conclusion that these girls were suffering from issues of neglect, poverty, lack of resources, hunger and housing, which obvious ly has a negative impact on a person, is very unhealthy for body, mind and spirit. So, with my relationship with Hamilton College — I was a grad uate of Kirkland College, which at the time was a small private liberal arts college for women located on the Hamilton College grounds from 1968-1978— I made some contacts. In any event, I had an idea that might help these kids. At the time when I was a college student at Kirkland, we had a program called the Utica tutorial project that I was involved in as well as many of my classmates. This was a transforma tional program that changed young kids for the better; it literally turned their futures around because stu dents like myself and others took the time to show we cared for these kids who were dealing with many of the same issues as these girls who were in gangs. So, I modeled that program with the help of Hamilton College and it is called the study buddy club. Kids get on a bus in Utica, we bus them up to Hamilton College, they get a nutritious meal then they are paired up with their tutor, who is a Hamilton College student.
“While it is important for health care providers to be reminded to have these conversations, it is equally important for patients to come to their medical visits prepared to discuss issues and concerns that are impacting their overall health sta tus,” says physician Ankit Garg, vice president, medical affairs of retail markets at Excellus BCBS.
Q: Does For the Good receive any funds to help with operating costs?
Q & A
Q: Tell me about the community gar den project you have, its location, who attends to the garden and finally, who receives the vegetables after harvest?
A: In the neighborhood where the garden is located, which by the way is just a block from where For the Good is located, this area is a food desert. What I mean by this is, there are no major grocery stores nearby. The residents who live in this area can go to the few neighborhood convenience stores but these stores are very limited in offering fresh fruits and vegetables which are so vital to good health. In our commu nity garden we grow a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, all organ ically cultivated. These are highly nutritious foods that are so good for people.The members who attend the garden are from the local community and represent an international array of people. We have many ethnic backgrounds represented offering their particular expertise when it comes to gardening. Many of the people are young teens who are learning new skills, the importance of teamwork and the importance of eating a healthy diet. When the vegetables are ready for picking, the members who have attended the garden receive its harvest. It is a wonderful way for them to celebrate their hard work, and of course eat high quality, organic foods. We also give food from the garden to shutins. For example, a woman who lives in the neighborhood recently had a stroke, so we take food over to her; we hang bags of fresh picked green beans onto people’s porches and so forth. We also have another commu nity garden that is located on the east side of Utica.
Incontinence
If you are unable to get to the bathroom in time or are using incon tinence products, the problem won’t go away on its own. If left untreated, it may get worse. Your provider can figure out what’s causing your symp toms, discuss treatment options, and refer to specialists, if needed.
Submitted by Excellus BlueCross Blueshield
Physician Ankit Garg is vice presi dent medical affairs of retail markets at Excellus BCBS. “It is equally import ant for patients to come to their med ical visits prepared to discuss issues and concerns that are status,”theirimpactingoverallhealthhesays.
Memory Memory changes and dementia are common fears people have as they get older. However, there’s a difference between memory changes that happen with aging and those that are a result of dementia. An early evaluation can help diagnose and treat these issues.
The following conversation prompts will help patients get the most benefit from their medical visits:
A: We serve the underprivileged, the underserved and under-re sourced community here in Utica. Our programs are the study buddy club, community gardens and the Utica Phoenix, Utica’s only indepen dent newspaper.
Q: Let’s talk about the study buddy club. What’s that all about?
Mental Health
Physical Activity
with Cassandra Harris-Lockwood Founder and CEO of For the Good discusses organization’s mission to help the needy; says group may shut down for lack of financial resources
A: Well, right now so far this year we have not received any funding from the city, from the county and or from the state. Last year we did receive some funding from the state which was very helpful. So, unless we receive some financial assistance soon, I might be reaching a point where I am forced to shut this all down.
A: We are a 501(c)3, so they can make a direct donation. I would ask that people go to our website, forthe goodinc.org or call 315-797-2417.
Do you have feeling of loneliness or are you having other troubles with thinking and emotions? Tell your provider everything you can, includ ing symptoms that you think might not be related to mental health.
Falls Falls can lead to serious injury, disability, and even death. There are many reasons for falls, so it’s import ant to have an open conversation with your doctor about it and talk about how to prevent falls from hap pening in the future. Tell your doctor of any concerns you have about being lightheaded or dizzy as well as any weakness in your body.
As you get older, supporting heart health is of utmost importance. But this sup port needs to begin at a young age in order to decrease the chances of developing a stroke, heart attack, de mentia, diabetes and more. Support ing your heart health has also been proven to be effective in preventing dementia. Providing a holistic ap proach to caring for your body will help preserve your overall health throughout the years.
•
Sleep in a dark, cool room Based on research, insomnia significantly increases the risk for heart problems. based nutrition A consistent diet of whole, nutrient-dense foods will help create balance in the body on many levels. were intended to eat a variety of nutrient-rich whole foods that are grown naturally, not heavily sprayed or genetically modified, processed foods that offer nothing but empty calories to the body. Whole foods provide fuel for energy and should not be complex, timely, or break the bank. (mesclun mix)
• Avoid the use of electronics (TV, iPhone/iPad, computer) at least one hour prior to bedtime
Plant
HEALTHY HEART FOODS: • Spring greens
KEY Omega-3sNUTRIENTS: – promote healthy blood pressure readings and improve vascular function, and heart rate found in seafood (salmon, herring, mackerel), flax seed, chia seed Resveratrol – a phytonutrient and antioxidant found in grapes, wine, and chocolate reducing oxidative stress, regulating healthy blood pressure levels, and supporting vascular function
triglyceride levels,
•
“Weight loss does not occur overnight…You will see your hard work come to fruition in about three months so be patient with yourself.”
By Deborah Dittner
(Herman’s Hermits)
• Avoid the use of stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine, sugar and smoking•Avoid eating “bedtime snacks” or going to bed on a full stomach Take a warm bath with Epsom salts infused with therapeutic grade essential oils such as lavender Enjoy a relaxing cup of noncaffeinated tea (there are many herbal teas to choose from) Reading a book or magazine can create relaxation techniques help to quiet the mind
•
The Balanced Body
For more information, check out her website at www.debdittner.com or contact her at 518-596-8565.
Relaxation yoga postures such as child’s pose, legs up the wall, and corpse pose are very soothing Calming, relaxing music or a sound machine of nature’s effects can quiet a busy mind
• Breathing
Sleep Getting a good night’s sleep consisting of seven to nine hours will decrease inflammation and provide the heart with the necessary energy to support healthy aging. Quality and consistent sleep is needed to maintain a healthy immune system, allows your body to make necessary repairs, improve memory and mental health. Starting at a young age, develop good sleep habits approximately 30 minutes before you actually climb into bed as this will help to release the day’s stress.
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Page 8 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • September 2022
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Morning cup of Joe: Starting the day with a cup of coffee will provide antioxidants protecting cells from damage and reducing the risk of heart disease. It may also prevent motor deficits and brain degeneration, enhance brain function, and improve memory. Black coffee, without the added dairy, sugars and other chemicals, should be organically and Can’t You Hear My– Heartbeat?’
• Butter leaf lettuce • Beet greens • Red beets • Swiss chard • Oak leaf lettuce • Rhubarb • Arugula HEART HEALTHY HERBS: • Basil • Cilantro • Turmeric
sustainably grown, and mold free. Caffeine is a stimulant that can also affect your sleep. It is recommended that you don’t consume caffeine later than noon in order to have a restful night. Move your body – There are many ways to move your body not only to benefit your heart but also strengthen your body, decrease blood pressure and cholesterol, improve your mood and memory, and decrease stress.
Walking, weight training, HIIT (high intensity interval training), yoga, running — there are so many to choose from so find a physical activity that you enjoy. Moving your body for approximately 30 minutes most days of the week will provide you with health benefits. Taking care of your heart will take care of you physically, mentally and emotionally. As individuals, you need to find that balance of eating clean, physical movement, sleep, and overall self-care. Nutrition is the cornerstone of health. Listen to your body. Creating balance through a diet rich in whole nutrient dense foods combined with lifestyle changes will lead to optimum health.
