Archive for May, 2010
‘I was thirsty…’
I was out shopping today for a small freezer for a client who needs it and as I came out of HH Gregg, an older woman approached me. She was decently groomed, but she looked exhausted and overheated. “Can you please help an old woman?” she asked. “What do you need?” “A ride. I been [...]
Another reason to know where your food came from
The New York Times had an article in this morning’s paper about how six lesser-known strains of the E coli bacteria are in the food supply, and one of them sickened 36 people in five states recently, causing kidney failure in three teenagers. It was on romaine lettuce. The federal government and the food industry [...]
Sebelius will fight anti-health reform suits
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has said the administration will fight challenges by states’ attorneys general to overturn health reform. Sebelius said Tuesday the suits are nothing more than conservatives trying to advance their political careers within the Republican Party. Later in the day, she filed a motion asking a judge to dismiss [...]
Vitamin D? Really?
I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago for my allergies (a relatively new thing to me) and told her I’ve been feeling fatigued. I’m exercising and eating well, even losing weight, but I feel lousy. She tested me for a vitamin D deficiency. Then yesterday, I read an item on Huffington Post by [...]
More people understand health reform
This month’s poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation (http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/upload/8075-F.pdf) finds more people saying they understand the health reform law. That’s good because once you understand the law, you’re more likely to understand its benefits and your rights. More than 40 percent still say they’re confused about the law, though, down from 55 percent in April, [...]
No more denials
The new health reform law makes it illegal for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition, to charge you more or to exclude certain benefits from your policy — such as treatment of the pre-existing condition. I never thought of a birth defect as a pre-existing condition until Mike came along. [...]
Insurers’ profits are up again
Health Care for America Now has issued a report on the first-quarter profits of the five largest health insurance companies in the US. “The five largest for-profit health insurance companies, cashing in on their usual double-digit rate hikes, recorded huge profit gains in the first three months of 2010 compared with a year earlier,” the report [...]
Real food vs. crap
Rob and I watched “Food Inc.” the other night. There weren’t a lot of surprises in it for me since I’ve been reading about the topic for years. I grew up on a farm and my mother cooked almost everything from scratch. Our meat, milk, eggs and poultry were local, as was most of our [...]
Still discovering Mike’s impact
I haven’t watched the video of Mike’s memorial service, but tonight I pulled out the tape and noticed a piece of paper inside the sleeve. It was a note from Matt T., the friend who made the tape. He said that when he finally made his first year sober, his brain started to de-fog. Still, [...]
From Christian
“Two things combined that Mike loved … and so wrong together.” Star Trek and Monty Python: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luVjkTEIoJc&feature=player_embedded
Have a beer in May
Stop into Altamont Brewing, 1042 Haywood Road, West Asheville, any time in May and ask for their "charity" beer of the day. Buy one and Life o' Mike gets $1. In fact, we get a buck for each one sold. So go in every day and have one to support Life o' Mike.
Thanks, Altamont!
Patient Pals & Family Friends
Life o' Mike has a peer support program for people with one or more serious or chronic medical issues or disabilities.
We aim to reduce isolation and fear among people who have conditions, including psychiatric illness, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, mild dementia or other cognitive disorder or disability, thereby reducing depression and complications as people learn to improve self-management of their medical conditions.
Patient Pals help alleviate feelings of isolation and frustration. They can help people develop a list of questions to ask the doctor and then accompany the person to the doctor to make sure all the questions are answered, taking notes to be sure the person understands the doctor’s answers.
Our trained volunteers also accompany their “Pals” to art exhibits, movies and walks outdoors, meet for coffee, call to check in and more.
Our Pals have experienced weight loss, improvement in diabetes, HIV, psoriasis, depression and more, just because they have someone who cares about them. Some relationships develop into longer-term friendships; other Pals move on to more independent lives.
Family Friends are there to help caregivers and other family members grow into their new role.
We need volunteers, who are asked to donate a minimum of one hour a week. Training is free and includes information on active listening, ways to help and when to know more help is needed.
And of course, we need funding.
To learn more, call Leslie Boyd at 828-243-6712 or e-mail lifeomike@gmail.com.
Start From Seed
Life o' Mike has a new program- Start from Seed (SFS).
SFS is a volunteer doula program aimed at providing non-medical, comprehensive support to low income, high-risk women and families of Buncombe County focusing on three areas:
1. We help new doulas with certification and training in return for their participation as a volunteer doula for SFS
2. We mentor volunteer doulas with their first few clients
3. Our volunteer doulas provide birth and postpartum doula services to low income, high risk moms, providing support and tools to empower them as a new parent.
A birth doula is a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; a postpartum doula provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
Start from Seed clients are referred to us from the Buncombe County Department of Health’s Nurse-Family Partnership Program, Western North Carolina Community Health Services, and Mission Hospital. The Program is intended and designed for growing clients’ inner strength and helping them gain empowerment to help them cope with the emotional, physical and mental challenges of childbirth, labor, and motherhood.
Our new moms and their infants have many needs. If you would like to help them get off to a good start, please visit our Start from Seed web site: Start from Seed, or call Program Director Chelsea Kouns at 804-814-9946.