Quick Blood Pressure Facts

Quick Blood Pressure Facts

Who Has High Blood Pressure

• Women are about as likely as men to develop high blood pressure during their lifetimes. However, for people younger than 45 years, the condition affects more men than women. For people aged 65 years and older, it affects more women than men.
• About 28% of American adults aged 18 years or older have prehypertension.
• In the United States, high blood pressure is more common among blacks than whites. About 44% of black women have high blood pressure.
• Mexican-Americans have the lowest level of hypertension compared to non-Hispanic whites and blacks.

Health Impact of High Blood Pressure

• High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease.
• High blood pressure was a primary or contributing cause of death for 336,353 Americans in 2007.
• There were more than 46 million visits to doctor’s offices for hypertension in 2007.

High Blood Pressure and Salt

• A diet high in sodium (salt) increases the risk for higher blood pressure.
• Most people eat more than double the amount of salt than they should.
• Current dietary guidelines for Americans recommend that adults in general should consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. At the same time, consume potassium-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables. However, if you are in the following population groups, you should consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day, and meet the potassium recommendation (4,700 mg/day) with food.

You are 51 years of age or older.

You are African American.

You have high blood pressure.

You have diabetes.

You have chronic kidney disease.

• About 77% of the sodium Americans consume comes from processed and restaurant foods.
• Watch this engaging video: Salt Matters: Preserving Choice, Protecting Health, available at http://www.cdc.gov/CDCTV/Salt_Matters to learn more about how salt affects your health

The above information was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
The CDC website is a great resource for senior health related topics.

When To Start Planning for ALTCS?

Our latest Arizona Republic article in the weekly Aging and the Law column can be found below. Our column runs every Friday in select Arizona cities.

Q: A couple of weeks ago, my father suffered a fairly severe stroke.  After a brief hospitalization, he was transferred to a skilled nursing facility for rehabilitation.  He is making strides in his therapy, but we don’t know if he will fully recover.  Without this knowledge, how can I determine when to prepare for the ALTCS program?

I am assuming that your father’s care is currently covered by Medicare.  By design, however, Medicare covers only acute care, or that care which is rehabilitative in nature.  For as long as your father is showing marked improvements, then, his Medicare coverage could remain in effect for up to 100 days.  More specifically, Medicare could cover the first 20 days without co-payment, and days 21-100 for a co-payment of just over $150 per day.  Importantly, once it is determined that your father’s health has plateaued, and that he has transitioned from acute care into long-term care, Medicare coverage will end.

Once Medicare coverage ends, your father will have a few options.  If he is well enough, he can return home and resume his previous way of life.  If his health has not returned by this point in time, however, he will have to pay privately or seek an alternative payer source.  If your father has substantial long-term care insurance, then this could provide a solution, but without such coverage, ALTCS might be his only viable option.

Given the huge expenses associated with long-term care, it makes most sense to hope for the best, but plan for the worst.  By this, I am suggesting that the time to begin considering the ALTCS program for your father is now.  Each application process is fact-dependent, but it can sometimes take several months or more to gain access to the benefit, so planning while Medicare is still in effect can be very advantageous.

Aging and the Law is authored by the attorneys at JacksonWhite and addresses legal issues that arise for the elderly and their families.  Questions can be sent to firm@jacksonwhitelaw.com.

Click to view all of our Aging and the Law columns.

For more information visit our website at  www.arizonaseniorlaw.com

5 Life Care Centers in Arizona Help Restock Local Salvation Army Water Supply

FIVE ARIZONA LIFE CARE FACILITIES HELP RESTOCK LOCAL SALVATION ARMY WATER SUPPLY

From June 16 – 21, five Life Care Centers of America facilities in the East Phoenix area joined efforts to restock the local Salvation Army’s supply of bottled water.

Each year, the Salvation Army and Channel 3 News in Phoenix hold a Bottled Water Drive to stock hydration stations throughout the valley, focusing especially on helping the homeless, home-bound individuals and emergency responders.

“The Salvation Army told us that they had depleted their supply in early April, when Arizona had a fire up north and the organization delivered 25,000 bottles of water to first responders,” explained Misti Valentino, senior executive director at Mi Casa Nursing Center in Mesa.


Mi Casa and Citadel Care Center, also in Mesa, kicked off a friendly competition among Life Care facilities to support the effort. Life Care Center of Scottsdale, Scottsdale Heritage Center and Desert Cove Nursing Center in Chandler all joined the efforts.

Associates and families contributed 8-oz. or 20-oz. water bottles to the facilities and loaded up the facility buses. Together, they donated 33,180 water bottles.
“The staff immediately supported the idea,” said Mark Muir, executive director at Citadel Care Center. “Our associates decided not only would they donate cases of water, but they wanted to do a food sale to raise money to buy additional cases of water. We had a food drive the following Wednesday and raised approximately $150, which was then used to buy more water. The momentum and fun grew by the day. It was extremely rewarding for our associates to see our facility bus filled with water on Friday as we prepared to deliver it Saturday morning.”

Three of the Life Care buses – Mi Casa’s, Citadel’s and Life Care Center of Scottsdale’s – were so full of water that associates had to rent a U-Haul truck, which they also filled. They dropped the water off at the Westgate shopping center in Glendale, Arizona, on June 21.
Citadel and Mi Casa together came in first place in the competition among the facilities.
“It was truly a blessing and humbling to see and to be able to serve others in need,” Muir said.

