Opioid Crisis Has Sad Unintended Consequences

A table with many different types of pills on it.


The national awareness that has been created by the opioid crisis is a great thing, and has saved many lives.  However, The New York Times Recently ran an article about some unintended consequences caused by physicians being more cautious about prescribing pain medications.  Many doctors refer patients who need pain killers to “pain clinics,†which specialize in treating those with chronic pain and often prescribe opioids.  However, even the pain clinics have become increasingly cautious.  The Times told the story of Brent Slone, who flipped his vehicle to avoid a stalled car and suffered severe injuries.  He miraculously survived, but was paralyzed from the waist down and in intense pain.  Six years after the car wreck, the pain clinic he went to cut his pain medication in half with no explanation.  He showed up at the pain clinic in his wheelchair, but they gave him no sympathy and told him he couldn’t get a refill on his prescription for six weeks.  He sent his wife a text which said “They denied script im done love you.â€Â  He then went to a local park and committed suicide.  Although his family won a nearly $7 million malpractice judgment against his doctors and the pain clinic, this was a small consolation to his wife.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/opinion/opioid-crisis-pain-victims.html

 

FDA Approves New Blood Cancer Treatment From Johnson & Johnson

A close up of a cell with viruses inside


The Food & Drug Administration has cleared drug therapy called Carvykti, the first treatment for blood cancer in the U.S.  It works on patients with multiple melanoma whose disease has worsened despite prior treatment with other drugs.  On one of J&J’s U.S. studies, 98% of the 97 multiple-myeloma patients treated with Carvykti had a significand reduction in the proteins that signal the presence of myeloma.  And 83% had a complete remission, with no detectable cancer cells at a median time point of 22 months after treatment.

 

Seniors Getting More Adept At Using Technology

A person holding an iphone in their hand.


Seniors are getting more and more adept at using technology.  It was great to see that Alliance on Aging is offering free one-on-one technology training classes for seniors age 60+ every Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., by appointment only.  You can learn the basics on how to use your devices – smartphones, tablets, Chromebooks, computers, and laptops.  The training is provided by Loaves Fishes and Computers at 236 Monterey Street in Oldtown Salinas.  For an appointment, call 831-646-4931 or 831-512-1330.  This is a national trend.  The Wall Street Journal recently ran a story about senior communities and assisted living facilities offering similar training.

Poll : Health Care Workers Still Love Their Job

A person holding hands with another person in bed.


It’s hard to believe, but that was the headline of a recent USA Today story which, to me, was shocking.  They are under so much stress right now with the number of COVID-19 cases and staffing at the bare minimum, I would have thought that they would be extremely unhappy.  But 75% of them say that they still love their jobs, according to a USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll of doctors, nurses, paramedics, therapists and others in the health care industry.  “The pandemic has actually made me realize how important this career is, and how I really do make a difference,†Christina Rosa, a 33-year-old mental health counselor told USA Today, despite the fact that she had to close her office and serve clients remotely.  About half of the poll respondents described themselves as burned out and 20% said they were feeling angry.

 

Marina, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours: $2/Hour Extra On The Weekends CNA OR HHA Designation A Plus

A woman and an older person sitting next to each other.


Marina, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours: $2/Hour Extra On The Weekends CNA OR HHA Designation A Plus (Also Aromas, Big Sur, Carmel, Carmel-by-the-sea, Carmel Valley, Castroville, Corral-de-tierra, Del Rey Oaks, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Prunedale, Salinas, Seaside & Soledad

We have developed a reputation for having the best caregivers (Home Care Aides or Senior Companions) in Monterey County over the past decade and have recently expanded into Santa Cruz County.   We are currently looking for qualified caregivers.

Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey and Santa Cruz is seeking compassionate, mature and dependable caregivers who want to improve the lives of our elderly Clients by providing in-home, non-medical care.  Our services include:

Caring companionship

Meal preparation

Incidental transportation

Running errands

Light housekeeping

Medication reminders

Monitoring of safety while bathing

Information and referral services

Other services that improve the safety, security and quality of life of seniors.

If you believe you would make an exceptional Home Care Aide, we would love to hear from you!  We prefer those with experience helping the elderly, disabled and others with mobility problems.  Having cared for those with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is a plus.  To work for us, you must have excellent references, a clear criminal record, a good driving record, and an insured reliable vehicle.  To apply, please visit our website www.fhcofm.com, click on home care aides, then careers where you can fill out an application online.  We have immediate openings all over Monterey County.

