Any grassroots initiative begins by overcoming the inertia and indifference that individual might feel with the thought,

"I am just one person what I do won’t matter, or what I do won’t make a difference."

However, the collective efforts of small actions will cause positive change in the world.

The health care profession is in an ideal position to pioneer environmental sustainability because its goal is health and prevention of disease. Moreover, the health care profession has economic clout due to its huge buying power and can thus influence sellers and manufacturers. Health care also has the information to educate patients and the public about the connection between the environment and health or lack of health. For example, the following diseases have a direct correlation to environmental hazards: Article continued →

In honor of 2010 being the International Year of the Nurse, and May 12th being International Day of the Nurse, these few articles will feature a look at the history of nursing, noteworthy pioneers and where the world’s 15 million nurses will take today’s present health care needs in the years to come.

The Nightingale Initiative for Global Health seeks to unite nurses and concerned citizens toward the goal of a healthy world by 2020. This nurse initiated grassroots movement’s program of action will share information and solutions to achieve health for all humanity beginning with personal practice and moving up to public policy world wide.

Mary Seacole was the first example of such a nursing inspiration and may have been the first nurse practitioner.

Born in Jamaica in 1805 her mother was a black Jamaican doctress and her father a Scottish soldier. In today’s society this mention of her parents’ race is unnecessary but in the early 1800s interracial marriage was extremely rare, especially because Britain did not fully abolish slavery until 1838. Thus Mary’s parents were far ahead of their time in marrying. Article continued →

In honor of 2010  being the International Year of the Nurse, and May 12th being International Day of the Nurse, these next few articles will feature a look at the  history of nursing, noteworthy pioneers and where the world’s 15 million nurses will take today’s present health care needs in the years to come.

Florence Nightingale has been acknowledged as the founder of modern nursing. Born in 1820, the younger of 2 sisters, she learned many subjects from her father, and excelled in mathematics. This mathematical aptitude would later help her develop statistical models that were widely used.

In that era in Britain women of her class in society did not have careers. Even though there was a Queen on the British throne no woman could vote, go to university or be a Member of Parliament among other restrictions. They were expected to marry and have children. After marriage she could not purchase, enter into a contract own or bequeath anything without her husband’s permission. Somehow Florence Nightingale did not see becoming a wife and mother exclusively as her life’s path. Although she was betrothed to at least one suitor she did not marry. Article continued →

“If you don’t get it while you are in there when you go home good luck.”

Mary age 74 who suffers from congestive heart failure, coronary disease, high blood pressure had stomach surgery and spinal fusion. She has been in emergency, the hospital and rehabilitation.

“Following you home that never occurred and you know a whole lot can happen between leaving the hospital and getting home.”

Louis age 77 who has congestive heart failure coronary disease, arthritis, gout and memory loss. He has been in the hospital and a skilled nursing facility 3 times each.

Originally tested on congestive heart failure patients the Transitional Care Model was developed by Dr. Mary Naylor. The model employs master’s prepared advanced practice nurses experienced in providing comprehensive acute care and community based services. This nurse is knowledgeable about national standards of care delivery, and works with a physician. Article continued →

it would be beneficial if somebody were helping you transition because when you and the patient come out of the hospital here you are 2 dummies, one sick and one dummy. What do you do? Where do you go? You make a million phone calls. You do a lot of things that are stupid and nothing gets done. -Joanne an 79 year old caregiver.

To continue the discussion on chronic care for the elderly, these next 2 articles will focus on different programs that address the problem of uncoordinated or fragmented care.

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This series of articles will discuss the impact of chronic illnesses on the elderly, and what innovative programs have been tested to cope with this challenge. There are 10s of millions of Americans who have more than one chronic disease and many of them are over 65 years of age. 20% of senior citizens have 5 or more chronic illnesses*. Needless to say this has a negative impact on their quality of life.

Many of these illnesses are the result of preventable risk factors such as stress or obesity. Dr. Andrew Weil has noted that 400,000 people die every year from obesity related illnesses.* Therefore the starting point of coping with the dual challenge of an increasing older and sick population is to include prevention and a healthy lifestyle as the first recognized strategy in the war on chronic illness. Citizens living longer will mean that in the next 2 decades people with multiple chronic illnesses will increase to include 25% of the population.* Article continued →

Way back in the past a patient went to a hospital to die. Times have changed with the hospital playing a multitasking role not only for medical emergencies and healing, but it is a place of research and a point of access for day surgery and outpatients.

At one point all hospitals were run by religious organizations and charities. Today there are for-profit and government run hospitals added to the mix.

With the upcoming tidal wave of an aging population will a different delivery model for medical services be necessary? Some of the alternative solutions to hospital healthcare are two pioneers in the concept of offsite care: the hospice and palliative care movements. More home care services will likely be necessary in future and will probably promote comfort and healing for patients. Studies have shown that higher per capita access to hospitals do not result in better health outcomes. (Dartmouth Atlas, 2008)

If one were to get a bird’s eye view of the current delivery methods of health care that view would be instructive to see how the system can be altered to most effectively deal with the future aging population. Here are some overviews of the current health system.

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We begin a new series of articles that will address the impact of the baby boomer cohort on the current health care system in the United States.

Up to 90 million people born between 1947 and 1964 are entering their later years in life. Currently comprising 12 % of the nation’s population, within the next 2 decades 20% of the population will be 65 and older. Even 20% of the present 302 million shows a significant increase in the number of elderly.

In approximately the last 10% of life seniors cope with less than optimal health. In the US in 2006 life expectancy was 75 years for men and 80 years for women. However, healthy life expectancy was only 67 and 71 respectively. (www.who.int/countries/en/)

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This article will explore the development of alternative patient care philosophies and will attempt to explain the differences between the terms used to describe the various approaches. This article will begin will a discussion of conventional health care and then the following models of health care will be described:

• Holistic health care
• Complementary and alternative practices.
• Integrated health care.

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