For many who have recently lost a loved one, the thought of the upcoming holiday season is a lot to bear. Remembering past celebrations with your loved one can bring you both happiness and pain, and thinking about what the holidays would have been like if your loved one were here can also be difficult.
Category: Health & Wellness
Understanding Hospice Care
November is National Hospice & Palliative Care Month. Regina Bodnar, executive director of Carroll Hospice, answers some frequently asked questions about hospice care.
Self-Care During the Holidays
While the holiday season can be a joyous time, it can also be a time of heightened emotional stress and triggers for emotional challenges related to mental health, substance use and grief. Be sure to care for yourself these next few months; that may include reaching out for support and treatment.
More Ways to Stay Healthy
We recently focused on the benefits of healthy eating. Now, here are some additional healthy habits to keep you feeling your best.
Hidden Scar Surgery Minimizes Visual Reminders of Cancer
When it comes down to it, a bug bite helped detect Gayla Fulcher’s breast cancer.
Fight the Flu this Fall
Carroll Hospital saw hundreds of cases of the flu last year, with the first confirmed case in September and the last in June.
The best way to prevent getting the flu is to receive a flu vaccine. But did you know that you should wait until after October 1 to get your vaccination?
Caring for an Aging Parent
Many challenges arise when it comes to caring for an aging parent, but thankfully you are not alone. Your parent’s primary care provider is your main ally—the coach shouting from the sidelines, ensuring everyone on your team is doing what they are supposed to do.
Safe Summer Cooking
During the warm summer months, cooking on the grill is a great way to make a summer meal. However, hot and humid conditions are the perfect environments for the rapid bacterial growth that can cause foodborne illness.
The Family Birthplace Expansion
When Deanna Dobry went to Carroll Hospital for a routine test one Friday afternoon, she had no idea she wouldn’t be going home that day.
Introducing Care Solutions
Melissa Jones-Holley, D.N.P., director of disease management and population health at Carroll Hospital, explains a new program designed to help patients living with chronic conditions.
What is the Care Solutions program? Why was it created?
Care Solutions is a disease management program that provides patients, health care providers and the community with resources to assist in the care of patients with chronic conditions, such as congestive heart failure (CHF), diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the program is to improve the patients’ quality of life and reduce unnecessary hospital stays through a series of coordinated health care interventions, such as education about their conditions and how to manage them, care coordination and improved access to care.
How do patients benefit?
Care Solutions offers patients an individualized care plan while working in collaboration with their health care providers.
As a part of the program, patients can receive follow-up care once discharged from the hospital, assistance with scheduling provider visits, education on their conditions, and assistance with understanding and managing their treatment plans including medications, referrals to health care and community resources, and telemonitoring services if needed.
Who is eligible for Care Solutions?
The Care Solutions program is available to patients with chronic conditions such as CHF, COPD and diabetes. Many patients are referred to our program from providers, case managers, nurse health navigators and community agencies, such as home health agencies and Access Carroll.
How is telemonitoring used?
Telemonitoring is one of the ways the Care Solutions program is helping patients understand and manage their chronic conditions at home. We are currently offering patients with CHF and COPD a chronic care management program that includes telemonitoring services. In this program, patients are provided with Bluetooth-enabled equipment that allows patients to obtain and record their vital signs each day, such as blood pressure, heart rate, oxygenation and weight, for use in their home. With this program, we are able to quickly identify and address abnormal patient vital signs and connect patients with a nurse or health care provider 24/7 for early intervention as needed. Patients who could benefit from telemonitoring are being recommended to the program during a hospital stay or by their primary care provider, cardiologist or pulmonologist.
Learn more about the Care Solutions program by calling 410-871-7000.