Month: November 2021

2021-11-01T11:01:00

(BPT) – Each year when the Medicare open enrollment period comes around, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the many choices you have. You’re not alone — most people have questions this time of year. What’s the best way to get the most from your benefits? What if Medicare doesn’t cover everything you need?

If these types of questions are swirling in your mind, not to worry. There are simple ways to think through your options and find a plan that suits your unique needs.

“Start by listing out what’s most important to you when it comes to health plan coverage,” says Mathew S. Philip, M.D., an Internal Medicine physician at Duly Health and Care. “There are some areas you may want to keep consistent, like your primary care physician, while you may be open to changing your pharmacy. Thinking about these things before starting the Medicare open enrollment process will save you time.”

Dr. Philip and the experts at Duly Health and Care, formerly DuPage Medical Group, recommend that you ask these questions when evaluating your Medicare health plan options:

Does this plan include benefits that are most important to me?

Take time to review your healthcare needs over the past year. What medical services and prescriptions did you need? How much did you pay for premiums and out-of-pocket costs like co-pays for doctor visits and prescriptions? Reflecting on your needs over the past year can help determine what benefits you’ll likely need in the year ahead.

Can I continue to see my primary care physician?

If it’s important to you to stay with your current primary care physician, you’ll want to make sure that provider is in your plan’s network.

Are my prescriptions covered, and is my preferred pharmacy in-network?

If you rely on regular prescriptions from month to month, and you prefer to use a specific pharmacy near you, ask about your prescription coverage and make sure your pharmacy is in the network.

Would I benefit from an all-in-one plan?

Medicare all-in-one plans, like Medicare Advantage, may help simplify your options, and may provide more comprehensive and cost-effective benefits. Be sure to find out if your preferred provider participates in the plan you choose. For instance, Duly Health and Care physicians and providers participate in the following Medicare Advantage plans:

• Aet­na
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
• Humana
• Unit­ed Healthcare

Could I use more benefits than I currently take advantage of?

Most Medicare Advantage plans offer coverage for things that aren’t covered by original Medicare, like vision, hearing, dental and wellness programs. Plans may also include a broader range of “extra benefits” than they have in the past, including transportation to doctor visits, over-the-counter medications, adult care services and other health and care tools and resources to support your well-being.

Ask yourself if you would like to take advantage of these types of benefits, and if they would make a difference for your wellness, convenience and overall quality of life.

How can I get help comparing plans?

The Medicare website has information about plan options. If you need personalized plan recommendations, Duly Health and Care is partnering with the Integrity Medicare Helpline to offer one-on-one appointments with an independent licensed agent (call 1-855-205-2037). You can also sign up to attend a Medicare 101 seminar at Duly.IntegrityMedicareHelpline.com.

Preparation is the key to feeling confident about making the best choice for your health. To learn more, visit DulyHealthAndCare.com/Medicare.

2021-11-01T15:15:00

(BPT) – Over 65,000 Afghan refugees are expected to resettle in the United States over the next few weeks and months — and that is only the first wave of arrivals. In many cases, those who have fled Afghanistan had to leave everything they owned behind — and are essentially starting their lives again here in the U.S.

In August, Airbnb.org — the independent non-profit that leverages the Airbnb Host community to help people in times of crises — announced it would provide free, temporary housing to 20,000 Afghan refugees. As of October 2021, Airbnb.org has helped place more than 2,000 Afghan refugees into temporary housing and more than 6,000 Hosts on Airbnb have signed up to provide free and discounted stays to welcome Afghans into their communities.

Anyone can help

You don’t have to be an Airbnb host to offer temporary housing to Afghan refugees. Airbnb.org and Airbnb have been providing temporary housing to people displaced for nearly ten years, and they’ve now made it simple for anyone who wants to help welcome Afghan refugees to get involved.

The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012, when a New York City-based Airbnb Host named Shell contacted Airbnb and asked how she could open up her home to her neighbors who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked the beginning of a now decade-long effort to allow Hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on emergency response and helps provide stays for disaster survivors, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers and most recently, frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19.

Now, whether you have a home or an apartment — even if you aren’t an Airbnb Host — you can sign up to host temporary stays for Afghan refugees through Airbnb.org. If you are an Airbnb Host, you can opt into the program and make listings available for free or at a discounted rate. If you’re new to Airbnb and only want to host for this cause, you can create a free listing available only to refugee guests.

