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In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared February American Heart Month. The declaration was official with Proclamation 3566, signed Dec. 30, 1963, according to the American Heart Association. Since that time (when half of U.S. adult deaths were due to cardiovascular disease), advocates have launched efforts to educate the public on how heart disease can be prevented and identified. 

(Read President Biden’s latest proclamation.)

This year American Heart Month celebrates its 56^th year.

On the first Friday of February millions across the country participate in Wear Red Day. This year, on February 4^th, people across the U.S. will wear the color red to promote heart disease prevention within their communities and raise awareness of the dangers of heart disease.

What You Can Do

Heart disease is still the leading cause of death in American with 650,000 deaths each year. Self-care is a key way you can prevent developing heart disease. In addition to proper nutrition, rest and exercise, seeing your doctor and attending your follow-up appointments is essential to taking care of your heart. Studies show that disease such as diabetes can make you more susceptible to heart disease and high blood pressure can lead to stroke, both of which potentially impact mobility. So ensuring a healthy heart can prevent certain mobility challenges or help preserve your mobility. 

A Checklist

Keeping your heart healthy means paying attention to your daily activities and paying attention to your body. Use the following checklist to maintain your heart health.

• Get exercise
• Eat nutritious foods
• Take your prescription medications as directed
• Get the proper amount of sleep
• Go to your doctor’s appointments. Use available resources to access the care you need.
• Get your blood pressure checked
• Ensure you following your care protocols if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure or diabetes
• Don’t forget your mental and emotional health.

Resources:

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/all-publications-and-resources/self-care-tips-heart-health

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• Cultural norms: Women are already seen as caretakers in the home, are more likely to volunteer or be selected as caregivers for ailing family and friends. Folks who need a caregiver are more likely to want a woman as caregiver.
• Workforce participation: Women are still unequal participants in the workforce. COVID19 has increased their presence at home even more which make them the likely candidates for unpaid that includes caregiving of children and older adults.
• Emotional Sensibilities: Women are more likely to feel a call of duty as it relates to caring for a family member or friend. They will be more likely to step up to the plate to take on the responsibilities.

The reality is that the inequity in this space leads to a lot of negative consequences, especially as it relates to physical, emotional and financial stress on the caregiver. 

For example, women caregivers:

• Often have more chronic health conditions, and
• Often exhibit signs of depressions

While it can simply be said that men need to be included more in the caregiving space as caregivers, the question is how do we support women caregivers and do it more often? Also, how can you, as a woman caregiver take care of yourself. 

Support for Women Caregivers:

As we look at the issues women caregivers face, we can start to layout what supports are needed including:

• Providing specific assistance and counseling for caregivers
• Provision of and assistance with how to find respite care
• Telehealth or telemedicine support
• Support groups
• Providing equity for the caregiver in the space of care planning for patients. Allow their feedback and actual input into the plan.

In addition, healthcare policies and workplace health programs should be looked at to provide the kind of support needed for the family caregiver including mental health support. 

Supporting Yourself as a Women Caregiver:

The biggest things you can do for yourself as a caregiver are in three (4) main areas:

• Advocate for yourself: Speak up in your family about the perceived burden of your duties as a caregiver and ask for the help you need from your loved ones. Also, include yourself in all healthcare planning. Insert yourself as a component of the care plan that needs to be addressed and cared for. 
• Seek Support: Reach out to family friends and support groups to get best practices and a forum for discussion for the everyday issues you may be facing.
• Practice Self-Care
  • Utilize respite care and the help from loved ones to take a break.
  • Acknowledge your feelings and know they are normal. Seek therapy and, as previously mentioned, support groups to help manage those feelings.
  • Do things you enjoy whether in small increments of time or by simply getting away when you can.
  • Take care of your physical health. Find time to exercise and take care of your own doctor’s appointments.
  • Find relaxation techniques that work for you. Meditation is one way but you may find another method that helps you relieve stress.

For additional resources:

National Alliance for Caregiving

http://caregiving.org/

Family Caregiver Alliance

http://caregiver.org/

CDC

Women, Caregiving, and COVID-19 | CDC Women’s Health

Author: Xpress NEMT, Inc.

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While it is common to include the caregiver in overall planning, it may be necessary to step back and really understand the impact of healthcare planning for the caregiver and how including them early on in decision-making and giving them a platform to express their own needs can alleviate some of the day to day stressors  associated with caregiving or even enhance their day to day tasks for their benefit and the benefit of their loved ones.

It makes sense, right? Especially, since family caregivers often  have a unique perspective.  They have a firm knowledge of:

• Their patient’s social and medical history
• The patient’s idiosyncrencies; what makes them happy; what makes them unhappy
• Ideas on how to make the patient comfortable
• Likes & dislikes when it comes to food, temperatures and environment
• Temperament, sleep patterns
• Where the patient may or may not need the most help
• How focused/unmotivated the patient is on independence.

When the caregiver is able to provide input he/she can help develop a plan that:

• Enhances the quality of life for the patient
• Enhances the relationship between the caregiver and patient
• Reduces dissatisfaction with the role of caregiving.
• Helps identify the areas where the caregiver may need additional education or resources that could better assist the patient and reduce the stress and emotional pain for caregivers.