Economic Problems About : Life Insurers Now Suffering Due To COVID-19

A woman sitting next to an older person.


There are so many economic problems surrounding us, one of them I hadn’t even thought of recently hit the headlines of The Wall Street Journal : Life Insurers Facing Huge Losses Due to COVID-19 deaths.  Although the increase in losses for last year’s victims of coronavirus were expected, what was not were losses attributable to people who died from something other than COVID-19.  Some medical experts believe that these were due to people not going to the doctor because they feared getting the coronavirus or simply couldn’t get an appointment.  “The losses we are seeing continue to be elevated over 2019 levels due at least in part, we believe, to the pandemic and the existence of either delayed or unavailable healthcare,†Globe Life finance chief Frank Svoboda told analysts and investors.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/rise-in-non-covid-19-deaths-hits-life-insurers-11645576252

 

As If We Haven’t Had Enough Stress, A New Omicron Variant Arrives

A close up of the word coronavirus with an image of a virus


Just as the number of infections started plummeting and it appeared that it would soon be safe to go outside again, health authorities have announced that a more infectious type of the Omicron variant has surged and now accounts for a full one-third of global COVID-19 cases sequenced in recent weeks.  Known as BA.2, this strain may extend the length of a new COVID-19 wave.  “We’re looking not only at how quickly those peaks go up, but how they come down,†World Health Organization (SHO) epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove told The Wall Street Journal.  “And as the decline in cases occurs…we also need to look at: Is there a slowing of that decline?  Or will we start to see an increase again?† she continued.  Fingers crossed that this is not another huge wave.

 

Medicare Under Fire For Not Covering Most Claims For New Alzheimer’s Drug, Aduhelm

A building with the capitol in the background.


Drugmakers and patient advocacy groups are pushing back against a federal proposal to cut off most Medicare payments for a new drug from Biogen Inc. to treat Alzheimer’s, called Aduhelm.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last month proposed to limit coverage of the drug to patients enrolled in clinical trials which are sanctioned by the agency.  The proposal would apply to similar drugs still in development and not yet approved that work by reducing amyloid protein in the brain.  The high cost of the drug and questions over its efficacy are behind the decision of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Age Discrimination Still Present Despite A Hot Job Market


The job market in the U.S. is on fire, but seniors looking for work continue to complain about age discrimination.  Workers over 50 haven’t joined the jobs recovery to the same degree as younger peers, not counting the millions who retired early during the past two years.  In January, nearly one-third of job seekers age 55 and older were part of the long-term unemployed, according to federal data which compared them to workers between the ages of 16 and 54.  In a recent AARP survey, 78% of workers between the ages of 40 and 65 said they had seen age discrimination.  One suggestion : Address the issue head on and don’t avoid it. Prove to a potential employer that you have what it takes to compete with a younger worker.

 

Del Rey Oaks, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours: $2/Hour Extra On The Weekends CNA OR HHA Designation A Plus

A man and woman sitting in a wheelchair.


Del Rey Oaks, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours: $2/Hour Extra On The Weekends CNA OR HHA Designation A Plus (Also Aromas, Big Sur, Carmel, Carmel-by-the-sea, Carmel Valley, Castroville, Corral-de-tierra, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Prunedale, Salinas, Seaside & Soledad

We have developed a reputation for having the best caregivers (Home Care Aides or Senior Companions) in Monterey County over the past decade and have recently expanded into Santa Cruz County.   We are currently looking for qualified caregivers.

Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey and Santa Cruz is seeking compassionate, mature and dependable caregivers who want to improve the lives of our elderly Clients by providing in-home, non-medical care.  Our services include:

Caring companionship

Meal preparation

Incidental transportation

Running errands

Light housekeeping

Medication reminders

Monitoring of safety while bathing

Information and referral services

Other services that improve the safety, security and quality of life of seniors.

If you believe you would make an exceptional Home Care Aide, we would love to hear from you!  We prefer those with experience helping the elderly, disabled and others with mobility problems.  Having cared for those with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is a plus.  To work for us, you must have excellent references, a clear criminal record, a good driving record, and an insured reliable vehicle.  To apply, please visit our website www.fhcofm.com, click on home care aides, then careers where you can fill out an application online.  We have immediate openings all over Monterey County.