Choose how long you can offer a home

You can pick any length of time that you want to make your space available. The average stay is 14 days. If you are opening your home to Afghan refugees, your home can only be booked on the Airbnb platform by recognized resettlement agencies working with those refugees. Airbnb.org is currently working with all nine US resettlement agencies and Afghan-led community groups including Church World Service, the International Rescue Committee, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services and Women for Afghan Women. Booking requests come from a case manager, not refugee guests, and a case manager from one of these organizations may reach out with questions.

Airbnb.org Hosts are supported

Airbnb.org works in partnership with nonprofits, who employ case managers who are responsible for the well-being of their refugee clients before, during and after their temporary stay through Airbnb.org. The case manager books the stay on behalf of guests and is responsible for providing for needs like food, transportation and access to medical services. As a Host, you will be able to communicate with the nonprofit throughout the stay to ensure you are offering a welcoming stay for your guests.

In addition, Airbnb provides all Airbnb.org Hosts with dedicated community support, along with a million-dollar Host Guarantee to provide protection for covered damage in the unlikely event that anything occurs.

The need for housing is urgent

Airbnb.org and its trusted partners are helping to resettle individuals and families who are in dire need of temporary homes.

“When I realized that there was something concrete I could do for a family with an urgent need, I didn’t hesitate — and I cannot begin to tell you how humbling and rewarding that experience has been,” said Susan Bailey, Airbnb.org Host and member of the Airbnb Host Advisory Board. “When you host a refugee family with Airbnb.org, you aren’t just offering them a safe, temporary place to live — you are actually helping them begin the first chapter in their new lives, and welcoming them to a community.”

If you have a home or apartment that could temporarily house Afghan refugees, or if you’d like to donate to help others, learn more or sign up to host at airbnb.org/refugees.

2021-11-01T08:01:00

(BPT) – Throughout his career, Rod Stephenson, 73, of Savannah, Georgia, wore many hats. He worked in television broadcasting, the retail pizza industry, in manufacturing and quality assurance — and most recently, he was ordained as a pastor. But after Stephenson decided to retire from his eventful and successful career, his wife Deb started to notice some changes.

For their family, the turning point was a simple one — a conversation about a family vacation they had taken the previous summer. Rod could not recall the trip.

“I felt like I had holes in my memory,” Rod said. “My wife, Deb, made a reference to a family vacation from the previous summer, but I could not recall the trip. I looked through photos and recognized people in the photos, but I had no recollection of being there.”

In addition to memory issues, Rod became less aware of his surroundings and often had the sensation of being lost. During his career, which took him to five states, Rod was always able to navigate his surroundings with ease, but that was starting to change.

“If I had been anywhere once, I could return without directions, maps or GPS,” he recalled. “But I was becoming more confused and found myself getting lost easily.”

Deb then took an often overlooked, but all too important first step. She immediately expressed her concerns about the changes she was seeing to Rod himself. A new Alzheimer’s Association/Ad Council omnibus survey finds that only 44% of Americans would talk to a loved one right away about seeing a doctor if they noticed signs of cognitive decline.

Together, Deb and Rod decided he should get a cognitive evaluation. Initially, doctors told Rod the changes were most likely age-related. Not satisfied with this answer, Rod eventually visited a local neurologist for more cognitive testing. He was diagnosed initially with early-stage Alzheimer’s, but the diagnosis was later changed to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a common precursor to Alzheimer’s.

The Stephenson couple struggled with this diagnosis and realized they needed help. They connected with the Alzheimer’s Association 24-7 Helpline and his local Georgia Alzheimer’s Association, which provided disease information as well as care and support resources available through their state.

“Calling the Helpline was the best thing I could have done,” Rod said. “It not only provided us with important information, but it connected us with other individuals and families who share our journey and understand the range of emotions and challenges accompanying the disease. We have met some delightful people who have become friends.”

Today, Rod is focusing on taking the lessons he has learned since his diagnosis to offer help to individuals and families impacted by Alzheimer’s and other dementia. He feels grateful for the support of his wife Deb for starting the conversation with him that she was seeing changes. That conversation, together with her continued support, have made his early Alzheimer’s diagnosis easier to manage.

