Health Highlight

In the Quiet of the Moment

            Twenty years ago, cell phones were an emerging business device that allowed people to stay connected on the go.  Phones were big, they were heavy (compared to today’s featherweights) and they were just that, phones.  Today, it seems like just about everyone has a piece of technology tucked away somewhere on their person waiting for the next phone call, text, tweet, Instagram, Facebook or whatever new methods of communication that has been launched while I write this today.  Humanity is just bombarded with a cacophony of noise and stimulation from so my different sources it is enough to set one’s brain into non-stop overdrive.  Our daily lives are full of commitments and activities that seem to drain away time at an alarming rate…we are constantly being bombarded by bad news online, on TV or if you still read it, the newspaper…we are subjugated to the loud thumping base from the car three blocks away that rattle every window in your home…awoken at 6am by the barking dogs left outside 24 hours a day by the neighbors…we hear jets flying overhead…and even when everything is off we hear the loud compressor on the refrigerator humming away….we are surrounded by noise…all the time.  That, my friend, is unhealthy.  As we go through our day, we need to give our brains and our body a respite, even if only for five little minutes, each and every day. 

            There has been research and studies done that show that a little bit of quiet time does the body good.  What good might that be you ask?  Here are some examples of the benefits of being still and taking in the quiet.

1)      Being still helps to lower your blood pressure

2)      Being still helps to improve your immune system

3)      Quiet time allows your brain to process events of the day prompting lower stress

4)      Quiet time helps improve memory

5)      Having quiet time helps improve mood

6)      People who have quiet time in their days tend to have better personal relationships with others

All it takes is 5 little minutes a day.  It might be challenging at first to set aside five minutes a day without touching your cell phone, tablet or laptop…we (as humans) have become quite addicted to our gadgets, we feel lost without them but they and the toxicity they sometimes carry are slowly poisoning us.  If your child was eating a lead Popsicle covered in mercury, you would certainly slap it out of their hands for their own safety, right?  Putting technology down or turning off the TV or Radio for 5 minutes a day, (30 minutes would be better) in order to quiet the mind and be still for the benefit of your own health certainly wouldn’t hurt either.  Studies have shown that noisy environments effect short term memory negatively…that is why most people turn the car radio down when they need to really concentrate…the silence helps!

How to quiet the noise?  Put your tech away during meals, turn off the TV and mute the radio…don’t take tech with you to the bathroom, really, it’s ok to not be plugged into Facebook for a few minutes, you don’t have to tweet it out every time you go BM.  Find a quiet spot, a happy spot or a place where you can just sit and take in the world around you with the minimal amount of interruption or disturbances.  Prayer or meditation is often a great ways to calm the mind and allow your body to heal.  Go to a quiet part of your local park and just sit and watch the birds dance on the wind or watch the squirrels chase each other in the greening grass.  I hope this message finds a place in you daily life and that you can incorporate a little peace into your world.  As always, thanks for reading and if you have any questions, please email me @ wmreid@bhcshealth.comHave a great week, take care of yourself and each other out there and remember, we’re all in this together!

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Global Issues

Water, the Elixir of Life

 “Water is the driving force of all nature.”

 Leonardo da Vinci.

This past Tuesday was World Water Day, a day that has been set aside to help us all realize the importance of this life giving force and how scarce it is becoming to our growing population around the world.   First proposed by the UN in 1992 and first observrd a year later in 1993, World Water Day is observed on March 22nd.  The UN and its member nations devote this day to implementing UN recommendations and promoting activities regarding the world's water resources and sustainability. As our world population continues to grow and clean drinking water continues to be a growing concern, a number of nongovernmental organizations who promote clean water and sustainable aquatic habitats are using World Water Day as a time to focus global attention on this critical issue of our era.

