March 2016 | Swan Lake Rehabilitation

Monthly Archives: March 2016

Medicare Savings Programs

New enrollees who sign up for Medicare in 2016 will pay at least $121.80 a month for Medicare Part B, $411 a month for Medicare Part A. If they are not eligible for free Part A coverage they will have to pay deductibles, coinsurance and copays when applicable (source). These costs can add up and can be hard for seniors on a fixed income to pay. Here are four Medicare Savings Programs that can help seniors pay for Medicare and related costs. Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) Program: To qualify as an individual for this program you must make no more than $1,010 a month or if married $1,355 a month. In addition your individual resource limit is $7,280 or if your married $10,930. QMB will help pay for Part A Medicare premiums, Part B Medicare premiums, deductible, coinsurance and copayments. Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) Program: To qualify as an individual you must make no more than $1,208 a month or if married $1,622 a month. In addition your individual resource limit is $7,280 or if your married $10,930. SLMB will only help you pay for Part B Medicare premiums.Qualifying Individual (QI) Program: You must apply for the QI Programs every year are granted on a first come first served basis and you cannot get QI benefits if you qualify for Medicaid. To qualify as an individual you must make no more than $1,357 a month or if married $1,823 a month. In addition your individual resource limit is $7,280 or if your married $10,930. The QI program will only help you pay for Part B premiums. Qualified Disabled and Working Individuals (QDWI) Program: To qualify as an individual you must make no more than $4,045 a month or if married $5,425 a month. In addition the individual resource limit is $4,000 or if married it is $6,000. The QDWI Program will only help you pay for Part A premiums.Countable resources include money in a checking or saving account, stocks or bonds. It does not include your house, car furniture or other household or personal items (source).This post is provided by Sprain Brook Manor Rehab which Provides unique opportunity to recover from medical procedures that result in true satisfying results. Getting you stronger and better every day. Contact Us today to receive more information. Disclaimer: The information provided in this post in not intended to be construed as health advice, nor should it be considered a substitute for obtaining individual medical counsel or consulting your physician.

Best Foods for Your Brain

Many people notice that as they grow older they feel that they are not as mentally sharp as they used to be. For example, math word puzzles may take longer to solve and memories can take longer to retrieve which can be frustrating. The reason this occurs is as we age blood flow to our brain drops. The areas where the blood flow drops the most leading to mental slowdowns is in our frontal cortex which includes verbal fluency, the ability to find the words we want to use and executive functioning, our planning and organizing center. In addition, blood flow also drops in the parietal cortex which affects visio-motor performance and the medial temporal area which affects the ability to make new long term memories (American Psychological Association). One tool that claimed to sharpen performance in everyday life and protect against cognitive deficits is Luminosity, a brain training tool. However, the company’s claims may have been unfounded and as a result they have to pay 2 million dollars to settle deceptive advertising charges (Federal Trade Commission). There are easier and are more scientific sounds ways to keep your brain healthy and you’re already doing it 3 times a day. The Mind Diet claims that by eating foods from 10 food groups while avoiding “bad” foods you can improve your brain health. The MIND Diet stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. Limited research has shown that those on the MIND diet lowered their risk of Alzheimer’s by 54%. Below are the foods that have been shown to be good for the brain that are included in the MIND DIET

Green leafy vegetables (like spinach and salad greens): At least six servings a week
Other vegetables: At least one a day
Nuts: Five servings a week
Berries: Two or more servings a week
Beans: At least three servings a week
Whole grains: Three or more servings a day
Fish: Once a week
Poultry: Two times a week
Olive oil
Wine: One glass a day

There are also foods you need to avoid. On the diet you have to have less than 4 serving a week of red meat, less than a tablespoon of butter or margarine a day, less than one serving of cheese a week, less than 5 servings of sweets a week and less than one serving of friend or food a week. Unfortunately there currently is no concrete preventive measure to stave off issues in our brain as we age. At some point we may need more consistent help in order to stay safe and live comfortably. If you or a loved one finds yourself needing longer term or short term care in the tristate area Sprain Brook Manor Westchester nursing home is there for you.
This post is provided by Sprain Brook Manor Rehab which Provides unique opportunity to recover from medical procedures that result in true satisfying results. Getting you stronger and better every day. Contact Us today to receive more information.Disclaimer: The information provided in this post in not intended to be construed as health advice, nor should it be considered a substitute for obtaining individual medical counsel or consulting your physician.

