Doctor's, Nurse's & Healthcare Reform

The goal of our new health care bill is to expand coverage to more people, reduce costs and improve quality of care.

Those are goals that most everyone agrees upon. Of course how we go about achieving those goals has created some rather heated arguments.

Even if we can find a way to cover most Americans for less cost and with higher quality, I have to ask: Who is going to provide our healthcare under the new reform bill?

It is well known that Baby Boomers are now retiring by the millions. Nearly 40% of doctors are 55 or older and they are potentially part of that retirement boom.

About one third of the nursing workforce is 50 years or older, and 55% of those nurses expressed an interest in retiring in the next 10 years.

The number of medical doctors and nurses coming out of school are not enough to replace the number leaving the profession.
There are incentives in the healthcare reform for newly graduated doctors, however there aren't enough residency positions to train and replace the doctors leaving the workforce.

Couple the medical professional shortage with lower reimbursement rates for care, and you have even more doctors walking away from their practices because they can no longer afford to run their businesses. Sometimes we forget that doctors are also business men and women.

Docs4PatientCare, an organization of concerned physicians, claim that what they charge and what they actually get paid are two very different amounts. Reimbursements are based on Medicare, and providers lose money on Medicaid and Medicare in many cases. Basically, reimbursements have been decreasing and patient volumes are increasing, which means more work for less money each year.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 75% of nurses said they think the shortage “presents a major problem for the quality of their work life, the quality of patient care, and the amount of time that nurses can spend with patients.”

Would you work harder in a less desirable environment for less money? Again, I ask: Who is going to provide our healthcare?

Sources: www.docs4patientcare.org;
www.money.cnn.com/2010/06/15/news/economy/massachusetts_helathcare_reform.fortune; www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/13/AR2010061304096.html

Wheelchairs - The Short & Sweet

June, a simply wonderful woman, came into our store looking for a new wheelchair. It was her first purchase, and her first experience with wheelchairs and she needed the "low-down" on what was available.

So, we decided to share this wisdom with everyone else!

There are basically three kinds of wheelchairs:

Power Wheelchairs - A wheelchair with a motor so the user can navigate on their own without being pushed by a caregiver.

Dual Axel Wheelchairs - A wheelchair with a large back wheel that has an attached handrim so the user can propel themselves.

Transport Wheelchairs - A wheelchair with 4 smaller wheels, that is designed to only be pushed by a caregiver.

Wheelchairs are typically referred to as 18", 19", 20" or 22". This is a reference to the seat width.
You will also want to consider the type of arms you need. Desk arms are shorter in length and sometimes fold up and out of the way, making it easier to sit at a desk or table.
Weight capacity, foldability, weight of the wheelchair itself and footrest options should all be taken into consideration.

Of course we offer a wide variety of the above mentioned wheelchairs, so take a peek HERE

5 Steps to Sorting Through an Estate

I was out of the office all of last week because the time had finally come to sort through my beloved mother-in-law's estate. Our goal was to sort, pack and empty out the house she had lived in for over 40 years.

All I can say is WOW, there was a lot of stuff, and quite frankly, we didnt not get it done in the 4+ days, and we worked very HARD.

To help others, here are 5 Steps to Sorting Through an Estate:

1) Get LOTS of packing supplies. Boxes of various shapes and sizes - Big enough for artwork, small enough for that cherished nativity set. Get packing paper to wrap delicates and even a roll of bubble wrap. Also, save those towels or linens that you thought about selling or donating, and wrap valuables in them.

2) Get a roll-off dumpster. You can usually get them for a few days or up to a week and they come pick them up when full. Price these out because they vary greatly from company to company. This helps because you can take out trash items as you go along, keeping your space from getting too cluttered - and believe me, it will look like a tornado hit as you go along!

3) Decide whether you want to have an estate sale or donate your items to charity. The estate sale will net you cash, donating will give you a tax deduction. Weigh your estimated net proceeds. Some people find estate sales emotionally difficult because something that is priceless to you, may only go for a couple of dollars. Donating to a good cause can leave you feeling good because you are helping others in need. We called up the Hospice company we used and they will actually come into the house and take out the items we are donating (most wont come into the house, so call around). This is especially helpful for large items such as bedroom furniture. NOTE: Most places will no longer accept mattresses, but we asked around and were glad to find friends that needed a set (they came and picked them up).

4) Clear a room and create designated "drop areas" for items. For instance, if there are two families that will be keeping items, designate an area for each family and as you go through items, simply place "keep items" in that designated place. Designate a place for artwork, a place for glass items, a place for linens, a place for electronics, etc.

5) Tag all large items throughout the house with post-it type notes. Label them "donate", "storage", "trash" or "Sister Sue's - storage". When an entire room has been gone through and cleaned out as much as possible, put a note on the door that the room is "DONE!".

Lastly, be sure to focus on the important stuff. Dont fret over finding a home for every single thing in the house. Make a box of laundry supplies and give that to a neighbor. Make a box of garage items and save it for your son for when he has his first house.

