The program is for individuals affected by neurological, orthopedic or developmental conditions, and those who have experienced age-related changes in function, with the goal of returning them to safe driving.

“This is something I never thought I’d be doing,” Mike said.

Mike was diagnosed with MS in 1994. Over the past 25 years, the disease has progressed. In January, Mike’s reaction time began to slow in his legs and feet, making it almost impossible to drive. That’s when his occupational therapist, Keegan Humphrey, with Norton Neurosciences & Spine Rehabilitation Center, introduced him to the Norton Hospital Driving Assessment Program.

“This is brand new,” Keegan said. “We’re helping individuals with Parkinson’s, MS, strokes, brain tumors. If someone has a rotator cuff injury or arthritis and is having trouble with steering, we work with them as well. And vision clients — we help them too. The goal is to help a variety of patients return to safe, independent driving.”

Modified vehicle teaches different ways to drive

The vehicle used in the program looks very normal on the outside, but it’s quite different behind the wheel. Besides the typical steering wheel and pedals, the car is equipped with spinner knobs, extra hand controls, a left foot accelerator and turn signal crossover that allows the driver to activate the signal with their right hand.

“The car is designed so people can overcome their limitations,” Keegan said. “All of these modifications can be made to the patient’s vehicle as well.”

Because of Mike’s condition, he relies heavily on the special accelerator and extra knobs.

“Originally, it was hard to get started,” he said. “Your brain thinks different. You push for break and pull for accelerator.”

But according to Keegan, Mike has now conquered the road like a pro.

How to sign up for a driving assessment

If you believe the driving assessment program would benefit you or a loved one:

• Obtain a physician’s referral that includes all pertinent diagnoses and contact information. This can be faxed or sent by the physician through our electronic medical records system.
• We will contact you to schedule an appointment upon receiving the referral.
• A valid driver’s license or permit is required for the on-road assessment and training.
• We will send you pre-admission paperwork.

“It’s so simple,” Mike said. “If somebody needs to do this, I highly recommend it. The freedom it gives you is amazing.”

The post Driving program helps patients get behind the wheel again safely appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

Norton Healthcare and LHC Group Inc. announced recently the formation of a joint venture partnership – creating Norton Home Health – to enhance in-home health care services for patients in Louisville and across the region. The two organizations will collaborate to help patients manage their chronic conditions, seamlessly transition from hospital care, and rest and recover in an environment where they are most comfortable.

“We are pleased to partner with LHC Group to enhance the home health services we provide for our patients,” said Russell F. Cox, president and CEO, Norton Healthcare. “Through Norton Home Health, patients will receive care to regain strength and independence following an injury or illness, or when dealing with a chronic condition or disabling disease. They will also benefit from a multidisciplinary approach to treatment that is monitored through their integrated electronic medical record, stay connected to their health record and communicate with their provider through MyNortonChart.”

In-home care supports faster recovery and patient independence.

“It’s a benefit for our patients to receive healthcare in their own environment as they work to regain strength and independence,” said Kathleen Exline, system vice president, Performance Excellence and Care Continuum, Norton Healthcare. “Our providers, including home health nurses, therapists and social workers, will offer valuable guidance and support, and provide the educational tools and resources patients and families need to make informed decisions on care for themselves or a loved one.”

Home health care is an effective and affordable solution for many patients’ post-acute care needs and situations. This partnership will help patients manage health care costs and hospital admission rates. It will provide a full range of home care, and patients can trust that the treatment plans their doctors prescribe will be followed thoroughly.

The post Norton Healthcare and LHC Group Inc. partner to provide quality home recovery programs appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

These decisions not only cause stress for the family, but the patient as well.

Carmel J. Person, M.D., medical director of Norton Community Medial Associates – Geriatrics, has lived it, experienced it as a nurse and seen it as a physician.

“Having a conversation about these issues is difficult, but necessary in order to advocate for that senior when the time presents. Those conversations need to focus on quality of life and maintaining dignity,” Dr. Person said. “Our aging community needs access to medical care consistent with their individual goals, education about futility of treatment options, and resources that optimize health and lifestyle. Ultimately, it’s the element of the human spirit that must be preserved as we all learn how we accommodate the needs of our ‘silver tsunami’ generation,” or wave of aging baby boomers.

When you have the conversation, Dr. Person suggests focusing on three things:

Where does your loved one want to live?

“It’s very important to look at living arrangements, how to thrive and how to finance that vision,” Dr. Person said.

There are people who want to remain in their homes no matter what, and there are people who are open to other care options. What options are there for care if your elderly loved one is no longer able to care for herself in her own home? Or what if he falls and an injury requires long-term care?

What kind of continuing medical care does your loved one want?

“Many times seniors undergo aggressive medical procedures that require complex medical management,” Dr. Person said. “Is this what they really want? There is often a difference in medical treatment that impacts quality of life versus quantity of existence.”

As people age, chronic conditions usually progress and more management is often required. This can include more physician office visits, increased medications, disruptive and even painful diagnostic tests though worsening of the symptoms persist. Therefore, as the chronic disease progresses, it’s important to review and possibly reconsider goals of care. Chronic disease progression can subtly and insidiously disrupt daily activities and slowly compromise one’s quality of life.

Talk about what kind of life your loved one wants to live. Is he or she willing to sacrifice quality of life for potentially extending life?

Who makes the decisions?

Your discussion around medical care should include advance directives as well as who will be in charge should your loved one no longer be able to make decisions.

Dr. Person also suggests having a health care surrogate who is not a family member.

“This is someone who can help in a crisis and make sure any wishes are fulfilled,” Dr. Person said. “Family members, especially children, often struggle with hard decisions that can go along with a loved one’s goals.”