How convenient is it for those of us who live in this region of the world to just get up and get a drink when we are thirsty.  We may have to walk ALL the way to the kitchen or to the bathroom in order to slacken our thirst.  But there are those who are not so fortunate.  According to the UN, “… some kids must walk an average distance of 6 km per day to get drinking water.”  Could you imagine if you had to go that far just to get a drink of water?  Closer to home I think of the poor people who live in the Flint, Michigan area.  Due to no fault of their own, the populous of this once industrious community has been drinking poisoned water for the better part of two years.  To the credit of humanity, government organizations, private organizations as well as non-profits have all mobilized in order to provide millions of bottles of drinking water so that the people will not perish.  But how often has this scenario played out all over the world falling on deaf ears?  How many children and elderly have perished for want of fresh drinking water?  The UN is trying to raise the awareness of the shortage of this critical element of life.

Just how important is water?  Even though our planet is made up of just over 70% of water, only about 2.5 % is fresh water and only 1% of all fresh water is easily accessible.  Considering that our bodies are about 60% water, we need plenty of it each and every day to help us sustain good health.  Things that we, as American, take so much for granted, others around the world struggle for.  As our global population continues to rise, so shall the requirement of our most basic needs.  As technologies help humanity overcome their dependency on the limited resources of fossil fuels, there is no substitute for the natural resources like clean water.  At some point, water will be worth more to all of mankind than oil.

There are a whole host of organizations out there that can give information about the looming water crisis and what steps you can do to help bring about positive change.  I encourage you take time to investigate these different organizations and learn more about the power of water and what effect it can have onsomeone’s life.  Go to http://www.waterday.org/ and check it out.

I hope that everyone has a terrific Easter weekend as families gather together in one form or another.  Take time to think how often and how much water you use in a single day and remember those who struggle to find safe water let alone use it.  As always, thanks for taking time to read and I hope you are motivated to share these articles with your friends, you never know who you might touch and who might make a difference in someone’s life.  Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Bracket Buster

Madness of March

There is something special about the month of March, throughout history in every culture and religion, there is something special set aside for the time period surrounding the Spring Equinox.  Over the centuries, humanity has rejoiced in the survival of the darkness of winter and tinged with a certain madness, celebrated the spring with the hope of things to come and the birth of new life all around us. March is also the time when a seer warned Caesar to beware the Ides of March for certain doom was to fall upon him.  In the twenty-first century, the here and now, all across America and to some extent, the globe, the sporting world welcomes March for a different kind of madness, a different kind of hope and a different kind of doom.  I’m talking about the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.  You don’t have to be a basketball fan in the least to be effected by this annual phenomenon.  For most of us, this is an event that permeates the news, captures our imagination to one extent of another and lasts for a few weeks.  For others, this madness can destroy and bring a person to the brink of ruin.

March is National Gambling Awareness Month.  When I first read that March was Gambling Awareness Month I thought it an odd month to try and raise awareness of gambling…then I realized that March is the month that millions of people go a little crazy (and not just because it’s Spring).  Gambling on NCAA sports is illegal in all states except Nevada but it is still estimated between 9 and 12 Billion dollars will be wagered this month on men’s college basketball.  I don’t follow college hoops like I did when I was in college preferring now to spend my limited time with my family and other pursuits.  However, because filling out brackets is a social skill, something to be discussed at varying levels of society (like Super Bowl commercials) , I fill one outevery year with my brother just for bragging right…just for the fun of it…but not everyone has fun.

“…participation is all in good fun, (but) for many problem gamblers ‘March Madness’ truly describes their incredibly strong, persistent urges to gamble regardless of the consequences,” says Keith Whyte, Executive Director of the National Council of Problem Gambling. “People affected by gambling addiction report feeling trapped during the NCAA tournament, bombarded by commercials and conversations about selections, brackets and Cinderella teams.”

