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Advanced Care Planning: Turning “What If?” Into “Here’s How”

2024-03-28T20:57:51-04:00October 27th, 2022|Categories: Quality of Life, The Kidney Citizen, Uncategorized|

By David L. Mahoney, MD, FASN, FASDIN A number of years ago, I attended a lecture on Advance Care Planning. The speaker was a very engaging man who had recently dealt with end-of-life issues for a loved one. There were about 150 people in attendance at the lecture, which began with a series of questions: “How many of you have life insurance?” Virtually every hand in the room went up. “How many of you have a will?” About three quarters of the hands were raised. “How many of you have a living will?” About 10% of hands were raised [...]

Telehealth with a Behavioral Health Professional: What to Know Before You Start

2024-03-28T20:57:51-04:00October 27th, 2022|Categories: Mental Health, The Kidney Citizen|

By Kirsten Weir If you or a family member is managing chronic kidney disease, you’re probably thinking a lot about physical health—the health of the kidney and the rest of the body. Caring for your behavioral health is just as important. And with telehealth options that let you see a behavioral health professional from your home, it’s more convenient than ever. “The increased availability and acceptance of telehealth might be one of the few positive changes to come out of the [COVID-19] pandemic,” says Amy Walters, PhD, a clinical health psychologist and the director of Behavioral Health Services for St. [...]

Digital Health Records – You can now access them, but not easily

2024-03-28T20:57:53-04:00October 7th, 2022|Categories: eNews, Quality of Life, Treatment|

On October 6, 2022, new federal rules took effect that require health care organizations to give patients unrestricted access to their digital health records. These rules that were passed under the 21st Century Cares Act are designed to empower patients by not only giving them the ability to access their own data, but also decide who to share that data with, which was previously not the case. This means that patients can better understand their care, shop for services, and engage in their own research. It also removes roadblocks such as fees and delays that were the norm for patients requesting [...]

COVID-19 Transmission and Understanding Exposure Risks

2024-03-28T20:57:58-04:00September 1st, 2022|Categories: eNews, Physical Health, Staying Healthy|Tags: |

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a series of questions around factors that can determine a lower or higher risk of COVID-19 transmission. These questions are designed so you can assess your risk of exposure and possible transmission in various settings, as well as the likelihood that you were infected if you had recently been around a person with COVID-19. If multiple factors indicate you could be in a higher transmission risk scenario, you  may consider adding more preventative actions or take steps outlined for what to do if you were exposed. As always, you should [...]

Will the COVID-19 Pandemic Ever End?

2024-03-28T20:57:59-04:00August 1st, 2022|Categories: Dialysis, eNews, Immunizations, Mental Health, The Kidney Citizen|Tags: |

By Alan S. Kliger, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, and Chair, Excellence in Patient Care Advisory Committee, American Society of Nephrology Updated October 2022 Some recent quotes I’ve heard - - - I’ll bet you have too: “Who can even pay attention when the subject of COVID-19 is raised?” “Enough already – I’m through with it” “What’s the difference? Even with vaccines and boosters, I still got COVID twice!” After nearly three years of this pandemic, COVID-19 infection has gone from a frightening and deadly disease to a major disruptor of our lives, to [...]

The New 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Has Launched

2024-03-28T20:58:00-04:00July 21st, 2022|Categories: eNews, Mental Health, Support|

As of July 16th, people experiencing a mental health crisis (or their family and friends) can call or text 9-8-8 to reach help. The new 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is modeled after 911 in order be easier to remember and provide a quick way for those in crisis to connect to a trained mental health professional, 24/7. The Lifeline is a national network of over 200 local crisis centers, providing free and confidential emotional support, along with connection to local resources, if necessary. When calling into the Lifeline, you will: First hear an automated message – this will outline additional [...]

Finding Your Balance Could Lower Your Risk of Death

2024-03-28T20:58:01-04:00July 5th, 2022|Categories: eNews, Physical Health, Staying Healthy|

A new study out of Brazil shows that being able to stand on one leg for at least 10 seconds is linked to having a lower risk of death over the next seven years. Researchers have found that people who were middle-aged or older who could not perform the 10-second standing test were almost four times as likely to die of any cause in the coming years. While it has been known that falls are a major cause of injury and death worldwide, this new study has shed light on falls not being the only problem of having poor balance. Improving [...]

Blood Sugar Testing to Manage Type 2 Diabetes in Patients Who Don’t Need Insulin

2024-03-28T20:58:05-04:00June 1st, 2022|Categories: eNews, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Quality of Life, Staying Healthy, The Kidney Citizen|

Checking your blood sugar daily may not help you manage your type 2 diabetes. If you have type 2 diabetes, it’s important to keep the amount of glucose, or sugar, in your blood at a healthy level. Many patients check their blood sugar at home each day. Patients place a drop of blood from their fingertip onto a test strip; then they insert the strip into a home glucose meter. This test measures your blood sugar level at that moment. People who use insulin check their blood sugar often so that they know how much insulin to take. But if [...]

Telehealth with a Mental Health Professional: What to Know Before You Start

2024-03-28T20:58:07-04:00May 5th, 2022|Categories: Dialysis, eNews, Kidney Transplant, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Stress Management|

By Kirsten Weir If you or a family member are managing chronic kidney disease, you’re probably thinking a lot about physical health—the health of the kidney and the rest of the body. Caring for your mental health is just as important. And with telehealth options that let you see a mental health professional from your home, it’s more convenient than ever. “The increased availability and acceptance of telehealth might be one of the few positive changes to come out of the [COVID-19] pandemic,” says Amy Walters, PhD, a clinical health psychologist and the director of Behavioral Health Services for St. Luke's [...]

Exercise for Both Physical and Mental Health

2024-03-28T20:58:08-04:00May 2nd, 2022|Categories: eNews, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Physical Health|

It is well known that exercise is important to maintain physical health, but new studies have shown that the benefits of exercise extend to mental health as well. Researchers looked at 15 existing studies that contain data on exercise and depression and have found a correlation between depression risk and physical activity. Even when someone wasn’t exercising as intensely or as often as advised by the US Department of Health and Human Services, there were still significant mental health benefits. The 15 studies used, which included over 191,000 participants total, found that people who did half the recommended amount of physical [...]

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