November 2014 - National Family Caregivers Month

Happy Thanksgiving! In celebration of Thanksgiving we would like to celebrate Family Caregivers. The entire month of November is dedicated to the celebration of family caregivers and this is sponsored by The National Family Caregivers Association. This nonprofit provides resources, education and peer support free of charge to family caregivers across the country. Believe it or not 2 out of 5 adults are family caregivers. The act of caring for a love one affects the entire family.

Although our family caregiving was 14 years ago we took those experiences and created Henderson-Hughes Health Partners (H3P). We did not know about the wonderful resource of The Caregivers Action Network but we did receive help and resources through other means such as extended family and our contracted hospice organization.

In April 2014 we re-entered the family caregiving realm. This time however it is not an older family member they are young family members. We are caring for our grandsons. This new family dynamic requires patience, support, but most importantly love. If you would like more information on the Caregivers Action Network, log on to www.caregiversaction.org.

September 2014 - Project: Young grandparents Observing Understanding Nurturing Grandchildren (Y.O.U.N.G.)

As a parent when something was wrong with my children I took the blame because I had the responsibility to make sure that they were ok. When our daughter got pregnant in spite of all of the education and sexual health talks I felt as though I dropped the ball. I was hypersensitive when people asked how she was doing in the pregnancy so much so that people thought I hated them. I did not hate them but I hated the situation our family was thrown into by our daughter and now we had to prepare for a child we were not ready to care for or meet. My first grandson came and we cared for him until my daughter decided that she no longer wanted to live with us. My grandson would return to our home at 3 months of age and left again at 6 months of age. After that we loved him from afar and spoke to him when allowed. Then along came our second grandson. Life seemed to be going well for our daughter and her family from our outside view. We had no idea how wrong we were until we received an email from our daughter on a Saturday in April 2014.

Our grandsons were removed from their daycare center and placed into state custody. So many questions came and no answers came from our daughter. How could this happen? Why were our grandsons taken? Where are our grandsons now? When can we see our grandsons? We asked our daughter for a contact person and reluctantly she gave us the information. So many unanswered questions and worrying about how our grandsons were feeling and if they were ok. Monday morning I received a call from a state worker. She informed me that our grandsons were fine but we could not see them since we were not their parents. Then she asked if we wanted to care for our grandsons. Such a simple question and yet the answer was difficult. We had been on this road before and the end result was painful. Did we really want to do this again? After much thought we decided that we would be there for our grandsons. It was that decision that opened the door to the world of kinship foster care for our grandsons. We thought all we had to do was to ensure that our grandsons were clean, safe, and happy. What we did not know was that our lives would not be the same however the change that was coming would be the best thing for everyone involved.

Before our grandsons could come to live with us we had to have background checks done to ensure that our home was a safe place for our grandsons. This process took 2 weeks. When our grandsons arrived we were happy and excited to see them but had nothing in place for them. We got supplies for them and everything was great and we lived happily ever after right? Wrong. We had to do a parent visit one day after the boys arrived. The boys had appointments set up prior to getting to our home and we had to take them to those appointments. They also had in home assessments that were scheduled. Our home once a peaceful place now had become a loud people frequenting place. What had we done to our home-life by saying yes we would be responsible for our grandsons?

One of our home visitors presented us with a folder full of resources for kinship foster parents and the request for us to become licensed kinship foster parents. We said we would think about it. We went from thinking about it to attending orientation to attending foster care licensing classes. We graduated on August 14, 2014. One thing we noticed about our class is that they were quite a few kinship foster care families in our class. Many were grandparents like us.

We became grandparents at the ages of 38 & 39. We have friends that are grandparents as well. A few of them have even adopted their grandchildren. There seemed to be a trend happening with becoming a grandparent at a young age but also becoming a parent to your grandchild also. Young grandparents needed help. They had no idea of any resources that could be available to them and they were in need of help. So were created Young grandparents Observing Understanding Nurturing Grandchildren (Y.O.U.N.G.) project. The Y.O.U.N.G. project is focuses on these areas: Decision to raise grandchildren,Kinship Foster Care, Grandparent Stipend, Foster Care Licensing, and Adoption vs. Guardianship. If you or someone you know could use the help of Y.O.U.N.G. project or any of the Henderson-Hughes Health Partners (H3P) services please reach out to us at hendersonhugheshealthpartners@gmail.com  or call us at (623) 282-4214.