Any form of addiction is a serious burden to the not only the one who suffers from the addiction, but the family of the addict, the friends of the addict and society as a whole suffers from the behavior of the addict.  There are those who scoff at the idea of a gambling addiction, who think that the irresistible impulse to wager on something is not as real as a chemical addiction to say heroin, or alcohol…but there are many addictions out there and those unstoppable urges are real for all addicts.  This month we focus on Gambling Addiction and we as a society try and reach out and help those who are in need because as caring neighbors, that’s what we should do.  If you or someone you know struggles with this addiction, there is help available to you.  As with any addiction, the feeling of shame and helplessness can be overwhelming…but there are people who can help.  For more ideas on how to have the conversation, and information on problem gambling prevention and treatment resources, visit the National Council on Problem Gambling at ncpgambling.org or contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline 24/7: Call or text 1-800-522-4700, or chat at ncpgambling.org/chat.

As always, thanks for reading and I hope that everyone enjoys this season of the year as much as I do.  Be on the lookout for spring flowers and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Health Highlight

The Gateway to Health

Happy Friday Everyone, I hope everyone had a happy and safe St. Patrick’s Day yesterday.  I spent my morning yesterday getting my kids ready for school and then I was off to visit my dentist for my six month check-up.  As I was relaxing in the chair getting my teeth cleaned my mind was out and about thinking of how dental care impacts our daily health.  There is an old saying that the eyes are the window to the soul, if that axiom is true (and I believe it is) then the mouth is the gateway to good…or poor health. 

Let’s take a look at some of the numbers provided by the American Dental Association (2014):  of adults age 18 and over who were surveyed, only 52% report to visit their dentist every six months which is recommended for proper cleaning and oral health.  15% report going once a year…11% report going once every few years and an incredible 21% report to have not been to the dentist in several years.  The number for children and teens are a little better…65% of patients under the age of 18 report seeing their dentist every six months.  20% report going once a year…4% reports going every few years and 11% report not having been in several years.  I find some of these numbers a bit surprising but then when one sits and thinks about the why and how these numbers distribute the way they do one could almost understand some of them. 

Some folks rationalize their decision not to visit the dentist with the ol’ “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach, only going to their dentist when there is a medical need to go and then, only if there is nothing else that can be done.  Other just don’t have the means (read income or insurance) to visit the dentist, even once a year, which in my mind would be better than never.  And then some folk just don’t trust a dentist as far as they could throw them and have a great fear of their medical art.  According to the Colgate Oral Care Center, “People with dental phobia often put off routine care for years or even decades. To avoid it, they'll put up with gum infections (periodontal disease), pain, or even broken and unsightly teeth….It has been estimated that 9% to 15% of Americans avoid seeing the dentist because of anxiety and fear. That's about 30 million to 40 million people.”

The critical part here is that as more and more research is conducted on the link between dental care and general health, the numbers are starting to show just how important dental care really is.  Poor oral care has been linked in one way or another to have a negative impact on the following chronic illnesses and conditions…Pregnancy: women who have poor oral health and are pregnant have a higher chance of delivering premature and/or the baby having a low birth weight.  There have been links to plaque build-up and gum disease to the decreased health and wellness of the patient’s cardiovascular system.  Patients who suffer COPD or from pneumonia are at greater risk for prolonged illness if they also have gum disease because of the bacteria that enters the body through the infected gums.  Diabetics are also at risk from gum disease, again, from the chance if infections from slow healing bleeding gums.  There are several more illnesses that are linked to and exacerbated by poor oral health but My hope here today is to just raise your awareness of the importance of taking care of your teeth and gums…after all, it’s the gateway to your body, protect it.

As always, thanks for taking the time to read our blog.  If you have any questions for me or anyone here at the office, drop me an email.  Have a great weekend everyone, be safe and take care of each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Just a Thought

Happy Pi Day Everyone!