Keep a regular schedule going to bed and rising at the same time
‘Baby, Baby,
Developing a routine:
•
You
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Lycopene – a phytonutrient found in tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit and papaya promoting healthy levels of LDL cholesterol, healthy blood pressure levels and supports the flow of blood Vitamin C – antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties reduce free radicals and oxidative stress found in citrus, strawberries, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, bell peppers and white potatoes Folate (Vitamin B9) – keeps homocysteine levels in check associated with cardiovascular health found in dark green leafy vegetables, beans, whole grains, seafood and peanuts
Deborah Dittner is a family changes.nutritionpossibleindividualstransformHerhealthpractitionernurseandconsultant.missionistoasmanyasthroughandlifestyle
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3. Nicotine exposure: Quit smoking, vaping and tobacco use. Resources to help you stop can be found on the American Heart Association’s website: heart.org
Gregory lists the following signs of suicide ideation:
2. The person is disconnected or withdrawn from others and possibly spending more time alone. Increased use of alcohol or drugs can be a sign of disconnection and a sign that the person is stressed and trying to selfmedicate.
Dismal Findings for Heart Health
4. Sleep: Sleep impacts overall health. See heart.org for recommendations on developing a healthy sleep pattern.
For more information on the components for a healthy heart, see www.heart.org Sept. 10 is World Suicide Preven tion Day. Nearly 46,000 Ameri cans died by suicide in 2020 or about one death every 11 minutes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and AlthoughPrevention.ratesdeclined in 2019 and 2020, it is still a leading cause of death in the United States. The CDC states that about 12.2 million adults considered suicide, 3.2 million planned an attempt and 1.2 million attempted. In 2020, it was one of the top nine leading causes of death for those aged 10 to 64 and the second leading cause of death for those 10-14 and 25-34. Feeling alone in their pain creates a dark and dangerous mindset, according to physician Robert Gregory, professor of psychiatry at Upstate Medical University and director of the Upstate psychiatry high risk program. “One way to think about suicide is that it stems from a sense of being stuck alone with overwhelming pain.”
2. Physical activity: Move more! A good starting goal is at least 150 minutes a week. But, if you don’t want to sweat the numbers, just move more! Find the type of exercise you like and will stick with—build more opportunities to be active.
8. Blood glucose: Higher ranges of blood glucose (sugar) can indicate diabetes or prediabetes, which is treatable. If not treated, it can lead to significant problems.
September 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • Page 9
STEPS TO A HEALTHY HEART
1. The person feels “stuck” or hopeless, possibly evident in more negative speech, or themes of death in creative activities, such as art or poetry.
3. The person has had a recent painful event, especially those having to do with losses such as the loss of a loved one, loss of a job, a recent break-up or permanent loss of functioning from an injury. The pain does not have to be emotional but can also be physical from a chronic illness.
UticapediatricianValleyinHeartofboardpresidentimmediateHenderson,JonathanPhysicianpastoftheofdirectorstheAmericanAssociationtheMohawkandawithPediatrics.
By Barbara Pierce
8
In the Mohawk Valley, things are even worse than the country as a whole, says local pediatrician
6. Body mass index: In the U.S., 73.6% of adults are overweight or obese, according to the CDC. Excess body fat contributes to death and disability, through heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, osteoarthritis, fatty liver and depression.
4. A more imminent sign of impending suicide is giving away treasuredAnyonebelongings.whofeels a friend or loved one is in immediate danger should call 911 or transport the person to the emergency department. For others, it may be only a consideration at this point, but nonetheless it needs to be addressed.“Thesingle most important intervention is to ask your loved one about it, ‘Have you been struggling at all with thoughts of death or suicide?’” Gregory said. Talking with people about suicide will not cause them to attempt it. In fact, Gregory said that the opposite is true. Asking helps suffering people talk about their pain.“It’s hard to give blanket instructions because mental health is dynamic,” said Bryan Asher, licensed clinical social worker and suicide prevention program manager at Syracuse VA Medical Center. “Being supportive, checking in and when dealing with vets at risk for suicide, ask those questions directly. Be direct, present and stay with them.”
Suicide Prevention Begins Connectionswith
1. Diet: Aim for an overall healthy eating pattern that includes a lot of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, nuts, seeds and cook in non-tropical oils such as olive and canola. More than twothirds of heart disease-related deaths worldwide can be linked to food choices, according to the journal of the European Society of Cardiology. Sugary beverages and processed food, especially meat, earned warning signs in the studies, as did foods high in saturated fats.
The most recent data Henderson referred to came from an American Heart Association study. Participants ranged from 2 years old to 79 years, with no cardiovascular disease. A score indicating the risk of heart problems for each subject was based on a checklist of “life’s essential eight” —the eight components the American Heart Association has determined as essential for ideal heart health. They are diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep, body mass index, cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure. Some risks for heart problems can’t be changed; some can, Henderson added. Risk factors that can’t be changed include age, ethnicity and family history. For example, Black adults have the highest prevalence of hypertension and severe obesity; American Indians are three times more likely to have diabetes. Researchers found that our heart health has declined in the past 20 years. Two big factors drive this decline. First, a rise in the proportion of people who are overweight or obese. In 1999, one out of three adults was at a healthy weight. That number now is one out of four. The other risk factor that declined is the proportion of people who do not have high blood glucose levels (indicating diabetes or prediabetes). Currently, only 37% of us have healthy glucose levels, down from 59%. “We were definitely surprised by the magnitude of the problem,” said one of the researchers online. “It’s pretty dismal and it’s only gotten worse over the last 20 years.”
Blood pressure: High blood pressure is a stepping stone to heart disease and potentially a heart attack or stroke. While sodium is an essential nutrient, too much of it can lead to high blood pressure and damaged arteries that strain your heart.
7. Cholesterol (lipid levels): Too much cholesterol can pose a problem. Know your numbers and improve on them if necessary.
In the United States, one of the wealthiest nations in the world, only a very few of us have good heart health—only one out of five. That means four out of five of us are in bad shape. We’re at risk for heart attack, stroke and a long list of other health problems.Andthe problem is only worsening.Recently, the American Heart Association published data that showed roughly 80% of people in the U.S. have low to moderate cardiovascular health. This study showed only one
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
out of five Americans has optimal heart health, according to Jonathan Henderson, immediate past president of the board of directors of the American Heart Association in the Mohawk Valley and a pediatrician with Utica Pediatrics. In the Mohawk Valley, things are even worse than the country as a whole.“In Oneida County, we have consistently ranked in the bottom third of the country when it comes to heart health,” said Henderson. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., according to the CDC online.
LOCAL PEDIATRICIAN JONATHAN HENDERSON AND THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION SUGGEST WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW TO ACHIEVE OPTIMAL HEART HEALTH, FROM LIFE’S ESSENTIAL 8:
HOW CAN NY CONNECTS HELP? (800) 342-9871 of MADISON COUNTY (315) 697-3092 (315) 697-5700 For answers to all your questions Contact us at 800-342-9871 or call one of the NY Connects partnering agencies at 315-697-5700 You may also look for services and support at www.nyconnects.ny.gov Free, easy, local access to information and assistance about long term care services and supports… regardless of age, income, or payor source. Get help with community services/supports designed to help people remain healthy and independent for Older Adults, Adults or Children with Disabilities as well as their Families and Caregivers. Not a Subscriber? CITY/TOWNADDRESSNAME STATE ZIP 1 YEAR (12 ISSUES)$35.00$21.00 2 YEARS (24 ISSUES) Clip and Mail with payment to: In Good Health P.O. Box 525, Victor, NY 14564 Subscribe and get In Good Health: MV’s Healthcare Newspaper right to your home or office!
Back to School: Are Our Students Safe?
Some schools, like in Little Falls, have become like a small fortress. All classrooms are locked once students are in the room, all windows are shut and access from outsiders is limited
PBy Barbara Pierce P arents in Texas are coming to terms with the fact they will never hug their children again after a shooter stormed Robb Ele mentary School in Uvalde, killing 19 children and two teachers. Mass shootings have been on the increase since the pandemic. There’s been one mass shooting in every week of 2022, according to news reports.Aschool shooting could happen anywhere, even right here in the Mo hawk Valley. It raises questions about the safety of our schools. We reached out to several local schools to ask how they will keep our kids safe as they return to school. “We have to be on guard every minute,” said Keith Levatino, super intendent of schools at Little Falls City School District and safety officer for the“We’redistrict.always in a lockdown; I mandate this,” he said. “All exit doors are locked at all times. All classroom doors are locked once the students and teacher are in the room. Visitors have no access into the school, unless it’s through an administrator. Visitors come into an entrance and are buzzed into a vesti bule, where staff asks their purpose and reviews their ID. They wait in the vestibule.”Levatinosaid that if a shooter gets in, he or she won’t get into the classrooms. All exterior windows are closed and “Duringlocked.theschool day, a safety officer is in the building and police cars parked outside. For after school or evening events, I’ve mandated policeLevatinoprotection.”hashad extensive train ing and has always worked closely with law enforcement, he said. He established a safety team that creat ed the district’s current safety plan, which is posted on the school’s website.
