DorlandHealth

New York City Aims to Improve Lives of the Elderly
The city’s efforts, gaining strength as the baby boomer generation starts reaching retirement age, are born of good intentions as well as an economic strategy.

More Wander Off in Fog of Age
For generations, the prototypical search-and-rescue case in America was Timmy in the well, with Lassie barking insistently to summon help. Lost children and adolescents — from the woods to the mall — generally outnumbered all others. Today, a new group has public health officials on alert - the elderly with dementia

Transforming a Nursing Home: Letting Residents Sleep Late
A Chicago nursing home joins a nationwide movement to transform long-term care so residents are treated like people, not patients.

Easing the Burden of a Cancer Diagnosis
When a person is diagnosed with cancer, much of the focus, especially at the beginning, is on learning about what kind of cancer it is and what treatment options are available. Yet cancer is accompanied by a host of other, non-medical, emotional and practical concerns.

Experts Offer Tips for Motivating Seniors to ‘Keep Moving’
Motivating older adults to not only start exercising but also stick with a regular fitness plan can be a challenge, according to two exercise experts. Tips for helping seniors become more physically active include buying exercise gear that appeals to them, emphasizing the health benefits of exercise and considering exercise as time for socialization.

How to Improve Patient Handoffs
Standardized handoffs were named by The Joint Commission as a National Patient Safety Goal in 2006, and national healthcare reform has patient handoffs under the microscope. Near misses and adverse events have been associated with poor communication during handoffs, and hospitalists are taking steps toward improvement in handoffs and coordination of care given that they care for a greater percentage of hospitalized patients. Project BOOST is a program that offers a comprehensive toolkit for hospitals that features best practices for patient admissions, patient discharge and overhauling their systems, with help from a mentor.

Patient Centered Medical Home Resource
AHRQ announces the launch of a new website devoted to providing objective information to policymakers and researchers on the medical home. The site provides users with searchable access to a rich database of publications and other resources on the medical home.

Hawaii Retains Top Spot in Well-Being Index
Hawaii posted a record score as it remained No. 1 in the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index for the poll's third year. Overall, the index of health and wellness data improved for the U.S., primarily driven by people rating their current and future lives more favorably.

A Psychiatrist’s Prescription For His Profession
What's wrong with the field of psychiatry? Listen to Psychiatrist Daniel Carlat who shares why he thinks some American psychiatrists are too busy prescribing drugs to actually talk to people. Carlat talks about the forgotten art of therapy and the influence of drug companies on the profession in his new book, Unhinged.

A Happy Healthy You
A Happy Healthy You is authored by Mary Johanna McCurley, Jyotsna Sahni, Jan DeLipsey, Lu Jurcova Phillips and Kristi McIntyre who seek to provide guidance for women over the age of 35 who are beginning a series of physical and emotional transitions that can affect their happiness and balance for the rest of their lives.