For more news and information visit us at  www.lcca.com  

Understanding Home Health Care

Understanding Home Health Care

Often misunderstood, Home Health Care is a generic term to describe care received in your home – wherever that home may be, your house, apartment, a rehab facility after surgery or long illness, or an assisted living, memory care community, or even a skilled nursing facility.

Medical home health care must have a doctor’s order and is typically covered by your health insurance for a specific period of time and includes such services as nurse visits, medication management, wound care, tele-health monitoring, and physical, occupational or speech therapy.  This would occur most often after a hospital stay, or prolonged illness.

Non-medical home care provides the services that cover pretty much everything else you deal with on a day to day basis.  Services include: companionship, transportation, whether it be to the doctor, shopping or to run errands, light housekeeping services,  (so not scrubbing the oven, or dusting the plant shelves, but keeping your living area, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom(s) clean), meal preparation, medication reminders, personal care, (assistance with feeding, walking, toileting, bathing, dressing) or respite care.

Non-medical care is designed to assist you with the more strenuous daily tasks so you can stay as independent as possible for as long as possible by doing the things you can more easily and safely do.  The idea is to assist with the duties that may put you at risk, prevent you from healing appropriately or present a burden to you. It also provides respite care options for caregivers who may be overwhelmed with caregiving while trying to do take care of all their other responsibilities or take care of their own health. 

Non-medical care can be as flexible as just a few hours up to 24 hours/day, just once, for a short period of time or for as long as needed.  These services are funded privately or through, long-term care insurance or Veteran’s Aid and Attendance benefits.  Our Arizona Long-term Care program, ALTCS (Medicaid) will also pay for care if the appropriate criteria are met.

Authored by:  Elaine Poker-Yount is Community Liaison for Visiting Angels East Valley (480-833-8247 or elaine@visitingangelsaz.com

Bob Dailey, the owner of Visiting Angels East Valley, is the Arizona In-Home Care Association (AZNHA) Treasurer. This article is being submitted on behalf of AZNHA.

Visit us at:  www.aznha.org  

Expansion of Medicaid

Seniors and the Law is authored by the attorneys at JacksonWhite Attorneys at Law and addresses legal issues that arise for the elderly and their families.  Questions can be sent to firm@jacksonwhitelaw.com.

Q:        I have read about Governor Brewer’s decision to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.  I understand that state legislators are trying to bring a lawsuit in an effort to undo Arizona’s expansion of Medicaid.  Can you explain what would happen if Arizona did not expand Medicaid?

The Affordable Care Act was not drafted to give states an option as to whether they would expand Medicaid.  Rather, after a challenge to the law, the Supreme Court upheld most of its provisions, but determined that states could decide whether or not to participate in the Medicaid expansion.  An unintended consequence of this process is that States which reject the expansion create a disjointed healthcare coverage system.

Under the Affordable Care Act, individuals who earn between 139% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Limit can get subsidized insurance on the health insurance exchange.  Further, for states that opt to expand Medicaid under the ACA, everybody who earns 138% of the Federal Poverty Limit or less are eligible for Medicaid coverage.  The effect of this in states that expand Medicaid is that the government provides health insurance for those who earn up to 138% of the FPL, and then subsidizes insurance for those who earn between 139%-400% of the FPL.

The subsidies are applicable nationwide, but the problem for states that do not expand Medicaid is that there are many people who earn less than 138% of the FPL, but more than the state’s Medicaid limit.  The average Medicaid income requirement in states that do not expand Medicaid is about 46% of the FPL, meaning that people in the “average” state who earn between 46%-138% of the FPL would not get any assistance, while higher earners earning between 139%-400% of the FPL could purchase subsidized insurance on the exchange.  If Arizona were to rescind its expansion, we would be subject to this inequity.

             Richard White is an elder law attorney at JacksonWhite Attorneys at Law.  For more information on Elder Law at JacksonWhite, please visit www.ArizonaSeniorLaw.com.

This article is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace individual legal advice.

Visit our website at:  http://www.arizonaseniorlaw.com/news/

Protecting the Battery Life of Your Handicap Conversion Van

One important thing to remember when you purchase a wheelchair van, aside from the accommodations and accessibility features, is that it is very important to keep in mind the amount of extra battery use your accessories take up. Handicap vehicles often deploy ramps through the battery of your vehicle, so it is crucial to make sure you have a strong, functional battery that is full of juice and power at all times.

You never know what could happen when you’re on the road heading off to visit family and friends. The last thing you want is to end up stranded from a dead battery, with no one nearby to jump your vehicle. If you have a disability, this can be a particularly difficult and potentially dangerous situation.

Not only should you make sure to have your handicap van’s battery inspected on the regular, but if something does happen and you are able to fix it, you should still have it inspected by a professional at Ability Center in Arizona, California, or Nevada as soon as you have the chance. If you notice your wheelchair ramp or other accessories operating at a slower, weaker pace, it may be time to have your battery looked at or even invest in a new one.

The average vehicle with no mobility modifications will last about five years on one battery. However, if your vehicle is modified with a ramp, swivel chair, or other accessory that relies on your vehicle’s power to work, it is more likely that an inspection or replacement will be in need every 2 to 3 years. To prolong the life of your battery, always make sure every light is off before getting out of youraccessible vehicle, and keep track of how often you use the lift. If you use it daily, this will significantly cut down on battery life.

Just a few simple and regular precautions will help you avoid what could turn into a dangerous situation if your battery runs out of life. Always keep track of your vehicle use and how old your battery is to keep you and your family safe for many miles to come.

Visit our website for additional information at:  www.abilitycenter.com