            Today being March 14th, we celebrate Pi Day.  What is Pi you ask?  Pi is that elusive magical number that helps us find the circumference or the area of a circle and is represented by the Greek letter Pi  or numerically 3.14 (which is why today, 3/14 is Pi Day).  Armed with this mysterious number and some basic math formulas, you can now calculate the amount of fencing you might need to go around an above ground pool…or how much sand you might need for the pool’s base…you can even calculate how many gallons of water you will need to fill your above ground pool well before you turn on the tap!  I know as the warming weather makes us all think of spring and the promise of summer and swimming you might be wondering what all this math has to do with healthcare. 

            The search for the number of Pi is today recognizable as 3.14159265 (and it never ends…never!) once upon a time this number was greatly sought after but not attained.  As far back as ancient Egypt, mathematicians struggled to come up with a number that would accurately give them the answer they needed…they were close but the absolute answer eluded them.  In the ancient world, the first closest discovery of Pi was by the Greek mathematician Archimedes over two thousand years ago.  Over the past 2000 years, mathematicians have continued to study Pi and he patterns within its never ending sequence.  Even today, there are those who continue to toil and study what this number is and what it can do.  As mathematicians have been searching for mathematical truths throughout time, humanity has been studying healing arts since the first persons walked the earth.  There was once a time when people thought that everything there was to be discovered had been discovered and that humanity was at the pinnacle of the scientific age…then the invention of the airplane came about and the whole world changed yet again.  The ongoing search for the next level of healthcare improvement is an ongoing, never ending process…much like Pi, it’s reach and impact goes on to infinity.  Hundreds of thousands of doctors, nurses, aides, researchers, social worker, philanthropist and anyone else who stands up for the continued improvement of the health and welfare of humanity…we all have a never ending job of helping and healing.  We go on for infinity…like Pi. 

            So, as you settle in for dessert tonight (or whenever the mood strikes) and your thoughts turn to maybe a nice slice of apple pie, keep in mind that ol’ Greek Mathematician Archimedes and his search for Pi too.  And as you ponder that marvelous number 3.14 that roles onto infinity, think about all the people who are out there today, seen and unseen, who are striving non-stop to make our world a better place by providing us all with the best health and care possible.  So thank a healthcare worker for what they do and maybe buy them a piece of Pi.  Thanks for reading as always and remember to take care of each other, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Provider Spotlight

Five Hundred Hats

Happy Friday everyone!  I’m not sure if you are familiar with or have even read the story by Dr. Seuss titled The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (1938).  I won’t go into great detail but in a nut shell…every time Bartholomew tries to take off his hat before the king, a new one appears on the top of his head…and the closer Bartholomew gets to the 500th hat, the more elaborate and elegant the hats become.  Yesterday, I had the opportunity and the pleasure to sit with one of the case managers from the Area 9 Agency, Tricia Luebbe of the Richmond office.  While I was talking with her about what the Area 9 Agency does for our communities and the tireless work she and her co-workers perform for their clients, this book crept into the back of my mind. 

Case managers from the Area 9 Agency are charged with the task of checking in with clients who have sought help to get connected to various services that are provided throughout Fayette, Franklin, Rush, Union and Wayne counties that make up the Area 9 service area.  I asked Tricia about how many cases they manage at any given time and I was shocked to hear how many people they are helping week in and week out.  At any given moment the case managers could have up to seventy cases that they take care of.  Some of these individuals are very self-sufficient and require very little in the way of extra help from the case workers but many of the clients that are in the care of the case worker needs a little more.  This is where the 500 hats comes in…these men and women who help their clients sometimes need to wear many different hats of responsibility during the process of discharging the best service possible for their clients.  Case workers like Tricia are advocates for their clients as they deal with the various state and local agencies that their clients deal with.  Maybe a client doesn’t fully understand their insurance or their Medicaid application, maybe there is a medical condition that might cause a foul up with the acceptance of services, depending on the situation, Tricia and her co-workers pull out whatever “hat” is needed and works to resolve the issue.

