By Zeik Saidman We lied, kidnapped, abandoned and then manacled and drugged my mother-in-law. At least this is the way my wife describes the experience of placing her mother in a nursing home. True, we did use the therapeutic fib (Alzheimers experts use this concept) to lure her to the nursing home facility. We told my mother-in-law that she was going to visit with the nice man who had come to her home to talk about senior services in the area. In actuality, he was the director of the Alzheimers unit and his visit was to conduct an assessment for…
Category: Opinion - Part 12
By Dr. Linda Gorman This years budget hearing documents show that officials at the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing rate a piece of legislation, the 2009 Colorado Health Care Affordability Act, as their most effective program. Official response to HB11-1025, a bill introduced to repeal the tax levied by the act, will make it clear whether state officials seek to serve Colorado citizens or special interests seeking to prey upon them. If truth in advertising applied to legislation, the acts title would have landed someone in jail. In its first year, it raised health care costs by…
By Jarrod Hindman, M.S. Ask for help if you need it. Say yes to someone who asks you. Those two simple things can help to reduce the frequency of suicide, which claims more lives in Colorado than do motor vehicle crashes, homicide, breast cancer and diabetes. Research has shown that people who are suicidal do not want to end their life. Rather, they want to end their pain. If a caring person can listen without judgment, talk with them about their suicidal feelings, and get them connected to professional help, there is a great opportunity to save a life. We…
By William W. Hay, Jr., MD In 2003, 12.3 percent of births in the United States were preterm (less than 38 completed weeks of gestation). This represents a 31 percent increase in the preterm birth rate since 1981. As of 2010, the U.S. preterm birth rate has not declined significantly. The largest contribution to the increase in preterm births is from births between 34 and 38 completed weeks of gestation (term is after 38 weeks), known as late preterm births. Late preterm births have been increasing over at least the past two decades to a much greater extent than earlier…
By Abby Burton Induction of labor rates in the United States are increasing. This increase is driven by pregnant women and their families and by obstetric providers. Women have many reasons for wanting an induction of labor. Some are anxious and excited to meet the new family member; some are extremely uncomfortable as their girth and weight increase; some have such busy lives that theyd love to be able to schedule the birth as they would schedule a dinner party; some fear the process of labor and want it behind them.Some providers also encourage a scheduled induction of labor. A…
By Robert Brayden, MD The medical world has made huge strides in the ability to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases, yet we cannot forget how vaccine-preventable diseases once affected children and their families. With the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases and outbreaks affecting our own communities, it is more important than ever to maintain our efforts to encourage good health through immunization. Immunizations keep Colorado kids healthy. In the 30-plus years I have spent caring for children, I have witnessed first-hand the landmark achievement of vaccines and their ability to prevent suffering, hospitalization and death in our children. As a pediatric…