June 2014 - Sexual Health Responsibility

Welcome to the June 2014 Amplify Your Expertise. This blog was created to showcase little or unknown health issues. For the month of June we have decided to speak about taking responsibility for your sexual health sponsored by Henderson-Hughes Health Partners (H3P).

Unprotected sex happens every day. Whether a one-night stand or in a relationship babies are being created and born daily. Though many of these babies are viewed as blessings, many of these babies are being born to parents that are not ready for the responsibility of parenthood. What then becomes of these children? Some of these children are cared for by relatives, others end up in state agencies, and sadly some of these children end up dead. One would think that the parents mentioned are teens but the ages of these parents vary.

On the other side unprotected sex exposed people to sexually transmitted infections and yet people still are risking their lives daily. Some are even going as far too purposely infect their partners with sexually transmitted infections.

In a day and age where technology is available to everyone how is it possible to still have unplanned pregnancies and spread of sexually transmitted infections? Turn on any talk show or pick up a tabloid magazine someone is pregnant, cheated, etc. The excuse of passion, alcohol, or one thing lead to another is always used. The fact of the matter is that these people chose to engage in unprotected sex and now they have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

Henderson-Hughes Health Partners (H3P) has two programs that address sexual health responsibility. Teen Educated Against Sexual Endeavors (T.E.A.S.E) and the H3P Senior Initiative. These programs are designed to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections in the both the teen and senior demographics. If you would like to know more information about Teen Educated Against Sexual Endeavors (T.E.A.S.E), H3P Senior Initiative or Henderson-Hughes Health Partners (H3P) check out our website at H3P1.Org.

May 2014 - National Mental Health Month

The month of May 2014 has many health and wellness observances. Among them are Asthma and Allergy Month, Better Sleep Month, National Melanoma/Skin Cancer Awareness Month, Correct Posture Month and National Osteoporosis Month just to name a few.

 

The focus for our May 2014 Amplify Your Expertise is on National Mental Health Month sponsored by  the National Mental Health Association. According to the Centers for Disease Control mental health is defined as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” (CDC.gov) Many people confuse mental health with mental illness. Mental illness is defined as “collectively all diagnosable mental disorders or health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior (or some combination thereof) associated with distress and or impaired functioning.” (CDC.gov)

 

 

 

The purpose of national mental health month is to bring awareness to mental illness and related health issues. In the past mental health as a whole was not discussed in much of the United States. Awareness of mental health and mental illness increased over the years but gaps remain in certain ethnic groups. One group in particular is African Americans. As an African American Woman I have seen the stigma associated with mental health and mental illness. African Americans usually seek medical attention after they have tried to care for themselves with home remedies. When it comes to mental health and or mental illness in the African American community it was not acknowledged or discussed. I recall when my mother when to see psychiatrist  and came home and informed my grandmother that we has a dysfunctional family. My grandmother immediately told my mother that the so called doctor she was seeing knew nothing about her and the family and she did not want to hear anything else about the subject. Such a discouraging response could have sent my mother off the deep end but thankfully she continued to see her psychiatrist and was able to get the treatment she needed for her depression. Believe it or not many African American households have the same attitudes about expressing feelings about mental health and or mental illness. One of the reasons behind this view is the lack of trust in medical professionals. If you go to the doctor and express anything that is something other than positive than it can somehow be used against you and will result in something happening to you or your family. Many African Americans still have this belief. As time progresses and technology advances more African Americans are acknowledging mental health and mental illness more importantly seeking out much needed help. For more information on National Mental Health Month check out the National Mental Health Association website www.nmha.org

 

 

 



April 2014 - National Cancer Control Month

Welcome to April 2014’s Amplify Your Expertise. This month we have two special monthly observances to talk about. The first is National Cancer Control Month sponsored by the American Cancer Society. The second is National Minority Health & Health Disparities Month sponsored by the Office of Minority Health Resource Center.

CMS the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services states that the best defense against cancer is screening and prevention. Everyone in American can reduce their risk of developing cancer by having a healthy diet, limiting time in the sun, getting regular exercise, having a tobacco free life, not drinking alcohol in excess, and of course having regular cancer screenings. (cms.gov, 2014) This seems so simple and yet cancer is still being fought daily. The American Cancer Society works diligently to remove the threat of cancer worldwide. I am thankful for their efforts and their many wonderful ways they help support cancer patients and their families. For more information on the American Cancer Society check out www.cancer.org

The 2014 theme of National Minority Month is prevention is power. Everyone deserves to live a healthy happy life no matter what. Improving the health of communities takes everyone within the communities to make it happen. During the month of April the Office of Minority Health focuses on bringing awareness about health disparities that continue to affect racial and ethnic minorities and the nation as a whole. (minorityhealth.hhs.gov, 2014) For more information check out www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov

Henderson-Hughes Health Partners (H3P) selected both of these observances because they fit well with the mission and vision of H3P. In order to stamp out health illiteracy we must first educate the community no matter regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identification, disability, languages spoken, country of origin, color or economic status, resulting in broken down barriers in health care so that all people receive quality healthcare. Once the community is educated they can prevent themselves from being exposed to unhealthy living thus gaining power.

