Right at Home of Central New Jersey Reminds You to Get Your Flu Shot

Right at Home of Central New Jersey 

Reminds You to Get Your Flu Shot!

The right people, doing the right things, 

the right way, for the right reasons. 

Right at Home.

Did you get your flu shot yet? 

Doctors recommend that almost everyone should get an annual flu shot, beginning around October. Of course, it's easy to procrastinate.

Never fear! If you haven't had the flu yet this year, count yourself lucky and go get your shot. December is typically the beginning of peak flu season so getting vaccinated now can spare you from a miserable week and even life-threatening complications. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that each year more than 200,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized due to flu complications and thousands of deaths each year are flu-related. People with asthma, diabetes, heart disease and a number of other chronic health conditions are more vulnerable to complications. And people older than 65, even if they are healthy, are at higher risk.

If you're tempted to skip your flu shot, remember that by lowering your own risk of the flu you're lowering the risk for others. Our immune systems weaken as we grow older and the effectiveness of the flu vaccine varies from year to year so a senior who is vaccinated might nonetheless come down with the flu if exposed to someone who has it. And while the flu vaccination is the most valuable health tool you can use to prevent getting the flu, there are also other things you can do in your every day life to stay healthy. Click on this CDC link to see what they recommend.

The flu vaccine is available as a shot or as a nasal spray. The CDC does NOT recommend the nasal spray vaccine for people older than 49. Seniors also may receive a new higher-dose version of the flu shot , which has been found to be almost 25 percent more effective for older adults. The CDC cautions people of every age with chronic illnesses to consult with their healthcare provider about the form of the vaccine that is safest and most effective for their condition.

Getting a flu shot is simple and these days it is almost painless. The flu shot is offered at doctors' offices, clinics, health departments, pharmacies and senior centers. Most health insurance plans, including Medicare, cover the cost of the flu shot but please check with your own health plan for details of coverage.

Don't be tempted to skip your shot because you were vaccinated last year. Flu viruses are constantly changing, and so is the annual flu vaccine. One year's shot most likely won't protect you against the next year's strains. 

So take the time to get your flu shot and help older loved ones be immunized as well. You can go together, or if your loved one is helped by one of our great Right at Home of Central New Jersey caregivers, they can transport you or your loved one to the doctor's office or pharmacy. 

Visit Flu.gov to learn more about this year's flu vaccine recommendations, how to avoid catching or spreading the flu, where to find a flu shot and what you should do if you or an elderly loved one does catch the flu.

(The information in this article is not intended to replace the advice of your healthcare provider. If you have questions about the flu, flu vaccine or what to do if you get the flu, talk to your doctor.)

About Right at Home of Central New Jersey – Right at Home offers in-home companionship and personal care and assistance to seniors and disabled adults who want to continue to live independently. The Right at Home of Central New Jersey office is a locally owned and operated franchise office of Right at Home, Inc., serving the communities of Middlesex and Northern Monmouth Counties.

For more information, contact Right at Home of Central New Jersey at: 

• http://www.rightathome.net/monmouth-middlesex/
• 732-967-0900
• beth@rahcentral.com 

Today Is Falls Prevention Awareness Day!

September 23 Is Falls Prevention Awareness Day

Right at Home of Central New Jersey

Has Important Facts You Should Know

The right people, doing the right things, 

the right way, for the right reasons. 

Right at Home.

Today is Falls Prevention Awareness Day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shares some sobering facts and figures about falls among older adults:

• 1/3 of people older than 65 fall each year.
• 285,000 of these seniors will suffer a hip fracture.
• 75 seniors each day die from the results of a fall injury.
• Fall-related injuries cost Medicare and Medicaid upwards of $40 billion annually.

Talk to your doctor about fall prevention:

• Discuss your risk factors for falling and ask your healthcare provider to recommend a fall prevention class.
• Get plenty of exercise. This should include muscle strengthening, aerobic experience, stretching, and balancing activities such as tai chi. 
• Ask your doctor to review all the medications you take, including prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and herbal products.
• Have regular eye examinations and keep your eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions up to date. (Have your hearing checked, too).
• Wear the right shoes. They should fit well, with a low heel. Ask your doctor if you’re not sure of the best choice of footwear.
• Clean up spills promptly, replace worn carpeting, and remove throw rugs and clutter – anything in the path that could trip you up. 
• Make home safety improvements. These might include improved lighting, handrails on stairs, and grab bars in the bathroom.
• Drink alcohol in moderation only, if at all. Our bodies process alcohol more slowly as we grow older.