“The events in Uvalde were not the determining factor, but were a factor in our decision to add a school resource officer beginning this school year.
“Recently passed Alyssa’s Law requires schools to consider installing panic buttons in the building. We will consider doing so.”
“Also, we have increased our mental health services and staffing here this year,” DiFulvio added. “We’re working closely with the county and now host 12 month li censed mental health services for our students,” he added. Superintendent Jason Mitchell, Madison Central School, said: “We regularly review our safety proce dures to make sure we’re doing all we can to keep our faculty, staff and students safe.”
“We have a monitored, single and contained point of entry where visitors are required to sign in before entering the building. Faculty and staff are present in the hallways and throughout the building and monitor entrances. We have some bullet-resistant glass throughout the building. Emergency plans, drills, including for our buses, are reviewed and practiced with faculty, staff and students.”Weasked the superintendents their opinion of the law recently signed by the governor of Ohio that allows teachers to bring firearms into their classrooms with minimal train ing. The state loosened several gun laws in 2022 amid nationwide calls to enact stricter rules to curb gun vi olence, including a law that removes training and background checks for concealed carry holders.
— Keith Levatino, superintendent of schools at Little Falls City School District and safety officer for the district.
“I prefer not to comment on Ohio at this time,” DiFulvio said. “If New York adopts similar legislation down the road, I’d be happy to chat with you.”Levatino also declined comment on the Ohio law. “It’s hard to put my self in their shoes. If that happened in New York, there would have to be a lot of discussion about training; it’s hard to put myself in that situation.”
“My primary goal was safety for all, 24/7,” he added. “What I mean by safety is not just feeling physically safe, but emotionally safe. Physical and emotional safety for everyone: students, faculty, staff, and visitors.” Teachers are trained every year on safety protocol, with drills.
Page 10 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • September 2022
Public opinion is mostly negative toward the new Ohio law, according to news reports; parents and other experts say putting guns in the hands of people who aren’t adequately trained is dangerous and irresponsi ble and makes students less safe. “We’re always in a lockdown; I mandate this. All exit doors are locked at all times. All classroom doors are locked once the students and teacher are in the room.”
“We’ve done everything possible to make sure the kids are safe,” he concluded.Superintendent Christopher DiFulvio, Cazenovia Central School District, told In Good Health: “Our district has regular processes in place to review our safety measures. We work regularly with our local police, county sheriff, state troopers and other first responders to review our practices.”Thisyear, the Cazenovia Central School District added two school re source officers through the Madison County grant funded program that Sheriff Todd Hood has championed.
3 cups roughly chopped white mushrooms
1½ tablespoons olive oil, for cooking Tacos
Helpful tips Since walnuts go rancid when exposed to warm tem peratures for long periods of time, it’s best to keep them cold. Store walnuts in their original packaging (or airtight container) in the fridge or freezer. If your walnuts smell like paint thin ner, they’re rancid and should be tossed. For best flavor, wait to shell, chop or grind walnuts until ready for use.
1 cup crumbled cheese, cotija or goat ½ cup fresh cilantro lime wedges
Eat more walnuts and you just may live That’slonger.themessage from a recent study at Harvard that explored the link between walnut consumption and longevity. According to Yanping Li, senior research scientist at Harvard, “What we’ve learned from this study is that even a few handfuls of walnuts per week may help promote longevity, especially among those whose diet quality isn’t great to begin with.”
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice salt & pepper to taste Walnut Taco Meat
There are several reasons why walnuts promote longer lives.
½ cup low-fat sour cream
This Diet May Help Prevent Another
12 mini or 6 (6”) flour or corn tortillas
1 cup corn, drained or fresh cooked
First of all, walnuts do a heart good — in more ways than one. Along with “good” fats that may lower your LDL or “bad” cholester ol and triglyceride levels, walnuts contain more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than any other nut. These fatty acids, together with a walnut’s special form of vitamin E, may help prevent the buildup of plague in arteries, as well as lower blood pressure.Despite being high in calories, walnuts actually support weight control. Maintaining a iesNumerousacontributemaylaterpeciallyweight,healthyesinyears,alsotolongerlife.studshowthatnuts are not associated with weight gain and, in fact, may contribute to weight loss because they are so satiating.
Anyone who has ever had a kid ney stone never wants a re peat of the blinding pain that comes when it passes. Now, a new study maps out a diet that can help guard against that. The cornerstones of that diet in clude eating plenty of foods that contain potassium, as well as a few servings of low-fat dairy daily, to get enough calcium. High-potassium fruits and veggies that could help in clude bananas, oranges, grapefruits, apricots, mushrooms, peas, cucum bers, zucchini and melons such as cantaloupe and honeydew.
study had recurrent kidney stones. Lower levels of calcium and potassium predicted that recurrence. After adjustments for nondietary fac tors, lower calcium continued to be a predictor. So did lower potassium, but only among those who weren’t already taking certain types of di uretics and calcium supplements. The good news? While pa tients may not be willing to adjust their diet before a first kidney stone, they are far more likely to do so to prevent a recurrence, the authors noted.Akey piece of advice on avoid ing recurrent kidney stones includes drinking water, lots of it — about nine 12-ounce glasses of water per day.Though this new study didn’t note the benefit from water, that may be because it was following people who already were drinking high quantities of water after their first kidney stone, Lieske noted. “I would still say that’s always one of the mainstays when we see people, that they should definitely drink more fluid if they’ve had a kidney stone. That just will always be helpful,” Lieske Unfortunately,said.people who’ve had one kidney stone have a good chance of a repeat one, about 30% within five years. Having a kidney stone isn’t only an excruciating experience, but it’s also associated with other health issues, including chronic kidney dis ease, osteoporosis and heart disease. So, how much calcium and potassium should be consumed each day to keep kidney stones at bay? Two to three servings of low-fat dairy daily would be the ideal way to consume the needed calcium, Lieske said, or an amount equal to 1,200 milligrams. That number matches the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) daily recommended amount for most adults. The findings were published online Aug. 1 in Mayo Clinic Pro ceedings.
1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
SmartBites
1½ cups toasted chopped walnuts*
1½ teaspoons chili powder
The skinny on healthy eatingBy Anne Palumbo Why You Should Go Nuts for Walnuts
“When people eat nuts, they tend to compensate by eating less during others times of the day and offsetting a good portion of the energy,” says Richard D. Mattes, professor of nutri tion science at Purdue University.
Another way walnuts champi on longevity? They’re loaded with polyphenols, plant-based com pounds that may reduce the risk of certain cancers (breast, prostate and colorectal) by quelling inflammation and by blocking hormone receptors in the body. Results of a recent study, conducted at Marshall University, showed that eating two ounces of walnuts a day for about two weeks slowed breast cancer growth or reduced the risk of developing the disease. While more studies are needed to confirm walnuts’ affect on cancer, the data so far is promising.Ahandful of walnuts (about ¼ cup) has 190 calories, 2 grams of fiber, 4.5 grams of protein and 18 grams of (most ly) good fats. Low in choles terol and sodium, walnuts are rich in a variety of vita mins and minerals, especially copper and manganese. Stir together hot sauce ingredi ents. Refrigerate until serving. Mince garlic in large food proces sor, then add the roughly chopped mushrooms and gently pulse a few times until mushrooms are evenly chopped to the size of a popcorn kernel. Scrape contents into medium bowl.Place walnuts in processor and pulse in a similar fashion to mush rooms. Add walnuts to mushroom mixture, along with spices, soy sauce and lime juice, and gently combine. Heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a non-stick skillet. Add wal nut mixture and cook for 8-10 min utes, stirring until it releases some liquid and begins to turn dry and browned. Stop whenever the crumble texture suits you. Adjust seasonings. Spoon walnut taco meat over tortillas; top with corn, cheese, hot sauce, cilantro and lime wedges.
2-3 cloves garlic
*Note: Toast raw walnuts in a 350 F oven for 8 minutes; let cool.
Walnut Mexican Tacos with Corn Adapted from walnuts.org Hot Sauce
To arrive at those recommen dations, researchers from the Mayo Clinic used data from questionnaires completed by kidney stone patients between 2009 and 2018. The team compared the diets of 411 people who had already had their first kid ney stone and a control group of 384 individuals.“Wehad this information and then we, number one, could look at things that … differed between controls and kidney stone formers, but then we’ve also been following these people forward in time,” said study author physician John Lieske, director of the O’Brien Urology Re search Center at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. During a median of just over four years of follow-up, 73 patients in the
1½ tablespoons hot sauce of choice (I used Sriracha)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Had a Kidney Stone?