The Area 9 Agency really does a great job of helping people of all ages connect to the right services within the community.  They have been a division Indiana University since the early 1970’s and the number of people that have been helped numbers in the thousands.  I think every person who strives to serve those in need has a success story that might stand out above the rest…Tricia is no different.  She shared several stories where the common theme involved the client overcoming obstacles like transportation issues (due to being wheelchair bound), being on a fixed income, lack of family support, etc. and due to the services they were connected with, rose out of the shadows of those challenges and obstacles in order to lead a fuller and well-rounded life.

By choosing to accept the challenge of wearing many different hats that comes with selflessly helping others better their lives, people like Tricia and the rest of the good folks at Area 9 continue to make a daily impact in our communities.  Check out their website and see what they might be able to do for you or someone you may know.  http://www.iue.edu/area9/index.html  Again, my hat is off to Tricia and her fellow case workers…thanks for reading everyone, have a great weekend and remember, take care of each other, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Just a Thought

What’s Your Pebble?

Have you ever had a pebble in your shoe?  That tiny little stone that somehow finds its way into to your shoe and causes discomfort, maybe even pain.  What do you do?  Some people stop, take their shoe off and try and get the stone out right away no matter where they are or what they are doing…relief is the highest priority of the moment.  Then there are those who might be in a place or situation where they can’t take their shoe off…so they wiggle their foot and try and move the pebble to a spot in order to try and minimize the discomfort of the stone.  Some folks try and ignore it all together and pretend that it isn’t there, kind of a mind over matter approach.  I confess, depending on where I am and what I’m doing, I use all of the above techniques when I have a stone in my shoe…but what about the little stones of life?  What pebbles are making you feel uncomfortable or causing you stress or strife?  What are you doing about those pebbles?

We all have pebbles in our shoes…things that concern us and my cause an elevated level of anxiety or stress…work, bills, relationships, etc. the list could go on and on.  The question is how do we approach these pebble of life to deal with them?  Do you choose to ignore them and hope that the pebble will fall out of your shoe like it fell into your shoe or do you take a more proactive approach and confront the pebble in your shoe in order to relieve the discomfort?  I can’t answer this question for you any more than you could answer the question for me.  The discussion I heard this past weekend about pebbles put me in an introspective frame of mind about what my pebbles are and inspired me to write on this topic today.

Self-efficacy is the ability to believe in one’s self and the ability to accomplish something…I believe I can go out and run a mile and thus I go out and run a mile.  I believe I can achieve better health through eating healthier, I start eating better and achieve better health.  It’s the ability to believe in yourself and accomplish the things you believe in and for most people it’s easier said than done.  Developing a positive mental outlook and being able to face the challenges of life take practice and time to develop.  Like physical exercise to strengthen our bodies, we all need to practice positive mental health habits to strengthen our self-efficacy and our ability to face the daily grind.  There have been loads of supportive evidence that clearly state that a person who has a sense of emotional, psychological and social well-being are healthier people.  People who fall into this category have lower reported cases of having chronic illness and have an overall higher level quality of health.

 We all have setbacks in our daily life, it’s how we deal with it that can cause us more or less stress.  If you are feeling overwhelmed with life or feel you need help but just aren’t sure how to receive help…you just need someone to show you how to get the pebbles of life out of your shoe…there are people who can help.  If you are wanting to reach out and shore up your support network or find a professional to talk to there are organizations and resources (online, local community centers, churches and even hospitals) to help you connect with the people who can help.  Sometimes we all need a little help getting a pebble out of our shoe, don’t be afraid to ask for help…remember, we’re all in this together.  Have a good week everyone.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Provider Spotlight

The Power of One

            Several Years ago the US Army had an ad campaign that promoted the idea of each individual who joined the armed service could be an “Army of One”. The meaning I took from this advertisement was that by joining the army and by the time the training and service were complete, an individual could be as strong as an army, even standing alone.  The possibilities of a person were endless in what they could accomplish with that service experience instilled within.  There are many cases where a person who stands alone can make a difference in the life of another and it doesn’t always involve standing as an army alone (though sometimes it helps).  Sometimes it is one person’s observations of a need and then having the courage to advocate for the resources to meet that need.