Major Breakthrough in the Treatment of Cancer

According to the Guardian, scientists are claiming a major success in the battle against cancer. This breakthrough is based on the engineering of immune cells to target specific types of blood cancers and destroy them. In one study 94% of participants with acute lymphoblastic leukemia saw their symptoms disappear. In another study involving the same immunotherapy technique another form of blood cancer saw half the sample of infected individuals go into remission and a total of 80% of the sample saw some sort of positive response to the treatment. Part of the reason why this immune therapy is such a breakthrough is because the patient’s in these studies had been treated unsuccessfully with other cancer treatments and their cancer was so advanced they only were given 1 month to live before they were administered the immunotherapy treatment. The way the treatment works is blood samples are taken from the patient and T-cells are extracted, T-cells are a type of white blood cells that fight infection and in this type of treatment they are modified by scientists to get antigen receptors that will seek out certain cancers and attack them. Then the cells are allowed to multiply and the cells are then infused back into the patient where they can destroy the cancer cells. Scientists are optimistic with this new form of treatment but they reported that it will likely not be a cure all for all cancer patients and symptoms can still reappear. If your or your loved one is recovering from a major health event like cancer Sprain Brook Manor rehabilitation center in Westchester has long term and short term care to help you or your family member improve their quality of life.This post is provided by Sprain Brook Manor Rehab which Provides unique opportunity to recover from medical procedures that result in true satisfying results. Getting you stronger and better every day. Contact Us today to receive more information. Disclaimer: The information provided in this post in not intended to be construed as health advice, nor should it be considered a substitute for obtaining individual medical counsel or consulting your physician.

Five Things to Know About Medicare

Medicare is a national social insurance program that has existed since 1966. As of 2010 Medicare has covered over 48 million people. Even though the program is over 50 years old there is still a lot of important information that the average person does not know about. Below are five things that every American should know about Medicare.

Qualifications for Medicare. In order to receive Medicare you must accumulate at least 40 work credits which is equivalent to working for about 10 years or you must be married to someone who is qualified for Medicare. Even if you do not reached the work credit threshold you may still qualify for Medicare but there may be aspects of the program that you would need to pay that you would not have had to pay for if you had reached the 40 work credit threshold.
Enrollment Deadline. You can enroll in Medicare for a 7 month period that begins 10 months before you turn 65. Coverage can begin as early as the month in which you turn 65.
If you qualify for Medicare and do not participate you can be penalized. If you do not enroll in Medicare when you are eligible you may have to pay higher premiums when you do join. For example for Part B medical coverage your premiums could be 10% more expensive for every year you were not on Medicare when you were eligible.
Every year you have the option to switch your coverage. Generally one can choose to change different parts of their medicate plans during different periods of the year. For instance you can switch from Medicare to Medicare Advantage from October 15th to December 7th. It is important not to just stick with one plan for your whole life but rather evaluate plans every year and see which plans fit you based on your changing needs.
Medicare does not cover everything. Medicare generally doesn’t cover eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids or dental. In addition, not every doctor takes Medicare. By going to the Medicare.gov website you can see what doctors are covered under your plan or you can contact doctor’s directly to ask whether they take Medicare

This post is provided by Sprain Brook Manor Rehab which Provides unique opportunity to recover from medical procedures that result in true satisfying results. Getting you stronger and better every day. Contact Us today to receive more information.Disclaimer: The information provided in this post in not intended to be construed as health advice, nor should it be considered a substitute for obtaining individual medical counsel or consulting your physician.

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