Monday, May 26, 2014

Making the Golden Years More Golden

Living a Quality of Life
We have the opportunity to have a healthy life if we know what to do and where to find the information to help us.  Below are some references to use for that goal.
POLST Form:    Washington State Health Department has a printable form or ask your doctor     (POLST Form is for what you want done if something happens.  If your heart stops do you want CPR,  put on life support, a feeding tube, etc.  This form lays the foundation for your care)

Disease prevention:    Some problems we call disease are preventable through lifestyle.  If you do not want something like diabetes, labs need to be performed to determine the cause.  Once you stop eating the food the disease resolves.    Recommend knowing what your nonfasting triglyceride level is to determine what foods have caused the sugar problem.   This is just one of the diseases that is preventable.

Nutrition Supplements are also another necessity for preventing disease.  Such supplements as Vitamin D prevent osteoporosis and possibly multiple sclerosis.  However, some supplements do not contain what they say and need to be researched.   We have access to this information on the internet.  It’s finding credible websites such as webmd,  consumer lab, and mayoclinic  for this information.

Another important source of information is knowing what your insurance covers to have your care paid for.   For example,  Medicare will pay for inpatient rehabilitation after having hip replacement if the guidelines are met.  Generally, daily physical therapy and nursing care prevent complications and have a higher success rate than self home care.
Another costly part of medical care is medication.  There are several  sources to reference to get reduced cost or free meds.   Some of the programs are through compounding pharmacy, needy meds- drug companies,  pharmacy programs, and Canadian pharmacy. 


Medical care is becoming more and more expensive.  Becoming an educated consumer can help us have an enjoyable, financially responsible retirement.

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