            This past week I had the opportunity to sit and talk at length with one of our area health care contributors, Janie Manning, who is the discharge planner at Rush Memorial Hospital in Rushville, Indiana.  A kind and gentle woman who has worked at Rush Memorial for several years, Janie has a deep passion for the patients she serves and the families she helps.  As discharge planner, Janie helps patients and the family of patients sort through and navigate the colossal and copious amounts of paperwork involved with hospital care and the care needed following a stay in the hospital.  On occasion, the patient has no family to depend upon and sometimes the patient has no prospect of surviving a terminal illness…the question then becomes, “Now what?”

            Janie had such a patient not too long ago. This particular patient needed hospice care to help with his end of life needs, but with no family in the area and the medical needs that the hospital was giving, the only option at the time was a long term care facility that kept shuttling the patient back and forth with little rest.  What was needed was an in hospital hospice center so the patient could be comfortable and rest easy and still receive the care he needed.  At the time the closest hospital to provide such services was in Columbus, IN which is over an hour away from Rushville, the patient’s home.  Moved by the suffering of one of her charges, Janie had the courage and foresight to bring the idea of an in hospital hospice unit to the hospital administration and to their credit, the administration bought into the idea and set the wheels in motion to fill the need.  Last August (2015) Rush Memorial Hospital opened their in hospital hospice unit with the expectations of being able to serve one or two hospice patients per month with their end of life care needs.   

             Armed with the knowledge of the respectful and gentle care the patients are receiving in this unit at this time of life, the response has been far greater than expected.  Rush Memorial Hospital is a small rural hospital that offers a stunning array of services and continues to expand their capabilities but the true power of this organization is represented by the people that work within its healing walls.  Because of the courage of one woman who has a passion to help those in need, dozens upon dozens of patients and families have been helped (in a very short period) during a trying time for the families with the compassion and kindness because of the power of one.

             As always, thanks for reading, pass this along and give someone the courage to speak up and be their own power of one and who knows what great thing will pop up from the ground that can benefit us all…remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Health Highlight

An Ounce of Prevention

            Happy Leap Day everyone!  I hope everyone has had a chance to take advantage of our extra day this year, maybe commit a random act of kindness or take a chance to try something new.  Enjoy! 

            I think growing up we have all heard at one time or another the phrase, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and if you haven’t, well, you just read it.  There are many cliché sayings out and about in our world and some of them even ring true…much like the one I just wrote.  It is a saying that can apply to so many different areas in life only if we apply the knowledge in the right place at the right time.  A brief example…it is better (i.e. less expensive) to perform regular maintenance on your car than to have to replace the car’s engine when the oil fails to keep the engine from overheating and the motor seizes.  Twenty-five dollars for an oil change vs twenty-five hundred dollars for a motor change…ounce of prevention vs a pound of cure.

            This same principle applies with our own health and care of our health.  Over the weekend I saw a commercial for a national health insurance carrier…they weren’t necessarily promoting their own prowess of their coverage or how fast they could help with medications or even your hospital stay.  This commercial was promoting the concept of approaching healthcare from a proactive standpoint sharing how this approach could save the holder of the policy time and money.  Navigating our own healthcare needs on a good day can be complex at best and due to the nature of the rising cost of healthcare, we as patients, tend to be reactionary in nature.  We as a population, tend to only seek out care and advice on the state of our health only when we are not feeling quite right or if something goes wrong with our health. We rationalize this by saying that we don’t have time or that we can’t afford it…etcetera and so on.  Historically, we are a reactionary society (when it comes to our health) and because of this reactive tendency the cost of treatment for our illness that develop over time (Hart disease, Diabetes, Cancer, etc.) cost thousands of dollars more to treat than if we had been more proactive in our healthcare. 

