Pilot Program Helps Aging Patients Retain Independence Through House Calls
By dispatching workers to the seniors' homes, they can catch problems before they begin and save the health system millions in ER and hospital visits, advocates say.
Center for Health Reporting/Orange County Register:
Garden Grove Nurses' House Calls Program Helps Seniors Prolong Independence
[Kelly] Baik is part of a team at the Acacia Adult Day Services center that is testing whether old-fashioned home visits may be the key to prolonging seniors’ independence. If programs such as Acacia’s prove themselves, the resulting delays in admissions to institutions could save Medicare and Medicaid billions of dollars nationwide. (Whaley, 9/3)
In other news from across the state —
The Orange County Register:
Hundreds Attend San Clemente Meeting On Options To Regulate Sober Living Homes
Thursday’s panel included State Sen. Pat Bates, R-Laguna Niguel; Assemblyman Bill Brough, R-Dana Point; San Clemente Councilman Tim Brown; legal representatives and sober living home operators from Santa Ana and San Diego County. Issa said he will introduce his bill to the House next week. It would prohibit overall caps on the number of sober homes in a city and require a sober home, its owner and operator to obtain a license or permit to operate, meet a set of consumer protection standards and register with the government. (Ritchie, 9/2)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Connected Health: Helping Consumers Take Charge
How can the health-care industry create incentives and provide technology to get more Americans to live healthier lifestyles? That was the key question at the Connected Health Summit this week in San Diego, organized by Dallas-based industry research firm Parks Associates. Getting consumers more engaged in their health is considered a key strategy to cutting health-care costs, according to Park Associates. Its research found that only 23 percent of U.S. consumers are actively engaged in living a healthy lifestyle. (Freeman, 9/2)