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HEALTHCARE NEWS YOU CAN USE FOR YOUR WHOLE FAMILY
MARCH 2016
2 Preserving your vision | 3 After a cancer diagnosis: What’s next? | 3 Tips for kidney health | 4 Top events and support groups Many senior living communities, including Vi at Silverstone in Scottsdale, are designed to encourage socialization amongst residents.
BRUSH UP, ARIZONA!
Everything you need to know about caring for and protecting your teeth PRESENTED BY LIVINGWELL AZ AND THE ARIZONA DENTAL ASSOCIATION PA G E S 5 - 8
Harrowing headache with double vision? Don’t delay — rush to an emergency stroke center By Susan Lynne Fuchs
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he worst headache of your life — especially if it’s sudden and comes with double vision — is a sign you should rush to an Emergency Department, preferably one accredited for stroke treatment. You may be experiencing a burst brain aneurysm, the rarest and most dangerous of strokes, said neurointensivist Victor Zach, M.D., director of the neurocritical intensive care unit and the accredited stroke center in the Emergency Department at HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Medical Center, Phoenix. Even if the aneurysm has not yet burst, he said, the symptoms mean your life may be at risk.
Weakened artery wall Brain aneurysms occur when the wall of an artery weakens, stretches and balloons outward, Zach said. Most develop at intersections where arteries branch and are smaller than a pea. Some are only shaped like a low hill. But rare ones can balloon to almost an inch in diameter, explained cerebrovascular neurosurgeon Peter Nakaji, M.D., who is on staff at Barrow Neurological Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix. Brain aneurysms grow and rupture for reasons that are not fully understood, Nakaji said, but when they burst, they flood blood around adjacent arteries and into surrounding brain tissue. Ruptured brain aneurysms kill about half the patients who experience them, either before or after they get to the hospital, Nakaji said. Only about a quarter of his patients recover from burst brain aneurysms with no serious physiological damage, he said. Others who survive may have lifelong problems with speech, vision, balance, mental function, muscle weakness or mobility.
Treatment options Treatment is less complicated and more often successful if the aneurysm is diagnosed and treated before it bursts, both physicians agreed. This can be tricky because aneurysms in early stages of development may have no symptoms. “They are often discovered when patients have medical imaging, MRIs or CT angiograms for unrelated reasons,” Nakaji said. ! BRAIN ANEURYSM, continued on page 9
Vi at Silverstone
Seniorliving options What you need to know BY D E B R A G E L B A R T
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ost senior living communities are available in a variety of configurations. Here are the hallmarks of each type, according to Sharon Grambow, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Sun Health Senior Living.
“We’re here to be advocates for healthy living and innovative programming that help people live well for as long as they possibly can.” —Sharon Grambow, Sun Health Senior Living Sun Health
INDEPENDENT LIVING IL: Some IL properties may provide additional services such as dining, housekeeping or security. If residents require a higher level of care, they must move to a property that offers the appropriate care or hire someone to provide in-home care services. INDEPENDENT LIVING/ASSISTED LIVING IL/AL: These are typically entrance-fee or rental properties providing a full menu of additional services such as dining, housekeeping or security as well as resident activities. If IL residents require a higher level of care, they can transfer to AL. “This can be a nice option for a spouse or significant other when one person needs a higher level of care,” Grambow said. ASSISTED LIVING ONLY: This option includes a wide range of choices including large communities as well as small residential-style group homes.
SKILLED NURSING FACILITY SNF: SNFs are for those who need assistance with three or more activities of daily living on a long-term basis or who require a transitional short-term stay while recovering from a hospitalization or medical incident. LIFE CARE CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY CCRC: CCRCs provide the guarantee of ‘life care’ with independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing on the same campus; some also offer memory care. A CCRC that doesn’t carry the designation of ‘life care’ typically does not offer skilled nursing on the same campus. When a CCRC provides a guarantee of life care and requires an entrance fee, a resident must be able to live independently when he or she first moves in and must qualify financially to be able to pay the monthly cost of living, said Kimberley Keim Bankofier, community relations manager for
Vi at Silverstone, a North Scottsdale CCRC. Residents live independently for as long as possible, but if they need assisted living or skilled nursing care later on, it’s available without moving to an entirely new location. In CCRCs where an upfront entrance fee isn’t paid, residents may move into assisted living from the start if they need it, but they’ll pay the market price for that service rather than an adjusted monthly fee as with a life-care plan, explained Lindsey Arrey, director of marketing for Fellowship Square, a not-for-profit Christian care community. Whether an entrance fee is paid or not, all CCRCs require a monthly fee for the apartment or townhouse. Some local CCRCs include Fellowship Square’s location in Phoenix; Maravilla Scottsdale; Sun Health Senior Living’s three locations in the West Valley; and ! SENIOR LIVING, continued on page 10
Your favorite cocktail could be a dangerous mix. Learn more about the dangers of mixing alcohol and energy drinks. HonorHealth.com/healthyaz
There’s a reason they say “ask your doctor.” Contact your HonorHealth doctor to answer your questions or call 623-580-5800 to +nd a doctor who can.