            Fortunately, the national trend is for people to be more involved in their healthcare before long term health issues occur and those benefits of being more involved and preemptive with healthcare are being seen.  There has been continued research and studies that show time and again that being proactive vs reactionary in the managing of our health leads to better, long term health.  These benefits of being more proactive in one’s approach to one’s own health include but are by no means limited to a better quality of life and lower healthcare costs.  Allow me to go on a tangent if you will, a smoker gives up smoking…short term benefits are breathing easier and savings of not shelling out four to six dollars per pack of cigarettes (multiplied by however many packs consumed per week).  Long term benefits of quitting smoking are reduced chance of cardio-pulmonary disease (or other smoking related illness) and the massive savings in healthcare by not having to treat those types of illness…being proactive vs reactive…it just makes sense.   

When it comes to our health, an ounce of prevention really does prevent a pound (or two) of cure.  I hope this is something that you can think on in an open frame of mind or maybe share with a loved one.  It is never too late to take steps in the right direction when it comes to living a healthier lifestyle.  I hope everyone has a good week and remember, we’re all in this together.

 Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

besthomecareservices@comcast.net

Provider Spotlight

Hidden Gem

            I belong to a local service organization in my home town and we often have guest speakers that come to our Wednesday night dinner meetings and share information of how their organization helps our local community.  Usually the speaker discusses a topic or shares information about their organization that the rest of us are all familiar with but in our last meeting, almost all of us in attendance were pleasantly surprised to learn of a local, little hidden gem.  Our guest speaker, Marilyn Sasser (Executive Director), of the Oxford Free Clinic came to our meeting to share not only who they are but to also share about the people they serve. 

The Oxford Free Clinic (also called the Oxford College Corner Clinic) provided services for around 400 patients last year and expect to come close to those same numbers for 2016.  Even though they are based out of Oxford, Ohio they serve patients from all over Butler and Preble counties in Ohio as well as Franklin and Union counties in Indiana.  The clinic is comprised of over 40 volunteers that take time to see patients on the first three Wednesdays of the month.  Their home office is based out of McCullough-Hyde Hospital in Oxford but they see patients in their different locations.  The mission of the clinic is pretty straight forward and gives a good explanation of what they do and who they serve.

“Our mission is to reach the chronically ill, especially those with congestive heart failure, diabetes, or hypertension, and those who have significant monthly medical costs.  We want to enable area residents to follow their prescribed course of treatment.”

It was inspiring to hear Mrs. Sasser share the success stories of the patients she and the volunteers of the clinic are able to help through their selfless acts of helping their community.  With a number of physicians, nurses, and community/student volunteers the clinic is able to help those who just can’t afford the medication that they need for proper health.  One of my favorite stories she shared was about a patient who was diabetic and couldn’t afford the proper medication.  Because of poor health, this individual couldn’t work and was struggling with public assistance.  But now that this individual has proper medication to manage their diabetes, their health has improved to such a point that they are now working full time.  The clinic was able to literally turn this individual’s life around and help give them the boost they needed to become self-sufficient.  You can check out more about the Free Clinic at their website:  http://www.oxfordfreeclinic.org/home.html

There are hundreds of people in our local communities, be it Richmond, Connersville, Brookville, etc… who give their talents, time and money to help our neighbors all around us each and every day.  I encourage you search yourself to see if there is something that you feel you might be able to offer to help in your community.  Not everyone can be an MD, RN or even a CNA, but I bet if you looked and asked, there will always be a spot for someone to answer phones or pass out flyers.  Maybe they need help in a free clinic in your home town or maybe it’s something as simple as visiting the local nursing home to visit with the residents and share an encouraging word, we can all do something.  I encourage you to get involved and see what difference you can make in making a better life for someone else…remember, we are all in this together.

Thanks for reading,

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

besthomecareservices@comcast.net