March 2014 - Top ten illnesses that affect women

March is Women’s History Month sponsored by womenshistorymonth.gov. Our focus this month is history of health issues for women specifically the top ten illnesses that affect women. Our scale of health issues rankings will go from 10 to 1.

10. Septicemia: Blood poisoning that can turn life-threatening. Deaths percentage is 1.5.

9.     Kidney disease: If a woman is diabetic her chances of developing kidney disease increase and put her equally at risk. Menopause can also play a role in kidney disease but occurs less frequently in premenopausal women. Death percentage is 1.8.

8.      Influenza and pneumonia: Have ongoing threats to elderly women and those with weak immune systems. Death percentage is 2.7.

7.      Diabetes: 9.7 million women in the United States suffer with diabetes. Death percentage is 3.1.

6.      Unintentional death categories are falling, poisoning, suffocation, drowning, fires or burns, and car crashes. Death percentage is 3.3.

5.      Alzheimer's disease: Women may have a higher risk for Alzheimer's than men due to estrogen. When women go through menopause estrogen level reduce and increase risk of developing Alzheimer's. Death percentage is 3.9.

4.   Chronic lower respiratory diseases: Chronic obstructed pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, and chronic bronchitis typically 80% of those diagnosed are cigarette smokers. Death percentage is 5.2.

3.      Stroke: Three million women die from stroke annually. At the age of 45 a woman's risk of stroke increases steadily until age 65 and will equal the rate of men. Death percentage is 7.5.

2.     Cancer: The American Cancer Society estimated in 2009 approximately 269,800 women will die of   cancer. Death percentage is 22.

1.  Heart disease: 8.6 million women throughout the world have died according to The Women's Heart Foundation. In the United States 8 million women have heart disease. Death percentage is 27.2.

Now that top ten are listed, we have much work to do women. I know when it comes to my family we have been affected by 5 of the 10. It is my belief that many of these illnesses develop because we as women make sure that the family is taken care of and save our health for last. I am very guilty of this behavior. Life is already short and we make it shorter when we don’t take care of ourselves. So ladies this is our wake-up call. Let’s take care of ourselves so we can continue to make history that we and future generations can enjoy.

Reference:

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February 2014 - A year of Amplify Your Expertise

Amplify Your Expertise February 2014 looks at coming full circle.  One year ago this blog was created to help bring focus on little known health issues.  Our first blog spoke about being a wise health consumer. We here at Henderson-Hughes Health Partners (H3P) are dedicated to continuing to educate all who have an ear to listen and a passion to help others as we do. As we are excited about the new subjects that we will cover, we hope all information given does indeed break down barriers in healthcare.

January 2014 - Cervical Health Awareness Month

Happy 2014 New Year! Welcome to the January 2014 Amplify Your Expertise. For this month of January our focus in on cervical health awareness sponsored by the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) www.nccc-online.org. The National Cervical Cancer Coalition was founded in 1996 and describes itself as a grass roots organization with the focus of serving women who are at risk for or have cervical cancer or HPV disease. “In 2011, NCCC merged with American Sexual Health Association (ASHA), a nonprofit with nearly 100 year history of educating and raising awareness on sexual health issues.”(NCCC, 2014). The NCCC has chapters worldwide including in the United States as well as the sister organization the Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer that works to empower people, communities, and societies to reduce the disease burden from HPV and cervical cancer. (NCCC, 2014).

National Cervical Health Awareness Month is celebrated in   the United States with the focus on cervical cancer, HPV disease, and the importance of early detection. (NCCC, 2014). Those wanting to educate on the importance of early detection a partnership with local media as well as reaching out to the local chapter of the NCCC. For the state of Arizona the chapter is the NCCC Arizona (Southwest Regional Chapter) located in Glendale, Arizona lead by chapter leader Shaundra Hall. She can be reached via email at shall@nccc-online.org. For more information about cervical health or starting your own chapter of the NCCC log on to www.nccc-online.org.