We can’t prevent every fall but taking the above steps can reduce the risk considerably. For more fall prevention tips, Right at Home of Central New Jersey encourages you to watch this short video from the National Council on Aging on how to prevent falls. 

If you or someone you love needs help to live safely in their home or because they are recovering from a fall, please call Beth Sholom, Owner/Executive Director of Right at Home of Central New Jersey to let us know how we can help. We provide care from a few hours a day to overnight shifts to live-in care. We'll work with you and your family to come up with the best plan and we are always available 24/7 to help. We promise we will care for your family as we would care for our own families!

(This article includes copyrighted information from Illuminage Communication Partners and was originally published by Right at Home on CaringNews.com). 

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About Right at Home of Central New Jersey – Right at Home offers in-home companionship and personal care and assistance to seniors and disabled adults who want to continue to live independently. The Right at Home of Central New Jersey office is a locally owned and operated franchise office of Right at Home, Inc., serving the communities of Middlesex and Northern Monmouth Counties.

For more information, contact Right at Home of Central New Jersey at

• http://www.rightathome.net/monmouth-middlesex/
• 732-967-0900 
• beth@rahcentral.com

Urgent Care vs. Emergency Rooms

Urgent Care v. Emergency Rooms - Which Is Better For You?

The right people, doing the right things, 

the right way, for the right reasons. 

Right at Home.

Someone you love has fallen and cut her hand. Nothing appears broken, but the wound looks like it needs stitches. Should she go to an urgent care center or the emergency room (ER)? 

What if your family member is having problems catching his breath? Should he wait until morning to call his own doctor or should he go to urgent care or the emergency room?

With all the healthcare facility options today, it may be confusing to know  where to seek medical care  outside of your regular doctor or healthcare provider. A general rule on seeking care comes down to this: Does the illness or injury present an immediate, serious threat to one’s health or life? If the condition is life-threatening and needs treatment immediately, go to the ER.

In our first scenario, if it seems like the bleeding from the cut is controlled, an urgent care doctor can determine if she needs stitches. In the second case, breathing problems can indicate signs of a more serious condition like a blood clot or heart attack. He should seek care in an emergency room.

Benefits of Urgent Care Treatment

Urgent care centers began to crop up across the country in the 1990s to fill the void between primary care physicians and emergency room services. If a health problem is a minor injury or illness, people can take advantage of urgent care for after-hours medical treatment when primary doctor offices are closed in the evenings and on weekends. 

There are an estimated 9,300 urgent care centers across the U.S. and most are open seven days a week until 9 p.m. or later. No appointment is necessary at urgent care, and staff are typically family care or emergency room physicians or physician assistants. Urgent care centers can offer basic x-rays and lab tests and most general medical equipment for treating common conditions such as:

• Flu
• Bronchitis
• Ear infections
• Urinary tract infections
• Seasonal allergies
• Animal and insect bites
• Minor cuts
• Sprains and broken bones
• Vomiting and diarrhea

Most urgent care procedures are covered by insurance, and the average cost per visit is around $150, depending on the level of care and the person’s insurance co-pay. Many patients choose urgent care to save time waiting in the ER. Walk-in clinics often found in pharmacies and grocery stores are another convenient option. Walk-in clinics, typically staffed by nurse practitioners, offer limited services including flu shots, treatments for colds, and care for minor sprains.

Benefits of Emergency Room Care

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 136.9 million people visited the emergency room in 2015. Of these visits, 15 percent arrived by ambulance, and roughly a third of all the patients were seen in fewer than 15 minutes — most waited an hour or more. Among patients 65 and older, the CDC finds from 2012-2013 data  that older women visited the emergency room for injury more often than older men — 14 per 100 women compared to 10 per 100 men. ER visits for seniors with an illness were essentially the same for older men and women.

For more serious medical conditions such as severe burns, deep cuts, electrical shock, gunshot wounds, stroke and heart attack, hospital emergency rooms are the best choice. Hospital ERs can offer higher levels of care and have a full range of diagnostic equipment including CAT scan and MRI machines to evaluate patients.