Realizing inclusion of the family caregiver in the space of healthcare planning seems like a no-brainer, but too often family caregivers are left without a strong feeling of support that many times leads to anger and emotional distress. When we address the needs of a patient wholly, including addressing the needs of that person’s support system (which includes the family caregiver) we can realize healthy and happy outcomes for all.

Author: April Clarke (Staff Member at Xpress Transportation)AuthorXpress TransportationPosted onJanuary 17, 2022CategoriesTransportation

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The reality is that people with disabilities face systems that were not designed to accommodate all people, ranging from employment to education and other systems including healthcare.

In the US, 1 in 4 americans report a disability. And mobility related disabilities affect nearly 14% of all US adults with disabilities. A consequence of a mobility related disability is decreased access to healthcare, an important issue that impacts health outcomes for millions of Americans.

For People w/Disabiliies

When you have a challenge related to mobility or another kind of disability one of the best things you can have is the support of a loved one or access to supports or a support system.

In addition to needing daily support and ensuring that the spaces you go into are friendly to your needs you may need help navigating.

Resources like the Centers For Independent Living can help you find the resources you need for the challenges you face and the support you need.

Other organizations that advocate for civil rights, equity and the needs of people with disabilities include:

Disability Network Michigan

Michigan Disability Rights Coalition

The Arc Michigan

Michigan Department of Civil Rights

For Caregivers

Family caregivers are important to the quality of life of their loved one. A caregiver’s own quality of life is at stake as well and it is extremely important that you, as a caregiver, get the support you need.  A few tips:

Be Informed, Be an Advocate

Get education on your family member’s health, specific challanges and disability.  Get the information you needs to involve others who can help to provide care. But most importantly, get the knowledge you need to be your loved one’s advocate so that the best care is provided on all levels.

One way you can do so is by shoring up your knowledge on local and federal policy. Start with the Americans w/Disabilities Act. Learn what provisions are included and how they are to be realized in the spaced your loved on lives and goes into.

Get Support

• Join a local or online support group. Your emotional and mental health are important. So, seek out folks who share similar experiences that can help you navigate what you’re going through.
• Make sure you care for your own physical and mental health. Also, make sure to take out a few minutes, hours or days to focus on your own self care.
• Utilize those around you who want to give support. Say, yes! when support is offered.

For a list of caregiver resources, visit:

For Allies

As we move through the rest of January and the rest of this month, reflect on how you can be a part of the solution to impacting equity for Americans with disabilities.

A good way is to look at ways to be an ally.

The CDC looks at allyship in this space as:

A – Acknowledge & respect individual experiences and abilities.

L – Learn about different disabilities.

L – Leverage your influence to promote accessibility and inclusion

Y – Yield the floor to people with disabilities to help identify and eliminate barriers.

Check out the link below for more information on how you can be an Ally in the community.

Whether you are an ally, caregiver, or a person who desires equity and inclusion as it relates to your disability, we hope these resources can be of use and that equity for you and your loved one is top of mind in our communities now and until disparities are eliminated.AuthorXpress TransportationPosted onJanuary 17, 2022CategoriesUncategorized

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When loved ones can no longer drive we have an even bigger predicament. Taking time out to drive a loved one to doctor’s appointments and to run errands encroaches upon our daily routines and causes us to miss work or conducting business of our own. And for the family member/friend we care for, their independence is further diminished by having to depend on us to do something as seemingly simple as leaving home for a short excursion.

There are solutions to this that come in many forms. Various municipalities offer transportation resources. These are typically very restrictive, leaving many with options that only allow transportation within city limits and during certain times of the day. Also, appointments have to be scheduled with at least 48-72 hours notice. Despite this, the cost is often affordable if you are willing to compromise.

Taxis and bus services can be good resources, but only if you trust this form of transportation. If your loved one has specific cognitive challenges or has an illness or ailment affecting mobility, these are most likely not the best options.

Ridesharing or transportation networks like Uber & Lyft can be good options as well. But, often you are left with knowing nothing about the person that picks your loved one up. And, again, if your loved one has mobility and cognitive challenges, you may be in the market for a specialty service that caters to these specific needs.

If you are looking for a service that you can trust with not only getting your loved one to where they need to go, but also with caring for your loved one while understanding their specific needs, it may be best to look into a company like Xpress NEMT, Inc. or a similar company. Drivers for (reputable) companies like these offer special training and credentialing that rideshare companies, taxis, bus services and even most city services don’t provide. Drivers are trained on providing service under ADA laws, caring for passengers with chronic illness, Alzheimers and Dementia and other challenges, and transporting wheelchair bound patients safely.

Call 1-877-476-4811 for help with finding the best resource. Whether or not you can use our service we can point you in the right direction.

About Xpress NEMT, Inc. (www.xpresstransportation.com)

We have provided specialty transportation services to Metro Detroit for over 14 years, completing hundreds of thousands of trips for area residents. We specialize in options for passengers who have mobility challenges due to chronic illness, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Alzheimers & Dementia, and other Cognitive & Intellectual Disabilities.

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