Anne Palumbo is a lifestyle colum nist, food guru, and seasoned cook, who has perfected the art of preparing avpalumbo@aol.com.touchSmartBites,andfordishes.calorie-consciousnutritious,SheishungryyourquestionscommentsaboutsobeinwithAnneat
1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
September 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • Page 11
Of course, she never listened to me, but he became a nice kid anyway. Experts say it’s important to provide the reward as soon as possible after they do the desired behavior. The more time that passes between the behavior and the reward, the weaker the connection will be. And what reward works best varies for each individual.
Your partner does or doesn’t do something that drives you cra zy; maybe it’s one of your kids, your pet or a co-worker. If there was an easy way to get them to do what you want them to do or stop doing what’s driving you crazy and they wouldn’t even know that you’re doing it, wouldn’t you want to try it? There is such a thing. It’s called positive reinforcement. What that means is encouraging the action you want by rewarding it when it happens.Here’s what happened when I tried“What’sit: happened to George?” I wondered, intent on watching the latest episode of “90 Day Finance.” As I fast-forwarded through the commercials, I realized I hadn’t heard the sound of the shower he’d been taking for some time. Then I heard the answer: the snuffling sound of his snoring. I’d just moved in with George, a widower, a few days before. We cared about each other. How could he just go to bed without even saying good night to me? I was stunned! How could he do that? When I lived with another person, I always said good night to that person. He’d had a good relationship with his wife. Surely he didn’t just go off and go to sleep without letting her know? That was his pattern for the next several nights, just disappearing into bed without saying a word. And it continued to sting. I was OK with him going to bed before me. I liked my alone time. But I wasn’t OK with him just vanishing without a word. I thought about my options. I could, nicely and assertively, tell him that wasn’t OK. But he didn’t like being told what to do. I got that; I don’t like it either, as nice or as assertive as you might be about it, it still would rankle me, as I knew it would with George. And it would become a battle. I wanted to avoid a battle.Then came the night he gave me a hug and said he was going to bed. As we hugged, the solution hit me. I said “What a great hug! I like it when you hug me and say good night! I like it a lot!” Next four or five nights, same disappearing act. Then he hugged me and I said similar words of praise. This pattern went on. Before long, his good night hugs became every night. I’d succeeded, by simply positively reinforcing the behavior I wanted! It was effective and easy. Though it did take patience.Then we adopted a golden retriever puppy. Wildly enthusiastic about life, she had so many behaviors that had to go. Worst of all was the way she joyfully greeted anyone who came to visit, jumping all over them, licking their face or any body part. I gave in and hired a trainer. Within minutes of him coming in, she was sitting quietly and calmly at his side. George and I were absolutely flabbergasted to see the spirited little dog sitting there, totally wellbehaved.Hissecret: A pocket full of treats that he offered to her as soon she made the slightest move in the right direction. It worked—really well. You’ve probably been to SeaWorld or some version of it and seen the dolphins perform. You probably noticed the trainers with huge buckets of fish, tossing them out liberally. This is how they get the dolphins to perform. They reward them for the slightest move they make in the right direction. That’s the only way that really works to get kids to do what you want them to, say some experts. Praise them or reward them for the slightest move they make in the right direction. That’s far more effective than yelling at them for what they’re doing
Psychologistswrong. found that when a behavior is followed by desirable consequences, it’s likely to be repeated and that works better than punishing undesirable behavior. In other words, it’s much easier to encourage good behaviors than to discourage bad behaviors. For example, letting your teen use the family car when he gets good grades is far more effective than grounding him for poor grades. Or, when my grandson was a preschooler, my daughter was always telling him “Be a nice boy.”
Barbara Pierce is a retired licensed clinical social worker with many years of experience helping people. If you would like to purchase a copy of her book, “When You Come to the Edge: Aging” or if you have questions for her, contact her at barbarapierce06@yahoo.com.
Page 12 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • September 2022 Between You & Me
By Barbara Pierce
THE SURPRISING POWER OF POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
When I heard this, I’d always say: “He doesn’t know what being a nice boy is. Instead, when he does something nice, praise him, make it a big deal. That’s the best way to teach him how to be a nice boy.”
DIABETES: Men with certain risk factors should be screened for diabetes to help prevent long term impact of this condition. Uncon trolled diabetes can lead to blindness, limb amputation, kidney failure and vascular and heart disease. Screening before symptoms de velop leads to earlier diagnosis and treatment.TheAmerican Diabetes Associ ation recommends all adults older than 35 who are overweight should be screened every three years, as long as results are normal. Annual screen ing is recommended for those older than 45.
September 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • Page 13
By Barbara Pierce
On the average, men die five years earlier than women, according to the CDC. They die from heart dis ease, cancer, stroke, diabetes. Many of these deaths are pre ventable. And by identifying and treating these conditions, you can prevent the poor quality of life and disability they cause. High blood pressure, diabetes, urinary issues and a whole host of other medical conditions aren’t going to magically go away just because you don’t want to see a doctor. Most medical conditions are curable or at least manageable, allowing you to continue to lead a normal life. You rotate your tires and change your oil. You don’t want to wait until there’s smoke coming out from under the hood and the car stops running. Don’t be one who takes better care of your car than yourself. Keep yourself healthy through screenings, screenings that were developed to do exactly that: to screen for potential problems. And correct any problems. Physician Karishma Circelli, family medicine specialist, Mohawk Valley Health Services, Utica, sug gests men consider these screenings: High blood pressure: High blood pressure is a condition that rarely causes any symptoms. It does cause serious long-term damage to your body, especially the heart, kidneys and brain, said Circelli. To prevent damage to your body because of high blood pressure, you first have to be aware you have it, through screening. Then it’s easy to control with regular medication. Those younger than 40 with no heart disease risk factors should have a blood pressure test at least once every two to five years. If you’re older than 40, your risk of having high blood pressure in creases and it’s important to tested at least every year, by a trained profes sional with accurate monitors. Those public blood pressure machines at pharmacies aren’t a substitute, because they’re not standardized, which makes it hard to know how accurate they are.
Begin the process from home by viewing our online informational video. Then consult with our bariatric team via telemedicine visits to start your journey. It’s time — and now easier than ever.
If You’re a Man, This Is for You
For patients that are not highrisk, there are now easier ways of screening through stool testing, rath er than a colonoscopy. Talk to your provider to see if you are eligible for this and so that you understand the risks and benefits of the various testing options.
It’s about more than just weight loss. It’s about reducing your risk for serious conditions like heart disease and diabetes — and regaining the stamina, mobility and confidence to take on every day.
HIGH CHOLESTEROL: High cho lesterol also doesn’t cause symptoms until it leads to problems such as heart attack and stroke, advised Circelli. Most healthy adults should have their cholesterol checked every four to six years. If you have heart disease or diabetes or a family history of high cholesterol, get it checked more often, suggested the CDC.
COLON CANCER: All adults 45 and older are recommended to have screening for colon cancer, said Cir celli. When it’s caught early, before symptoms, colon cancer is treatable. By the time symptoms occur (such as changes in stool or blood in stool, abdominal pain, etc.) it’s often ad vanced and more difficult to treat, with less chance of survival.
Start today at crouse.org/weightloss or call 315-470-8974.
LUNG CANCER: If you’re a smok er or have a history of smoking, you may be eligible for lung cancer screening with a CT scan. Lung can cer is the number one cause of cancer death in men. PROSTATE CANCER: Men with certain risk factors, especially family history and older age, should consid er prostate cancer screening through a discussion with your doctor. Pros tate cancer is the number two cause of cancer death in men, said Circelli.
It’s a fact. Men avoid going to the doctor.Like asking for directions when you’re lost, you don’t want to do it. If you’re like most men, you don’t see a health care professional unless a condition becomes intolera ble or you’re carried into the hospital on a stretcher. You avoid routine annual exams, routine screenings. But putting off those routine medical visits is more serious than driving around trying to find the right street.
Crouse’s bariatric surgery program offers a dedicated team of physicians and providers, as well as psychological and nutritional counseling — all with the expertise to support you every step of the way.
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“It’s also important to have your yearly checkup to make sure you’re up to date on immunizations that may be recommended for your age group,” Circelli added. If you’re a woman concerned about your partner who avoids the doctor, simply schedule an appoint ment for him and go with him. Tell him it’s what his family needs and he has no choice; don’t argue or nag. Man up: Take care of yourself as well as you take care of your car!
