Posts Tagged mental health
What Are the Signs of a Stroke?
This year about 800,000 Americans will experience the signs of stroke, and will suffer a stroke of some kind. Stroke happens when blood supply to the brain is interrupted, resulting in damage to the brain tissue. One-third of stroke survivors will have another one within 5 years. Each year strokes claim about 160,000 lives in the United States. Of the 640,000 who survive, many will have long-term disabilities that will effect their quality of life, physical appearance, and their capacity to earn a living.
Early detection
Early detection of the signs of stroke and symptoms of stroke make it much more likely that you’ll survive and have fewer lasting effects.
The National Stroke Association uses an anagram to remind people to act “F.A.S.T.” if you think someone may be having a stroke. Here are some easy things you can do to tell:
F – FACE Ask the person to smile. If one side of the face droops, this is one of the signs of stroke.
A – ARMS Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S – SPEECH Say a simple sentence and ask the person to repeat it. Are the words slurred and incomprehensible?
T – TIME If you can answer “yes”, to any of the above questions, you need to call 911 immediately. Every second counts during a stroke.
Recently there has been an email going around that is saying another one of the signs of stroke that you could look for in place of the “T” is to have the person stick out their TONGUE. If their tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other, this is one of the signs of stroke.
While this is also likely true, as a test it is not as valuable than the other three because there is room for interpretation of the results. How ‘crooked’ is crooked? How far to one side does it have to go before you might say it’s definitely one of the signs of stroke? The other three test mentioned above are better to use (smile, raise both arms, speak a simple sentence) and are very easy to determine if there is a problem.
When stroke strikes
Even with quick intervention, strokes can result in long-term disability. Depending on what people can afford, stroke patients may decide to have rehab in a hospital or long-term care facility. Others may even get help in the comfort of their own homes. With therapy, patents can relearn and regain basic activities of daily living such as speaking, eating, getting dressed and walking.
Costs of care
As with all medical care, treatment for stroke patients can be very costly. The 2009 annual cost of stroke is expected to reach $68.9 billion according to the American Heart Association.
Not very many families today are ready to handle the high costs of health care. Especially in today’s economy, it’s very difficult to have extra expenses beyond your normal household budget. Not surprisingly, about half of all personal bankruptcies filed in the U.S. are attributed in part to medical bills.
Cost-saving solution
Recognizing the signs of stroke and the costs of stroke are critical. But you really shouldn’t stop there.
Supplemental health insurance policies provide financial support when an individual is diagnosed with a stroke. These policies, also known as critical illness insurance, provide cash that can be used however you want. A person can use money to cover medical bills, pay for living expenses, or pay for assisted care.
When the signs of stroke are caught early, the long-term effects can be alleviated. And when individuals prepare themselves with a critical illness plan, they gain the peace of mind that comes from securing their personal and financial future.
Tags: brain, having a stroke, health, health insurance, heart, hospital, insurance, mental health, mental health insurance, national stroke association, rehab, signs of a stroke, signs of stroke, stroke, stroke patient, stroke patients, stroke survivors, strokes, symptoms of stroke, treatment, treatment for stroke, treatment for stroke patients, what are the signs of a strokeRelated posts
Winnebago Mental Health Institute – Its History and Development
If we speak of a primary center for treatment of mental illness in Wisconsin, Winnebago Mental Health Institute or WMHI is the first facility that comes to mind. Located at Lake Winnebago’s west shore, this state facility has about 1300 admissions every year and an average of 250 patients.
The facility was constructed in 1871. Originally named Northern Asylum for the Insane, its name was later changed to Winnebago State Hospital before the name was again changed to Winnebago Mental Health Institute.
Basically, WMHI’s services can be grouped into three areas. The first one is called Adult Service 1, consisting of forensic units. The second area is called Adult Service 2, for adults that are multiply impaired, and those requiring treatment for behavior modification, substance abuse and mental illnesses. The third unit, Youth Services, is for children and adolescents that are multiply impaired and those who are mentally ill and have substance abuse disorder.
The Therapeutic Services Department is responsible in evaluating and assessing the patients. There are 4 divisions of service: occupational therapy, recreational therapy, speech therapy and physical therapy. These divisions are responsible in the holistic approach to treatment.
There are various treatment activities in WMHI. One of them is individual psychotherapy. A treatment plan is outlined for each patient to determine the frequency of sessions that he must undergo. A clinical staff writes notes for each visit. The attending psychiatrist meets the treatment team on a regular basis to review the treatment plan.
Another treatment activity is through psychopharmacology. The attending psychiatrist determines and orders the medication according to the individual patient’s treatment plan. Psychotropic medication is used in order to achieve treatment goals and reduce risk of injury and violence.
Group therapy is another kind of treatment, where problems of each patient are shared and solutions are discussed. Other treatment activities include self-help groups, family therapy and community groups.
However, the facility is faced with controversy lately. City inspectors found violations of the hospital. Infractions include failure to protect patient’s rights such as the right to be protected from violent and sexual behaviors of other patients, to have privacy and to be in a safe environment. Other violations include medication errors and failure to correct environmental hazards and infection control in the facility.
Within a period of two years, three deaths and one rape case were reported. These, among other problems, have caused authorities to cite the facility for neglect and lack of attention. Reports indicate that poor supervision and staffing as well as bad judgment in medication caused these problems. Because of this, the government ordered the facility to correct the problems by 2008. Otherwise, it shall lose its federal funding for both Medicaid and Medicare.
With this development, lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill requiring all patient deaths in the facility be investigated. This is to create more transparency and accountability to the taxpayers.
More problems are at hand for WMHI. Hospital officials cite financial loss as the reason why there is not enough staff in the facility. Because of such financial losses, there are not enough employees to maintain hospital safety and provide better service to patients.
Despite these problems that the Winnebago Mental Health Institute has, hospital officials continue to work hard to give quality treatment to their patients.
Tags: clinic, health, hospital, mental health, mental health institute, mental illness, psychotherapy, substance abuse, substance abuse disorder, treatmentRelated posts
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