There are ten grandchildren in our family, and my mother-in-law loved Christmas, so we made ten "starter" boxes of Christmas items for each grandchild. When they have a home of their own, they will have a piece of their "Granny" to help celebrate!

Misconceptions About Nurses

I truly admire nurses. I mean, of all professions, I have a healthy respect for them, even more so than doctors. I get that doctors put in a ton more time at school, but you dont see nurses going around correcting people with "It's Nurse Smith, NOT Ms. Smith".

If you have ever been in the hospital, you know that they sometimes become an extended part of your family, even if just for a short period of time. After the slightly difficult birth of my first daughter, I couldnt wait to go show my labor nurse our bundle of joy. She left with a shift change about an hour before the birth, so I wanted her to see the fruit of HER labor!

One of the common misconceptions about nurses is that if they dont work in a hospital, they have "left" the profession of nursing. Only real nurses work in hospitals. I'm here to tell you that nurses show up in the most surprising places! Last year I spent a good part of 6 weeks at a cancer center with a family member receiving chemotherapy. I assumed the people helping us would be technicians. They turned out to be real live oncology nurses! These nurses made a difficult time in our lives relatively bearable. One of the ladies was a traveling nurse who followed her husband around the country with his job. Another nurse was putting his oldest son through college and then he was about ready to retire. And the one nurse who always waited for us to come in so she could grab our chart and be the one to help us for the day, was a single mom raising a son. I have no idea how many children my doctor has, or what he plans to do when he retires.

Another misconception is that one of a nurse's main job responsibilities is to help doctors do their jobs better. The fact of the matter is that nurses are highly educated and make critical decisions in the care of their patient's every day. In fact there is a strong movement in America towards practicing nurses to help fill the gap of shortage with doctors. I am happy to see a practicing nurse when my children are ill or have a rash, or have some mystery pain in their abdomen.

As a patient, a sense of empathy and compassion is as important as the quality of care. A nursing instructor once explained to new grads, "Patients dont care how much you know until they know how much you care."

Its the Motherload!

Seriously, besides WalMart, how many times do you see price reductions without some sort of gimmic attached to them? (Like, here is a cheap price if you finance the item for two years, and oh, by the way, interest on financing will only be 23%)

Guess what? We have a whole list of Nova items with REDUCED prices!! Save money and live better with these:

Extra Tall Offset Walking Cane #NO1090SI
Was $24.36, NOW $23.61

Folding Walking Cane with Seat #NO3091
Was $39.77, NOW $34.88

Ultra Lightweight Transport Chair (348B) #NO348P
Was $215.09, NOW $196.23

Walker Wheel and Glide Cap Set #NO410SI
Was $21.25, NOW $20.56

Walker Tray #NO436T
Was $27.59, NOW $26.79

18in 5000 Series Dual Axle Wheelchair #NO5080S
Was $238.46, NOW $228.85

Crutch Bag #NO70XX
Was $21.59, NOW $20.00

18in Lightweight Wheelchair with Desk Arms #NO7180L
Was $326.67, NOW $322.73

Adult Extra Tall Crutches #NO7201
Was $30.00, NOW $26.25

Toilet Frame Commode #NO8700
Was $77.14, NOW $74.19

Round Shower Chair without Back #NO9005
Was $35.00, NOW $31.00

Adjustable Height Shower Chair without Back #NO9010
Was $30.36, NOW $29.81

Adjustable Height Shower Chair with Back #NO9020
Was $41.07, NOW $40.38

Pedlar Exerciser #NOO6002
Was $49.07, NOW $47.87

Bi-Level Tub Grab Bar #NOO8220
Was $38.18, NOW $34.55

Bath Mat #NOO9350
Was $12.00, NOW $9.78

Knee Cruiser Rolleraid #NOTKC-8
Was $416.67, NOW $375.00

The Motherload is calling you....Happy Shopping!

Summer Reads

I like to read and wish that I had more time for this favorite past time. In fact, I have a "to read" pile of books that is currently three-high.

So for those of you who would like to add to your pile, or are out of books to read, here is a short list of highly acclaimed Summer Reads:

LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN, by Colum McCann
This novel, with its web of disparate but connected characters, is an act of bravado, dizzying proof that to keep your balance you need to know how to fall.

THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett
Three ordinary women are about to take extraordinary steps in 1962 Mississippi. With pitch-perfect voices, you are transported back in time where a movement by these women changes their town forever.

YES, MY DARLING DAUGHTER, by Margaret LeRoy
Four year old Sylvie longs to return to a house she has never seen and a family she cannot have known.

COLUMBINE, by Dave Cullen
A Gripping account of the Colorado school shooting, this chilling narrative is too vital to miss, as are his myth-busting revelations.

THE FOOD OF A YOUNGER LAND, by Mark Kurlansky
Stories and recipes collected in the 1930's of what and how American's ate. Indiana Persimmon Pudding, Depression Cake. Savory concoctions for a hungry time.

Happy reading!