Federal law requires hospital ERs to provide care to all patients regardless of their ability to pay. ERs can often be crowded with treating people who view emergency rooms as their sole healthcare provider versus using ERs for true health emergencies. Another downside to ER care is the cost. A 2013 National Institutes of Health study  lists the median cost of an ER visit at $1,233. Other estimates note the cost is closer to $2,000.

When to Call 911

As the number of U.S. older adults continues to climb, urgent care centers and ERs will continue to play a significant role in treating acute medical problems for America’s seniors. Some symptoms and ailments are hard for the everyday person to determine if the conditions need emergency treatment. If in doubt, it is better to head to the emergency room. Always remember, if a person shows any signs of a life-threatening condition or is unconscious or unresponsive, call 911. Paramedics can administer care on the ride to the emergency room, which can mean the difference between life and death.

(This article was originally published on the Right at Home blog and written by Beth Lueders, an award-winning journalist, author and speaker who reports on aging and health issues). 

If you find that someone you love would benefit from having in-home care to keep them safe at home, Right at Home of Central New Jersey can be of assistance to you.  We can provide you with one of our home health aides or a companion aide to continue to provide you with the ability to age in place safely at home. Please contact Beth Sholom, Owner/Executive Director of Right at Home of Central New Jersey at 732-967-0900 or beth@rahcentral.com to let us know how we can help you. 

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About Right at Home of Central New Jersey – Right at Home offers in-home companionship and personal care and assistance to seniors and disabled adults who want to continue to live independently. The Right at Home of Central New Jersey office is a locally owned and operated franchise office of Right at Home, Inc., serving the communities of Middlesex and Northern Monmouth Counties.

For more information, contact Right at Home of Central New Jersey at

• http://www.rightathome.net/monmouth-middlesex/
• 732-967-0900 
• beth@rahcentral.com

Right at Home of Central New Jersey Wants You to Stay Healthy By Getting All the Vaccinations You Need

"I'm Over 65 - What Shots Do I Need?"

Right at Home of Central New Jersey 

Has the Information You Need

The right people, doing the right things, 

the right way, for the right reasons. 

Right at Home.

You probably get a flu shot every year but, very often, we forget as adults that many of the vaccinations we received as children need booster shots to keep them active as we age. 

Because our immune systems weaken as we age, it can be more difficult for our bodies to fight off diseases and those diseases can cause serious complications. Another important thing to consider is that when you keep your vaccinations up-to-date, you're not only protecting yourself but protecting young children (who may not be old enough to be vaccinated yet) or other people (who may not be able to be vaccinated for certain medical reasons). A perfect example of this is the measles outbreak occurring in America this year from people who made the decision not to have their children vaccinated.

There are people who don't think vaccinations are safe or that they can catch the disease from the vaccine itself. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , vaccinations are throughly tested before licensing and are carefully monitored even after they are licensed to ensure that they are very safe. The CDC publishes a recommended list of vaccinations by age and also has a quiz that you can take that will recommend vaccines based on your age, health condition, and other factors. 

If you're concerned about the cost of vaccines, Medicare Part B typically covers the cost of flu shots, pneumococcal vaccinations and the hepatitis B vaccination (if you're at increased risk for hepatitis B because of a medical condition such as diabetes). And, in general, Medicare Part D covers all other types of shots (like the shingles vaccination) that are needed to prevent illness. (Of course, you should check with your Medicare Part D insurer to find out what shots they cover and what, if any, copay is required). 

You can get many of the vaccinations needed at your primary care physician's office but you can also get many of the shots done at a local pharmacy (such as Walgreens ) which can be done on a walk-in or scheduled appointment basis. Most pharmacies will accept Medicare for payment of these vaccinations as well.

Once you've gotten all of your necessary vaccinations, it's a good idea to keep an up-to-date list of what shots you've had and when you've had them and provide a copy to your primary care physician as well as family members. 

We at Right at Home of Central New Jersey always keep up-to-date on our vaccinations and we ask that all of our employees and caregivers keep up-to-date on theirs as well, not only for their own health but for the health of everyone they work with. 

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About Right at Home of Central New Jersey – Right at Home offers in-home companionship and personal care and assistance to seniors and disabled adults who want to continue to live independently. The Right at Home of Central New Jersey office is a locally owned and operated franchise office of Right at Home, Inc., serving the communities of Middlesex and Northern Monmouth Counties.

For more information, contact Right at Home of Central New Jersey at

• http://www.rightathome.net/monmouth-middlesex/
• 732-967-0900 
• beth@rahcentral.com