Having a plan can help you look for resources to help a loved one transition, whether it’s moving to assisted living, a nursing home or bringing care into the home. Talking with your primary care provider also can help.

The post Difficult discussions around aging and senior care appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), RSV leads to 177,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths among adults older than 65. RSV is often thought of as a childhood disease, but knowing what you can do to prevent and spot RSV can keep your older loved ones safe during cold and flu season.

RSV, a common respiratory virus, can seem like a mild common cold to healthy adults. Most people can recover quickly with self-care in a week or two. But in older adults, especially those with asthma, heart disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the virus can be very severe or even fatal. You can get RSV anytime, but reported cases are highest between November and April.

What does RSV look like?

Signs of RSV begin to appear four to six days after being exposed to the virus. In adults and older children, RSV can present as:

• Congested or runny nose
• Dry cough
• Low-grade fever
• Sore throat
• Mild headache

The virus can spread to the lower respiratory tract, causing pneumonia or bronchiolitis (the small airway passages entering the lungs become inflamed). More severe RSV signs include:

• Fever
• Severe cough
• Wheezing — a loud noise when a person breathes out
• Rapid breathing or difficulty breathing (your loved one may request to sleep sitting up)
• The skin looks blue due to lack of oxygen (cyanosis)

You’re sick. How do you protect your loved one from getting sick too?

If you have any signs of RSV, especially if you have a fever, try to limit the time you spend with your loved one until you’re healthy. See if another relative or friend can check on or provide care to your loved one. In reality, that’s not always possible, especially if your loved one relies on you for food prep and mobility help. What do you do in that situation?

• Wash your hands frequently. Hand-washing is key to prevent the spread of germs. Proper hand-washing means using soap and water for 20 seconds (don’t forget your thumbs). Hand sanitizer is a good substitute in a pinch, but frequent hand-washing with soap and water is best.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes. Use tissues or your upper shirt sleeve — not your hands — when coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid close contact. Depending on the level of care your loved one needs, this may not be easy. Try not to hug, kiss or shake hands. If you cook for your loved one, make sure you don’t taste test and put the utensil back into the food. Don’t share any utensils or drinking cups with your loved one.
• If you can’t avoid close contact, consider a mask and gloves while providing care. You may already use disposable gloves to care for your loved one, based on their needs. But while you’re sick, you may want to use earloop-style face masks for their care as well. Remember: Wash your hands before putting on gloves and after. Wearing disposable gloves and a face mask may seem excessive, but it can help keep your loved one safe.
• Keep things clean. Make sure kitchen and bathroom countertops are clean. Discard used tissues right away. What you touch, you wipe down.

Despite your best efforts, your loved one gets sick

“Caregivers should closely monitor temperature and other symptoms including cough, sore throat and body aches,” said Carmel J. Person, M.D., Norton Community Medical Associates – Geriatrics. “Anytime cold symptoms don’t improve in a day or two, or the condition worsens, call your doctor. Remember, you do not need to figure this out alone.”

If your loved one shows these signs of severe RSV, go to the emergency room:

• Difficulty breathing
• High fever
• Confusion
• Blue color to the skin (lips and nail beds, especially)

The post RSV can be deadly in adults 65+ appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

You might think it’s mostly kids who are victims of accidental poisonings, but adults actually account for nearly half of the 60,000 calls to the Kentucky Regional Poison Control Center each year.

Ashley Webb, director of the Kentucky Regional Poison Control Center and a board-certified clinical toxicologist, said many of those calls are from Kentuckians age 65 and older. Of those calls, 85 percent are for medication mistakes.

“The most common thing we see is somebody taking someone else’s or a pet’s medication by mistake,” Webb said. “We also see errors with taking medication at the wrong time of day, or mixing medications together and then taking the wrong thing.”

To raise awareness as part of National Poison Prevention Week, March 20 to 26, here are the top causes of poisoning in adults based on calls to the Kentucky Regional Poison Control Center:

1. Medication: Dosage mistakes with heart medicines are the No. 1 reason older adults call the poison control center. Other issues involve taking too much pain medication or sedatives (sleep and anxiety medicine), and brushing teeth with arthritis cream or other medication ointments.
2. Cosmetics/personal care products: The most common items older adults overdo it on are denture cleaner, hand sanitizer and mouthwash. The mistake with these products is almost always being in a hurry and using the wrong product (for example, using hand sanitizer as mouthwash). 
3. Household cleaning products: Items such as bleach, drain cleaner and disinfectants are put in unlabeled bottles and mistakenly consumed. Other issues include eye and skin exposures and inhaling fumes. 
4. Pesticides: Bug sprays and bug bombs are most common. Calls are either about people who are using bug spray or bombs and worried about breathing the fumes or accidentally getting the spray in the eyes or on the skin. 
5. Bites (venomous and nonvenomous): The poison control center gets more calls about snakebites than any other type of bite. Copperheads are the most common concern. The center also receives numerous calls about spider and ant bites.

While many people say they feel embarrassed about calling the poison control center, Webb said they’ve heard it all.

“Believe it or not we’ve heard almost everything, and we’re here to provide recommendations based on your individual experience and help you decide whether or not things are OK or if you need to seek additional health care,” Webb said.

If you suspect you or a loved one has been exposed to a poison, call the Kentucky Regional Poison Control Center at (800) 222-1222 for advice, assessment and recommendations. All calls are confidential and most cases can be managed at home, saving you the cost of going to an emergency room or urgent care center.

If the person is unconscious, not breathing or having a seizure, always call 911.

The post Top 5 causes of poisoning in older adults appeared first on Norton Healthcare.