the Medical home

The book I head of on an NPR report was titled something like "the medical home". Enjoy!

.     The medical home, home health care, live-in patients, senior care; all very important things that more people are beginning to embark upon. I'm hoping to do a specific article pertaining to holistic medicine soon but for now allow me to share on something I've been close to for years. Turning yours into a medical home with specific needs in mind is a need which is becoming a huge part of life for many as an aging population is beginning to rely on younger generations and as the number of children born with disabilities increases exponentially every year.
.     When the need arises, there are a few routes to take. Hospice care offers over-crowding and expense. While the shortage of nurses makes it less than feasible to have a home-care professional spend large amounts of time any one place. Don't get me wrong, these professionals exist, my mom is one who is out of work due to injury. 
.     I do however, want to note that studies show the educational facilities available can not facilitate the influx of nursing applicants. As an interesting side note; Congress is looking to allow to eliminate numbers caps on green-card immigration for nurses and their families within the next week. There isn't much motivation for professors in the industry, pay is incomparably low as opposed to that of practicing the trade. Hey mom, have you thought about teaching lately?
.     So what's the alternative? Take care of those you love the best way you can. The first step is to know the health industry. With so few medical professionals and so many in need of medical care one must understand that specific details of a patient's care and needs my get lost forgotten or overlooked. There is a push in the industry recently to convert all medical records to electronic format that it may become accessible to any facility that may be called upon. The days of the primary-care physician who knows every detail about a person are dying out.
.     It has now become important for those with chronic-related needs to have someone case-specific, professional or personal, whom is intimately familiar with their medical history. In the home I grew up in, my mother was a private nurse who visited people at home to care for their needs on a daily basis and provide instantaneous life-saving as well as to be familiar with early warning signs of severe problems to prevent them before they occurred. 
.     My mother had a child with developmental delay issues and severe bronchial problems, consequently her specialty became pediatrics with breathing problems. Through my childhood I had lots of take your child to work days and there was one striking example of consistency from health-care home, to hospital to medical house across the spectrum. Records.
.     My house had lists of medications and allergies tacked to the pantry door. Many others had the lists tacked to the fridge. Hospitals had clip-boards at the foot of the bed. Elder care homes had medical bracelets. The medical home where I volunteer now has a laminated copy bed-side as well and in the cupboard. As personal as some of this information can sometimes get, it is crucial to have distributable copies. Send one with an ambulance if need be. Whether sending one to the school nurse, or informing a substitute or fill in for the day, the alternative to accessible records is tragic. It is important that informed care is being given.
.     Recently I encountered a woman who was sent to the hospital. They read a fax from the pharmacy saying she had previously been given a specific drug for pain. After giving her that drug the primary care-giver was told to take her home. She stayed in the hospital because they failed to cross-reference or they would have realized they gave her a drug she was allergic to. The pharmacy had referred to the incident through which the allergy was discovered.
.     Some elders are truly sharp-witted and can inform medical professionals on their own. But so many people in need don't have the where-with-all and need this information to be shared and edited freely on their behalf. With so little reason to trust the population these days, the problem then falls onto the responsibility of those who care about these individuals personally. There has got to be a better way.
.     Enter health care reforms. Now roll your eyes. The truth is there are no seemless and easy or fool-proof ways to ensure everyone gets the personal care and attention they should have. I shutter to think how those who don't have family or close friends to look after them are coping. But for those who have someone who cares there is information out there that can and will help.
.     For example, if you're building or remodeling a home keep in mind the possibility of someone who needs assistance. A walk-in shower and a ramp instead of front steps would save some massive headaches down the road. Shallower and lower shelves that make it easier to reach and to locate items like spices or coffee cups would be an ingenious thing. Front-load washers and dryers have their advantages. wider door-ways and even a wider sun room or patio make quality of life noticeably better.
.     Speaking of quality of life. With age comes limitations and the simple joy of feeling like you're not entirely helpless means a lot. I encountered a home once which had no bathroom walls. Instead there was a floating wall juxt-opposed to a corner, this made the facilities accessable from either side while giving the feeling of privacy. Along the oppposite corner were bench-like storage boxes. The lids were light but sturdy. and the boxes slid out easily - about the size of a laundry hamper. It gave the home a cleaner look and doing the house work was much easier as one could sit on the bench lid of one to rest while putting laundry into the other.
.     The point I want to make is this. Everyone needs to know how to render care, get educated. Between nursing shortages expected to peak in 2020 and strikes (see news of california this coming Thursday) and importation of nurses and care professionals from under-developed countries where diseases of a more delicate nature run rampant. The only way to ensure a clean-room on a budget is to do it yourself.