HEPATITIS C: All adults are advised to be screened for previous hepatitis C infection as this is treat able. If not treated, it can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
But then, since last summer when it was approved, we didn’t hear any more about this new wonder drug. It isn’t reaching many patients.According to npr.org, reasons for this include its extravagantly high cost, ($55,000 per year), the reluc tance of Medicare and other insurers to cover it, and lingering questions about whether it actually slows memory loss. Many concerns come from the fact it received accelerated approv al from the FDA. The accelerated approval program allows for earlier approval of drugs that treat serious diseases and fill an unmet medical need. The manufacturers of Aduhelm have until 2030 to conduct and report evidence from clinical trials demon strating its Clinicaleffectiveness.trialsarenow beginning. James said the Alzheimer’s Asso ciation announced in August it has launched the first network developed to collect the data that will determine the effectiveness of the medication and its side effects. The network, ALZ-NET, will gather “real-world” data and outcomes. The data will be shared with doc tors, patients, family members, re searchers, the FDA and insurers, such as Medicare. ALZ-NET will include people from a variety of backgrounds and communities to achieve a repre sentative sample. Medicare will cover the cost of Aduhelm and other medicines in its class only for persons with Alzheimer’s who are enrolled in the qualifying clinical trials. Notably, Medicare said in its de cision that the only way for patients to access the first approved FDA treatment that targets amyloid in those living with Alzheimer’s is to enroll in a clinical trial.
ting more stressed out and perform ing worse than those who single-task. “To put it bluntly, research shows that we can’t multitask,” said neu roscientist John Medina in his book “Brain Rules.” “We are biologically incapable of processing attention-rich inputsComputerssimultaneously.”aredesigned for mul titasking. Human beings are not. Our brains lack the capacity to perform more than one task successfully. Humans actually can’t multitask. Instead, what we consider multitask ing is quickly switching between two different actions, said neuropsychol ogist Cynthia Kubu of the Cleveland Clinic,We’reonline.wired to be monotaskers, she said, meaning that our brains can only focus on one task at a time. The evidence is clear, she said. Research shows that when our brain constantly switches gears to bounce back and forth between tasks, espe cially when those tasks are complex, we become less efficient and more likely to make a mistake. This might not have much of an impact when we’re doing tasks that are routine and simple, like listening to music and chewing gum while walking, or folding laundry while watching TV and talking on your cellphone. But when the stakes are higher, and the tasks more complex, trying to multitask doesn’t really work at all. Trying to split your atten tion between tasks that each require effort and concentration means one or both of them will suffer.
Cathy James is the CEO of the York.CentralAssociationAlzheimer’sofNew
tivity like a caffeinated squirrel,” said VitalityChicago.com. “We’re con stantly reacting and shifting gears, as if we are playing Whack-a-Mole.”
n Choose to focus on one task at a time, suggested Kubu. You’ll develop this skill with practice. Start with five minutes of uninterrupted time and work your way up to 20-30 minutes.
By Barbara Pierce Look through the classified ads online, or in the O-D, and you’ll frequently see the words: “Must have ability to multi-task in a fastpaced team environment.” When you’re looking for a job, most employers want to know that you’re able to successfully multitask. Cost-effectiveness is the primary reason businesses want to hire peo ple who can multitask. They can del egate more tasks to an employee who has multitasking abilities, saving the costs of hiring another person. Show ing how well you multitask makes you a valuable employee. Multitasking is the ability to work on multiple tasks at once and complete them simultaneously. The concept of multitasking began in a computing context. Computer multi tasking refers to running more than application simultaneously. Comput ers are designed for multitasking. Most of us think of multitasking as trying to do two or more things at once. Most of us multitask; we keep our email and instant message open, while we write, design or code, trying to handle all of these tasks at the same Here’stime.the problem: there is no such thing as multitasking. True multitasking — doing more than one task at the same time—is a myth, as multiple research studies have clearly confirmed. People who think they’re splitting their attention between multiple tasks at the same time aren’t actually getting more done. In fact, they’re doing less, get
n
n Remove distractions and interruptions during your focus time: Most of us are set up to be bombarded with interruptions from all directions. Notice what those interruptions are and make a plan to better deal with them.
n Set times for focus and time for distractions. If you know when you are most productive, set aside that time for the most demanding tasks. When your energy is low, do less productive work, like checking for text and emails and responding to social media.
“Multitasking can often mean jumping around from activity to ac
One study found that interrup tions as brief as two to three sec onds—less than the amount of time it would take you to toggle from this article to your email and back again — were enough to double the number of errors participants made in an assigned task. As much as people would like to believe otherwise, our brains have limited resources that are depleted every time we switch between tasks, which, especially for those who work online, can happen to 400 times a day. We’re worn out at the end of the day because we’ve used up all our resources, experts said. Businesses that encourage multitasking are actually decreasing people’s“Theproductivity.morewemultitask, the less we actually accomplish,” Kubu said.
Clinical Trials Begin on New Medication to Slow Alzheimer’s
Aducanumab, sold under the brand name Aduhelm, was an nounced as a milestone in the treat ment of the disease; the beginning of a new future for the treatment of Alzheimer’s.Whileit’s not a cure, it’s a very significant step forward. Though it doesn’t restore cognitive functioning that has been lost, Aduhelm does reduce amyloid plaques, which is believed to lead to a reduction in fur ther decline of cognitive functioning. “Aduhelm received accelerated approval from the FDA. This is the first FDA-approved therapy to treat the underlying biology of Alzhei mer’s,” said Cathy James, CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association of Central New York. “It’s the first therapy to demon strate that removing beta-amyloid plaques, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, from the brain, is reasonably likely to reduce cogni tive and functional decline in people living with early Alzheimer’s,” she added.
The myth of multi-tasking
n
In June of 2021, FDA approved the first medication to slow the pro gression of Alzheimer’s disease.
n A never-ending stream of high-tech advances offers us incredible opportunities. The marriage of computers and communications is a powerful union. It’s also a formidable challenge to our brains. Technology is evolving every day, but our brains are more or less staying put.
Prioritize: Distinguish the urgent from the important from the low priority.
Despite FDA approval, drug not reaching people who need it nously by infusion over a one-hour period once a month for an indefinite period of time. The FDA has so far im posed strikingly few limitations on Aduhelm. It does require patients to have regular MRI scans because the drug can cause swelling or hem orrhaging in the brain. Aduhelm is not a cure, but is a very important advance for treat ment. The therapy has not yet been tested on people with more advanced cases of dementia. To receive Aduhelm, individu als must undergo an FDA-required diagnostic test. The Alzheimer’s Association will do everything in its power to ensure access to the medi cation and any diagnostic test needed during the treatment process for all who will benefit. The historic approval of Aduhelm ushers in an exciting era in Alzhei mer’s and dementia treatment and research. Approvals of the first drug in a new category benefit people living with the disease by invigorat ing the field, increasing investments in treatments and generating innova Iftion.you or a loved one has been diag nosed with Alzheimer’s disease, talk to your healthcare provider about whether Aduhelm may be suitable. They may know about ongoing clinical trials for Aduhelm or other medication that is being investigated. To locate a clinical trial near you, see alz.org/trialmatch or call 1-800272-3900. For more information on Aduhelm see: alz.org.
Page 14 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • September 2022
HOW TO MULTITASKINGSTOP AND GET MORE DONE:
Take breaks: to keep your energy level high, you need to have moments to refuel. How you do this is up to you, but some recommend working 25 minutes, then taking a 5-minute break.
“In reality, this remains an un necessary and never before imposed barrier to access an FDA-approved treatment,” said James. The medication is given intrave
n Separate your tasks, consider making a to-do list. This will help you prioritize what needs to get done.
By Barbara Pierce
Despite having a devastating condition, Andresen seemed happy. She talked to everyone, laughing often. I’d heard the stories of how she met her husband, and the hurricanes she’d lived through in her home in Port Charlotte, Florida. I’d heard the stories over and over, described with her self-deprecating sense of humor. I laughed with her each time. Like most of us, I fear developing dementia. I was curious to know how Andresen seemed to be coping with it so well; how she seemed happy in the face of what she’s confronting. As I heard her story, I cried with her; it was heart-breakingly sad. Before the pandemic, Andresen had worked for as a property ap praiser for the county. “I specialized in condos,” she explained. “I went all over the county, measuring buildings, draw ing outlines of the buildings. I loved that job! Before that, I’d worked at a bank. I helped them develop their computer system. I also really en joyed tending bar in the evenings.”
