Two less than cheery stories to take us up to Christmas this week.
Firstly, organ transplants and skin cancer. One of the unintended effects of improvements in treating once-fatal conditions, is that patients live long enough to get something else. In this case, the longer lives that people can now expect after heart transplant mean that more of them suffer from skin cancer, as a result of the immunosuppressive drugs they need to take to prevent organ rejection. On the (slightly) brighter side, the most common skin cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, which are easily treated by surgery so long as they’re spotted quickly.
My second Guardian story looked at the downside of the injectable contraceptive, Depot Provera, which is known to weaken bones, potentially leading to osteoporosis and fractures. Researchers in Texas looked at risk factors to find out which women were most at risk. They concluded that smoking, eating little dietary calcium, and not having had children were all risk factors – although the associations were weak when you look at them in isolation.
I know, I know. I should have followed the herd and written about Father Christmas as a poor role model for children, or had something to say about the calorie content of mince pies. But there’s only so much Christmas one can take, after all! Have a good one.
Image: Humbugs, by Cari Wallis, from Cari Wallis photostream on Flickr.com, with CCL.
In seniors who experience diseases such as arthritis and osteoporosis, it is very important to prevent falls from occurring. This is because a fall, even a very small one, can end up being very serious and result in a fracture. If this happens, it can be very difficult for the senior to recover from the accident and in many cases, it will mean a move to an assisted living situation or nursing home. Often, these stays will be covered by Medicare, but this depends on the patients Medicare Eligibility ad what types of benefits they receive.
With such serious ramifications from even a very small fall, protecting against these types of accidents is very serious.
Why Osteoporosis Can Be Dangerous
Osteoporosis is a disease that is most common among the elderly, but can affect those of all ages. However, usually in younger people, it is caused after some sort of injury. Osteoporosis causes the bones to loose some of their density, which makes them very brittle and prone to fracture. It is caused by a lack of calcium and vitamin D and is much more common in post-menopausal women, although it can also affect males.
Osteoporosis is not itself does not cause injuries, but because the bones begin to become more brittle and loose their density, it is more likely for them to break or fracture, even after a very small fall.
Why Arthritis Can Be Dangerous
Arthritis can cause a number of problems and is not actually just one disease, but rather more than 100 different disorders that primarily affect the bodies joints. While, depending on the kind of arthritis, the effects can greatly vary, typically, arthritis causes the joints to become damaged, inflamed, and tender. This can mean that bending the joints becomes much more difficult and even painful.
Unlike osteoporosis, arthritis by itself can cause the affected person to experience dramatic losses to maneuverability and often results in disability. Arthritis can also greatly increase the risk of a fall and if the senior also has osteoporosis, this means that there will be a much bigger chance of injury.
Protecting Against Falls
To protect against falls, there are several options, but often it is important to first take measures to treat the arthritis and osteoporosis. For osteoporosis, maintaining a healthy diet of foods that contain calcium and vitamin D is important, with most seniors also taking vitamin supplements.
In the case of arthritis, treatment is not always as straightforward and depends on what type of arthritis the patient has. Many times, proper diet and exercise are as important as taking medication when it comes to treating arthritis. It is also very important to find ways to make life easier for the patient, as there is no way to work backwards and reverse the effects of arthritis.
In addition to assuring that there is proper treatment, there are also a number of helper aids that are used by seniors with arthritis and osteoporosis. This includes a number of different types of home medical equipment that is designed to either make life easier or safer for the senior. Having a proper pair of shoes with non-skid soles is very important, as is using a walker or rolling walker, and ensuring that all areas of the home can be easily accessed. Lift chairs are also often used, which are like recliners, but are designed to make it easier for the senior to stand.
Medicare’s Role in Treating Osteoporosis and Arthritis
In addition to actually being important for providing treatment, such as covering the cost of medicine and doctors visits, Medicare also covers the cost of a number of different types of home medical equipment. These items are covered under Medicare Part B Benefits and covers a wide variety of medical equipment, including wheelchairs, walkers, mobility scooters, eye glasses, and much more.
Usually, Medicare will provide 80% reimbursement for these items, but this is not always the case. For example, lift chairs Medicare do not qualify for full reimbursement and instead only part of the cost of the device is covered.
Usually for a device to be covered by Medicare, it must, of course, be on their approved list of items (PDF), but it will also require that the individual has a doctors prescription and sometimes also a Certificate of Medical Necessity. A Certificate of Medical Necessity is similar to traditional prescription, but is more detailed and must describe the reasons the senior needs the type of equipment. Usually, if a doctor feels there is a need to offer the patient a prescription for the device, it is not a problem for them to also fill out a certificate of medical necessity.
Two less than cheery stories to take us up to Christmas this week.
In seniors who experience diseases such as arthritis and osteoporosis, it is very important to prevent falls from occurring. This is because a fall, even a very small one, can end up being very serious and result in a fracture. If this happens, it can be very difficult for the senior to recover from the accident and in many cases, it will mean a move to an assisted living situation or nursing home. Often, these stays will be covered by Medicare, but this depends on the patients Medicare Eligibility ad what types of benefits they receive.