Adviser LeadingAge New York Summer 2015 July 2015 | Page 28

Feature Health What (Continued from page 26) While prevention is best addressed at young ages and continued through the end of one’s life, anyone at any age can benefit from good preventative care. One of the issues I hear over and over when I teach in senior housing facilities is the comment, “My doctor thinks I am pretty healthy for my age.” This comment is often linked to chronic diseases that are not being managed as well as they should be, or would be if the patient were younger. This is not good preventative care at all. Seniors who learn more about their chronic illnesses and how to navigate the health care system often insist on better results. In one community, a health literacy class on diabetes was presented to 6 residents with the illness. Four months later, 5 out of the 6 had brought their blood sugar levels back down into normal ranges and 2 (both in their mid-80’s) had begun using endocrinologists because they didn’t want to be “in control enough for their age.” Speaking of endocrinologists, doctors that specialize in the hormones our bodies make and use, prevention and chronic illness care often mean seeing a specialist. There are 13,000 known conditions that can affect the human body and no doctor is proficient in all of them. Most are really great at treating about 2,000 of them. The other 11,000 diseases will require (See Health What on page 28) Providing the solutions you need...for the results you want. ‘‘ (We) contracted with ProCare to analyze our quality measures and care. Within just a few hours, (the consultant) ‘hit the nail on the head’ and gave us excellent advice. Our New York State Quality Score went from the 5th quintile to the 2nd!” – Genesee County Nursing Home Contact Elliott Frost, director of ProCare/senior policy analyst Phone: [phone] Email: [email protected] 27 Adviser a publication of LeadingAge New York | Summer 2015