By Barbara Pierce
Disease
Last August, if you went into the VFW bar in Port Charlotte, Flor ida, on a hot night, you might have seen a tall attractive woman sitting at the bar, those around her laughing at something she’d said. Annie Andresen was the center of attention — talking and laughing, maybe dancing with joy. This August, just a year later, instead of enjoying that life, 65-yearold Andresen spent the hot summer nights in her apartment in an assist ed living facility in Port Charlotte, watching “Law and Order” episodes with her Jack Russell terrier, Missy, cuddled up next to her. During the winter, she’d been di agnosed with Alzheimer’s. A friend moved her into assisted living, where I met her. I lead groups at the facility, groups designed to help residents connect with each other and to slow the progression of the dementia which most Andresenhave.came tentatively into the activity room her first day. I thought she was a staff member, as she appeared much younger and more vibrant looking than a resident. Most are in their 80s and 90s, shuf fling along, pushing a walker.
Toward the end of the pandem ic, a close friend became concerned about Andresen. When she dropped by her house, she noted bills stacked up in piles, unpaid for months. There wasn’t much food in the refrigerator. Andresen mentioned loaning a large amount of money to her brother, none of which he paid back. And she often forgot the plans they made to get together.Whenthe friend confronted her, Andresen admitted she did have concerns that her memory wasn’t so good. For some time, she’d been increasingly troubled about it. Her grandmother had had dementia—she feared becoming like her grand mother.The friend took her to see a psychiatrist who diagnosed her with Alzheimer’s.“WhenI heard him say that, my heart just stopped,” she said. “I couldn’t breathe. In my mind, I saw the wreck my grandma became. Would that be me?” Tears poured down as she spoke of being the caregiver for her grand ma. As a child, she slept in the same bed with Grandma, to keep her from wandering during the night. In the morning, she got her up, dressed her and fed her before heading to school. “I didn’t have much of a child hood,” she said. “And now I’m going to be just like her! That’s not the life I planned!”Andresen’s biggest fear: “I hope I die before I have to go to memory care. I don’t want to live like that.” The memory care unit cares for those in the last stage of dementia, those who need round-the-clock supervision.Inassisted living, Andresen lives in her own apartment, is free to come and go around the building, or offsite with others. She eats meals with other residents. Many activities are available, but she chooses not to go to any.Staff doles out her medication. She mostly hangs out on one of the benches in front of the building, sitting in the sun, talking to whomev er comes by. These are her moments of joy.Her biggest challenge: “I have to keep busy, and there’s not much to do. I’m not a card player or a bingo player,” she said. She doesn’t go to any activities the facility offers.
September 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • Page 15
“I can’t get motivated to sew like I used to. Thank God for Missy; she keeps me company. I used to love to read. I can’t get interested in books now,” she added. As dementia progresses, victims gradually loose their ability to under stand the plot of a book, or TV show; games become too complex. One’s life becomes more and more limited. The thing Andresen finds most difficult about her life now: “My life is controlled by others. I don’t like being controlled. Who does?” She’s become content with where she lives. “Most of the caregivers are really nice and I like the other residents,” she said.When I asked her about happy memories, she replied: “I don’t want to think about memories because they make me cry.” But she goes on to tell me about her husband and how happy they were for many years, until his death. Andresen, a basically happy person, is coping with her dementia. Coping by getting through, hour by hour, trying hard not to think about how her life has gone so off track. She finds joy in the moments. In sitting in the sun with her dog; in her giant cup of coffee in the morning; in laughing with others. We all could benefit from the wisdom of behaving more like that.
Annie Andresen: The Younger Face of Alzheimer’s
“Don’t tell me your names. I won’t remember them! I have de mentia!” she said. “And I for sure don’t want to be here!” she added as she stomped out of theAgeroom.isthe biggest risk factor for dementia, but younger people do develop it. It’s called early-onset Alzheimer’s. It’s uncommon, but is becoming more common. Experts haven’t figured out why. Andresen caught my interest. Not only was she young, I admired the way she boldly announced she had dementia. To me, that’s a good way of dealing with it. I’d never heard anyone acknowledge they had it. Most residents try hard to hide it, or, for whatever reason, don’t openly acknowledge they have it. “I’ve never been good at remembering names,” they might say. Or, “I can’t get interested in reading these days,” or “Card games, they’re not for me.”
Annie Andresen, a 65-year-old resident of Port Charlotte in Florida, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s this past winter. “When I heard [the doctor] say that, my heart just stopped,” she said. “I couldn’t breathe.”
Page 16 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • September 2022
n May 15, 2005, Theresa De vereux’s life changed dramati cally and forever.
“When I woke up, my family and my doctor were by my bedside. I could see that their masks were moving as they talked to me, but I could not hear anything,” she said. “Minutes later I started experiencing a terrible screaming in my head.”
Theresa Devereux of New Hartford woke up with a headache, went to the emergency room, fell into a coma and was transferred to the hospital’s critical care unit. Later that day, doctors confirmed she had meningitis. due to the fatigue. Unable to return to gainful employment has been very difficult for her as well. “In the end of it though, I continue to be grateful for what I do have and stay as optimistic as I can,” she said.According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the following tips can help a person from contracting bacterial meningitis. Strep Meningitis
O
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Recovering from Bacterial Strep Pneumococcal Meningitis
Streptococcal meningitis is an acute inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord caused by bacteria from the streptococcal species. The infection is very dangerous and can be life-threatening if not treatedAccordingpromptly.to the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), there are approximately Oneida County: 9/25/22 at MVCC Register at afsp.org/Oneida Herkimer County: 10/2/22 at HCCC Register at afsp.org/HerkimerCounty Walk to Fight Suicide Visit DrGraberMD.com or call 877-269-0355 Are you having trouble losing weight and keeping it off? Do you have diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, heart/cholesterol problems, or other medical conditions associated with extra weight? If so, learn how weight loss surgery can improve your life.
“There were days that I honestly thought I could go through this,” she said. “I just didn’t want to live. I am also a breast cancer survivor. I got breast cancer when I was only 32 years old and as a young mother at that time of three little children, I had a very strong will to want to survive.
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For Devereux, that screaming has continued pretty much unabated to this day. She still is permanently deaf in her left ear, has some partial hearing in her right ear, but needs to wear hearing aids. She has struggled with motor coordination and earlyon had difficulty walking, standing and even sitting but there has been improvement in that area even though she does experience some balance issues. The meningitis also attacked her sight, affecting her optic nerve of her left eye, but that now has healed and her sight is back to normal.Devereux attributes her strong faith as well as close family and friends that got her though her darkest hours and the strength to continue“Thereforward.weredays that I honestly thought I could go through this,” she said. “I just didn’t want to live. I am also a breast cancer survivor. I got breast cancer when I was only 32 years old and as a young mother at that time of three little children, I had a very strong will to want to survive. Not just to survive, but to thrive. I do not want to let what this took from me to define me. I wake up every morning and choose to live with what I have and be grateful. To be happy to be with my family and friends and my children. Of course, my medical team was certainly instrumental in getting me through this.”One of her biggest challenges is fatigue from brain trauma. She doesn’t drive long distances anymore
2,600 cases of bacterial meningitis reported in the United States each year.Pneumococcal meningitis is transmitted from one person to another.The bacteria can spread through close direct contact with an infected person or by using the same cup, straw, fork etc. from an infected person.Cases in the United States are rare in comparison with other diseases and disorders. However, long-term health conditions do exist for those who survive, such as deafness, some form of paralysis, brain damage and learning disabilities.Vaccines are the most effective way to protect against certain types of bacterial meningitis. They CDC recommends not to smoke, avoid cigarette smoke as much as possible, avoid close contact with people who are sick, wash hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizers. Information about vaccines for meningitis should be talked over with your primary care physician, as well as what treatment options are available.
“I was coming home from helping my daughter moving into a new apartment. Later that night I woke up with a real bad headache. I took some Advil went back to bed only to awaken about an hour later with a violent headache. My boyfriend at the time took me to the emergency room. He literally had to carry me to the car because by that time I was unable to walk,” the New Hartford resident said. Devereux fell into a coma while in the emergency room and was transferred to their critical care unit. Later that day, doctors confirmed she had meningitis. “I was having lunch with one of my coworkers who I shared a coffee with. I only took one sip. Later that day she told me she wasn’t feeling good and I found out she had strep throat. I also learned that another coworker also came down with strep throat, which I got as well. Because I was management, I didn’t have the ability to take time off to quickly get medical treatment. So I delayed seeing a doctor. Because of that, the strep passed the blood barrier of my brain and that’s how I got meningitis,” she said. Devereux’s condition was very tenuous at best. Her family was told that whomever wanted to say goodbye to her do it now as she was unlikely to live through the day. A priest was called in and she received LastHowever,Rites. she did come out of the coma it and was then that she, her family and her medical staff realized the damage that the meningitis had done.