“Isolation is a huge problem in our community,” he says. “People experience stigma, so they are afraid to share what’s going on with them and to get the help they need. I am fortunate to have the blessing of support from my family, but others feel so alone.”

To learn more about how to facilitate these difficult conversations, visit the “Hopeful Together” campaign website (in English at alz.org/TimeToTalk or in Spanish at alz.org/Tiempo). The website offers tools and resources to help families recognize early warning signs of Alzheimer’s, tips for facilitating conversations about cognition, benefits of early detection and diagnosis, a discussion guide for use with doctors and health providers and other disease-related information.

2021-11-01T10:01:00

(BPT) – Everyone needs blood sugar (glucose) because it provides essential fuel for the body and mind. However, for people with diabetes, getting the right amount of glucose is critical because low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia, can lead to stupor, confusion, loss of consciousness, seizures or other severe complications. If you or a loved one has diabetes, it’s important to understand the warning signs of hypoglycemia and what to do during a low blood sugar emergency.

“Hypoglycemia occurs when blood sugar levels fall lower than normal and can lead to life-threating complications,” said Felice A. Caldarella, MD, MBA, FACP, CDCES, FACE, president of The American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE). “Hypoglycemia causes approximately 100,000 emergency room visits per year in the U.S., and diabetics are at the highest risk of experiencing a low blood sugar episode.”

In addition to having diabetes, Dr. Caldarella shares other common risk factors for hypoglycemia:

Age: Speak with your health care team to find out how this may affect you.

Diet: Having irregular eating habits, such as skipping a meal or eating less than usual (if using a sulfonylurea, which is a medication that causes insulin to be secreted from the pancreas regardless of what your blood sugar level is or insulin).

Activeness: Increasing your physical activity, especially without enough nutrition.

Drinking: Consuming an excessive amount of alcohol.

To spread the word about hypoglycemia, the AACE team created The Lowdown on Low Blood Sugar campaign. For people with diabetes, low blood sugar typically occurs when blood sugar levels fall below 70 mg/dl, though this may differ from person to person. It’s key to understand the symptoms of hypoglycemia and what to do during an episode.

Mild hypoglycemia symptoms:

• Nausea and dizziness
• Fast heartbeat
• Sweating and/or chills
• Clamminess
• Unusual irritability or moodiness

Actions to take:

If you or a loved one are experiencing mild symptoms of hypoglycemia, act quickly by following the “Rule of 15” by eating 15 grams of high sugar foods, drinks or medications to get your blood sugar back up. Then re-check your blood sugar after 15 minutes. If your blood sugar is still low, consume another 15 grams of carbohydrates and check your blood sugar again after 15 minutes. If your blood sugar fails to return to normal levels after two tries of the Rule of 15, you could experience severe symptoms and may need medical attention.

Severe hypoglycemia symptoms:

• Blurred or impaired vision
• Coordination problems or clumsiness
• Tingling or numbness in the lips, tongue or cheeks
• Color draining from the skin
• Confusion
• Seizures

Actions to take:

If you or a loved one has severe hypoglycemia symptoms and have access, administer hypoglycemic rescue therapy via injected or nasal glucagon as prescribed by your doctor. Do not inject insulin, as this will further lower blood sugar. If you start to feel very sleepy or your blood sugar falls below 70 mg/dL, have someone take you to the hospital immediately or call 911 for medical assistance.

Hypoglycemia can sneak up on you. It might be the day you skipped a meal, exercised more than usual, or took too much of the wrong medication. Know the symptoms and work with your health care team, including endocrinologists, to come up with a treatment plan that is right for you, which may include substituting medications known to potentially produce low blood sugar reactions with other ones that do not.

Endocrinologists are specially trained doctors that are qualified to diagnose and treat diabetes and hormone-related diseases and conditions, including hypoglycemia. If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms listed, speak with your health care professional to adjust medications accordingly. You may even consider scheduling an appointment with an endocrinologist in your area.

A network of support:

Did you know 31% of severe low blood sugar related events happen outside the home? Fifty-seven percent of patients experience lows at least once a night, and one-third of adults with diabetes worry about driving safely because of serious problems from low blood sugar. That’s why it’s important for you, your family and friends to all know the signs and symptoms of a low blood sugar emergency and how to manage it.

Support for hypoglycemia provided by: Lily Diabetes, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Medtronic.

Visit www.bloodsugarlows.com to learn more about hypoglycemia.