– Lisa Clemmons, RN, BSN, OCN
Dear Savvy Senior, A few months ago, I read a column you wrote on extremely cheap smartphone plans for bud get-conscious seniors. Can you do a similar column for those of us who still use basic flip phones? My old 3G flip phone is about to become obsolete, so I’m looking for the cheapest possible replacement. I only need a simple cell phone (no data) for emergency calls when I’m away from home.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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“The ongoing relationships I am able to build with my patients at HOA are very special to me. Our patients and dedicated team members keep me coming back to work each day!” & we’ll
— Penny Pincher
Dear Penny, For many seniors, like yourself, who only want a simple basic cell phone for emergency purposes and occasional calls, there are a number of super cheap plans available from small wireless providers you may have never heard of. Here are some of the best deals available right now. Cheapest Basic Plans: For extremely light cell phone users, the cheapest wireless plan available is through US Mobile (USMobile.com), which has a “build your own plan” that starts at only $2 per month for 75 minutes of talk time. If you want By Jim Miller
September 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • Page 17
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Cheap Basic Cell PinchingPlansPhoneforPennySeniors
text messaging capabilities, an extra $1.50/month will buy you 50 texts per month. US Mobile runs on Verizon’s and T-Mobile’s networks and gives you the option to bring your existing phone (if compatible or unlocked) or purchase a new device, while keep ing your same phone number if you wish. If your flip phone is becoming obsolete, as you mentioned in your question, you’ll need to buy a new device, which you can do through US Mobile if you choose their plan. They offer the NUU F4L flip phone for $39 for new customers. Or you can purchase an unlocked phone through retail stores like Walmart or Best Buy or online. One of the best value flip phones right now is the (unlocked) Alcatel GO FLIP 4044 4G LTE, avail able at Amazon.com for $80. Some other super cheap wireless plans worth a look are Ultra Mo bile’s “PayGo” plan (UltraMobile. com/PayGo), which provides 100 talk minutes, 100 texts for only $3 per month. And Tello’s (Tello.com) “build your own plan” that starts at $5 per month for 100 talk minutes and unlimited texting. Both Ultra Mobile PayGo and Tello also run on T-Mobile’s network and will let you use your existing phone (if compatible or unlocked) or buy a new one.
Senior-Targeted Providers: In addition to these super cheap plans, there are several other wireless com panies that cater to older customers and offer low-cost basic plans and simple flip phones. One of the least expensive is through TracFone (Trac fone.com), which offers a 60-minute talk, text and web plan for $20 that lasts for 90 days. That averages out to $6.66 per Threemonth.otherproviders that are popular among seniors are Snapfon (Snapfon.com), which offers a 100 minutes and unlimited texting plan for $10. Consumer Cellular (Con sumerCellular.com), which provides an unlimited talk plan for $15 per month. They also give 5% discounts to AARP members. And Lively (Live ly.com), maker of the popular Jitter bug Flip2 senior-friendly flip phone. Their cheapest monthly plan is 300 minutes of talk and text for $15.
Subsidized Plans: You also need to know that if you’re on a govern ment program such as Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income or food stamps/SNAP, or, if your annu al household income is at or below 135 percent of the federal poverty guidelines – $18,347 for one person, or $24,719 for two – you might also qualify for free or subsidized wireless plans from various carriers via the federal Lifeline program. To find out if you’re eligibility or to apply, visit LifelineSupport.org.
vicebeenNapieralaAndrewhashiredaspresident of Medicare and oversightBlueShield.BlueCrossformarketindividualsalesExcellusHiswill include field sales, telesales, retail sites and broker opera tions for these lines of business.
Recognizing structural racism as a driving force of health inequities, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield invites nonprofit orga nizations to apply for its Health EquityTheAwards.awards help fund health and wellness programs that address racial and ethnic health disparities in Upstate New York. Deadline for the application is 11:59 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 15. “At Excellus BlueCross BlueSh ield, the health of our communities is at the center of everything we do. Together we can confront the crisis in health disparities, embrace and address long-standing gaps in care, and bridge health equity gaps in our underserved communities. That’s why we fund programs that improve access to care, advance specific health outcomes and sup port organizations in our commu nity that share our mission,” said physician Gina Cuyler, vice presi dent health equity and community investments, Excellus BCBS. Nonprofit, 501(c)(3) orga nizations in Excellus BlueCross BlueShield’s service area are invited to apply for Health Equity Awards. Application proposals must include clear, defined goals for reducing health disparities and improving health equity for people that face a higher burden of health inequities and social disadvantag es. Organizations will be required to specify how funding will mea surably assist in improving racial and ethnic health equity outcomes. Health equity categories include: • Reducing health disparities in racial, ethnic, LGBTQ communi ties, people with disabilities, people living in rural or urban communi ties or other groups of people that may be at a higher health risk for: – Medical issues and conditions (chronic or acute) – Behavioral health or mental health conditions – Negative outcomes from the above, including death or suicide For additional information and the online application, please visit mid-November.Awardceivesupport,detailedapplication.”Equitycommunity,www.excellusbcbs.com/scrolltotheHealthAwardsandclick“submitProposalsthathavescope,goals,rationaleforandmeasureswillrethestrongestconsideration.winnerswillbeannounced
“Kristen has extensive experience in unifying teams to deliver high quality, patient-centered care,” said physician Michael Attilio, Rome’s vice president physician practices. “She fosters conversations with providers and staff to workflowsrefineto expand access and deliver the best out teamthememberinstrumentalhasHutchinsingcomes.”AccordtoAttilio,beenanofplanningforthe new Rome Health Medical Center under construction on the hospital’s main campus. The new facility will bring together primary care, surgical specialists, diagnostic testing and pharmacy under one roof.
Page 18 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • September 2022 Health News
Excellus named to ‘Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion’
Nonprofits Urged to Apply FundingEquityHealthExcellus’forAward Deadline for award application is Sept. 15 Editor’s Note: To submit a health-related item for publication in “Health News,” please send an email IGHmohawkvalley@gmail.com.to
Kristen Hutchins named Rome’s director of primary care Kristen Hutchins has been named director of Rome Health Primary Care to pro vide leadership and support for all of the hospital’s affiliated primary care practices,Anative of Boonville, Hutchins has more than 20 years of experience in primary care and has served as director of the hospital’s primary care clinics in Rome, Boonville and Camden for the last five years. As director of primary care, she has also assumed responsibility for Rome Medical Group, including pediatrics.
Rome Health Prenatal Care welcomes nurse practitioner Rome Health Prenatal Care wel comes women’s health nurse practi tioner Marguerite Shifrin to its team. The board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner provides the full scope of gynecologic and obstetric care to women in the com munity.“Iam excited about growing the services available at the pre natal center to add preconception, contraception and family planning, breastfeeding care, and general gy necologic care to our robust obstetric program,” Shifrin said.
“Lung cancer screening is es sential care, especially for high-risk patients,” said physician John Resti vo, chairman of Medical Imaging at Rome Health. “The newly expanded guidelines include a broader popula tion than ever before, and we need to spread the message that lung cancer extends beyond smokers and previ ous smokers: there are many other people at risk for lung cancer. Volpa ra Lung software makes it easy for us to track screened patients, ensur ing they receive critical follow-ups, and to notify providers of current recommended guidelines for at risk patients.”
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield has been named to the Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion after receiving a top score of 100% on the 2022 Disability Equality Index (DEI), a national benchmarking sur vey by Disability:IN and the Amer ican Association of People with Disabilities.TheDEI is a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps compa nies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Each company receives a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.”
As a graduate of Duke Univer sity School of Nursing, excellence in rural and underserved medicine is Shifrin’sPriorcalling.tohergraduate degree, she worked in a variety of capacities as a nurse in healthtocommittedtwoingandbirthaimmersioninhealth,women’sstarting2003withinfreestandingcenterspendthenextdecadeswomen’sina variety of roles including birth and lactationShifrinsupport.believes women’s health is foundational to the wellness of the population at large, “ensuring access to quality preconception, pregnancy, and preventive care for women is critical to maintaining our communi ty’s health.”
“Being named a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion for a second year reflects the dedica tion, passion and work of so many throughout the health plan — guid ed by a commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and access. While we celebrate this designation, we recognize our work is never done and will continue to drive positive change for our employees, members, and the communities we live in and serve,” said Sady Alvarado-Fischer, corporate director of diversity, equity and inclusion for Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. Rome invests in lung cancer early detection
Rome Health now has advanced tracking software to help providers ensure that eligible patients receive critical screenings and follow up to assist in the early detection of lung cancer. More people are now eligible for low-dose lung CT screening, under the expanded guidelines from the US Preventative Services Task Force. Rome Health is a leading provid er of screening services and personal ized medicine. It has further demon strated its commitment to patients in the Central New York region by adopting Volpara Lung software, a comprehensive lung health tracking and management system.
Kristen Hutchins Andrew Napierala Marguerite Shifrin
Educated in medical administra tion at Mohawk Valley Community College, Hutchins gained first-hand experience in primary care oper ations as she moved through the ranks, assuming increasing levels of responsibility. She joined Rome Medical Group in 2002 as a receptionist and also worked referrals and switchboard before becoming a team lead. In 2012, she was promoted to practice manager of Delta Medical Center in 2012. She assumed responsibility for Camden Family Care and Boon ville Family Care in 2017. Under her leadership, the practices achieved patient-centered medical home accreditation in recognition of the commitment to a patient-centered approach to care.
An Upstate New York native, Napierala has two decades expe rience in consumer sales in health insurance and the financial services industry. Excellus BCBS provides health insurance coverage to 1.5 million people across 39 counties of Upstate New York.
New VP for Medicare sales named at Excellus BCBS
September 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • Page 19 Don’t Miss the Latest Issue of 55 Plus ! MICHELLE BAZAN REED: TAKE DELIGHT IN THE DETOURS For Active Adults in the Central New York Area Issue 100! – August September 2022 cny55.com EXPANDED100thIssue! PICTURE PERFECT PHOTO SAFARI A six-day, photo-filled trip to the African safari? Yes, please! Retired writer and author David Figura shares his safari experience, in words and in pictures. P. 20 VINYL IS MAKING A COMEBACK, P. 32 LINDA LOWEN’S CENTRAL NEW YORK JOURNEY, P. 46 OPERATION NORTHERN COMFORT RENOVATES HOMES, P. 54 SOME OF THE HEADLINES • Retired writer David Figura shares his six-day African safari experience in words and in pictures; • Vinyl records are making a comeback, and young listeners are leading the stampede alongside older aficionados; • Linda Lowen’s journey through life to Central New York; • Scenic drives to take for optimal “leaf-peeping” experiences; • Don’t get scammed when giving money to charities — how to donate legitimately ...and so much more! CITY/TOWNADDRESSNAME STATE ZIP 1 YEAR (12 ISSUES) $21.00 $35.00 2 YEARS (24 ISSUES) 4 Riverside Dr., Ste. 251 • Utica, NY 13502 Hello. I’d like to subscribe to 55 Plus, the only magazine celebrating life after 55 in Central New York, and have it delivered to my door. Payment is enclosed. A nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association CARING FOR THE WHOLE YOU. BODY AND MIND. Now more than ever, your emotional wellbeing is key to overall health. Having meaningful connections with others is important for both physical and mental health. CONNECT Spend time with family and friends. Connections and support are important for your emotional health. EXERCISE You don’t have to pump iron or run a marathon. Short walks around the block throughout the day have big benefits. TRY SOMETHING NEW Find a new hobby or old one. Or sign up to volunteer somewhere. You’ll give your brain and mood a boost. Check out our podcast episode, “An Honest Conversation About Mental Health” in the Community Check-in. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Page 20 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • September 2022 farms, that ship their products to grocery stores, grow large quantities of fruits and vegetables. One way farmers can get these large sums of crops, according to Fruit Growers Supply (Fruitgrowers.com), is by spraying chemical fertilizers on the fields where they grow. Many local farmers grow small amounts of fruits and vegetables and do not use the chemical fertilizers. They find other, safer, ways to grow their crops and keep bugs away. They go the organic route.
The locally grown farmers mar ket foods taste better and last longer than the crops that are shipped and sold at grocery stores. Braun said locally grown pro duce tastes better and lasts longer at home. “So if you’re buying blue berries from us, then you can keep them in the fridge longer, whereas if you get from the store, you end up throwing them away. When it’s getting shipped in, most of the time that product is staying fresh is when it’s on the truck prior to getting to the grocery store. If you’re getting it straight from the farmer, you’re getting it when it’s picked that day or within a couple days and when you’re bringing it home and not eat ing it right away, it’s still going to be fresh for a Farmerswhile.”market produce is also most often chemical-free. The big
New Market Still Going Strong
Hartford Farmers’
Nathalie Nerber (left) stands with Mark Turnbull, president of the New Hartford Chamber of Commerce at the New Hartford Farmers Market.
Locally farm-grown fruits and vegetables are healthier than the produce items displayed at chain grocery stores, according to the event’s organizers. They have more vitamins and nutrients than the big brand non-organic products.
“Our pigs got slaughtered, but we still have their manure,” Zech ariah Hayes said. “We still have a bunch of manure from the cow. We have chickens and we’ll take manure from them. We will use the hay that we put in their coop, because they go to the bathroom in there. It (manure) has high nutrients. We really realize how much nutrients it had when we put it out back on our fields and nowhere else (other farms) had really high plants like we did over there. We really watched it and the plants over there got massive.”
“My husband (Richard Hayes) uses organic fertilizer,” said Sarah Hayes, owner and farmer of West End Farm in Herkimer. “We do not use chemicals. We are not certified organic, but we do not use chemicals. We pick in small quantities, where grocery stores get huge shipments and are usually treated so they last longer. We don’t do that. A lot of farmers go with other resources, other than chemicals, to keep away pests.”The farmers and family mem bers of West End Farms actually use chicken, cow and pig manure as fertilizer.Zechariah Hayes, son of Rich ard and Sarah Hayes, said that farm animal manure has a ton of nutrients. Using animal manure as fertilizer can enrich the soil and helps the fruits and vegetables grow. The manure also provides nutrients to the crops, according to Water.unl.edu, thus explaining why the Hayes’ products are more nutritious than the foods sold in grocery stores.
Vendors at the market say the fruits and vegetables at farmers mar kets are delicious, nutritious, chemi cal-free and better than the produce displayed in grocery stores. The food is not the only reason why people shop at these markets. They do this to help and support the local farms and the only way shoppers can help the local farmers, financially, is by purchasing their fruits and “Peoplevegetables.careabout their com munities,” Nerber said. “They want to support people that are their neighbors and that they go to school and work with. They come down here (so that they can support local businesses and get fresh produce that is grown locally rather than far away from here.”
“The more local it is, the more health benefits they have,” said Amy Braun, local farmer and employee of The Kids Market in New Hartford. “The fresher the produce, the more nutrients are in it. Some [grocery stores] stuff is there for a long time. They lose nutrition the longer they sit. We’re able to get things that are ripe when they’re picked. If it’s shipped in, they’re picking it early, so even from the start [the store fruit is] not going to have much nutrition.”
Fresh fruit and vegetables available every Wednesday until Sept. 28
By Daniel Baldwin
The New Hartford Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring its fifth annual farmers market at the New Hartford Recreation Center. The event, which takes place from 2-7 p.m. every Wednesday, will end Sept.This28. market serves as another opportunity for local artist, food ven dors, businesses and, most impor tantly, farmers, to sell their foods and products. Twenty-five vendors are participating at this year’s market; an increase from last year, according to chamber board member and event organizer Nathalie Nerber. Farmers markets and local farm ers themselves have always been in competition with big chain grocery stores. No matter in what part of the U.S. a farmers market is taking place there is always a big supermarket nearby. Despite the tough competi tion, there are still a few people who shop at these farmers markets. The number of households shop ping at farmers markets, between 2012-2017 increased by 35%, accord ing to USDA.gov. Many farmers markets had their strongest sale ever in 2020, a year where everything was shut down and COVID-19 cases were at an all-time high. According to Conversation.com, consumer interest in local foods spiked in 2020, while grocery stores were having supply chainWhyissues.would people spend more on a produce item, displayed at a farmers market, when they could get that same item for less money at a chain grocery store? Why do some eat locally grown fruits and vegeta bles and stay away from the produce items displayed at chain stores? Well, people who shop at the farmers markets know where these fruits and vegetables came from. They are getting it from the farmer. “When you shop at a farmers market, you know exactly where that food is coming from and you know that is coming from a local place,” Nerber said. “When you shop at a grocery store, the food could be coming from anywhere, so I would say it’s (local food) fresher food. You might pay a little bit more, but you’re getting fresh local food.”
