Brittany Ferri

In response to the growing number of senior citizens in the U.S., Humana has begun creating primary care centers with integrated care teams. Such centers have been designed to better address older adults’ social needs in tandem with complex medical conditions. The senior population in our nation has demonstrated quite a demand for this type of care. A recent study shows that almost 80% of senior citizens are living with two or more chronic conditions, most of which require ongoing and compreh...

Recent research has shown that a lifestyle-based treatment program targeting brain health reduced dementia risk by 30%. The results of this 2-year program were compared to those yielded from standard provider recommendations, including generic guidance such as eating right and exercising.
Health care providers of all disciplines educate at-risk patients on how to maintain brain health and minimize their chances of developing dementia. Yet, much of this advice is also offered to patients looki...

The CDC predicts that some form of dementia will impact 14 million Americans by 2060. This means the number of Americans with the disease will nearly triple in the next three decades. Dementia requires specialized treatment because it can have a widespread effect on an individual’s ability to engage in ADLs, IADLs, leisure, socialization, and other meaningful activities. As a result, healthcare providers (especially occupational therapists) must be well-versed in the basics of the disease and how to effectively provide client-centered care to individuals with dementia.

For occupational therapists who treat children and adolescents within schools, the individualized education plan (IEP) is considered a vital document that governs how and where special education itinerant and related services are delivered. The IEP is intended to improve a child’s access to educational services in light of physical, cognitive, or emotional needs that impact their ability to integrate in traditional school settings.

This post was written by a Licensed Occupational Therapist.
6 Adaptive Devices and New Technologies for Veterans with ALS
While the past few years have brought a lot of chaos, they have also ushered in an era of new health technology. Many of these advancements focus on improving the lives of others and helping those with disabilities engage in the activities they love. As a result, there is a growing number of equipment that caters to those with specific cognitive or physical needs.
Assistiv...

Pelvic health has long been considered an area of specialty within physical therapy practice. But a growing number of occupational therapists are helping people with pelvic health concerns, also known as pelvic floor dysfunction, live fuller and more active lives. Occupational therapists are highly focused on function, so their aim in working with people who have pelvic floor dysfunction may differ slightly from the role of a physical therapist in this practice area.

Occupational therapists who use their fabrication skills often should also have a good working knowledge of the mechanics of the hand and upper extremity. This helps them ensure their orthoses promote function and prevent injury simultaneously. Therapists should also be aware of other healthcare providers who can assist in meeting the full spectrum of their patients’ needs. This will help them present patients with the devices that are best suited for their lives.

A Notable survey conducted in March of 2022 found that over 60% of patients chose not to visit the doctor in the past year. These individuals cited scheduling difficulties as the chief reason for their decision.
As health insurance companies strive to improve patient health outcomes, they should consider the findings of this study. By encouraging scheduling compliance, insurers can play a critical role in improving patient health outcomes.
One way health insurance companies can encourage sche...

Burnout is a serious problem facing health care workers, and it can have a devastating impact on patient care. A recent study from the American Medical Association and its university partners shows that more than half of physicians in the United States report feeling burned out. This is concerning because burnout can lead to lower quality of care, higher rates of medical errors, and even higher rates of physician suicide.
Promising new research from Ohio State may be a step in the right direc...

The ease of day-to-day operations plays a significant role in the reported job satisfaction of health care providers. Recent research has found that the usability of their organization’s electronic health records (EHRs) system to be a key indicator of job satisfaction. A recent study conducted by KLAS Research found there is a significant gap in EHR satisfaction scores between certain medical specialties that must be addressed.
Hospital-based physicians were most content with their current EH...

A 2022 study by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) aimed to understand how many emergency health care providers have been exposed to violent incidents. Results showed that over half (55%) of emergency room physicians have personally been assaulted at work, and 79% have witnessed someone else be a victim of assault.
These numbers have grown quite a bit since the last survey was taken in 2018, as the cases in each category have increased 8% across four years. As a result, the o...

Sensory processing, also known as sensory integration, refers to effectively receiving, organizing, interpreting, and responding to sensory stimuli from the environment. Sensory information comes in many forms. Some people may readily interpret and process certain types of input but have difficulty with other forms. In order for people to behave in a consistent, even manner, it is important to have good sensory processing skills. It is for this reason that sensory processing can also be called sensory regulation.

It has been reported widely in the news media that the pandemic was the chief reason for rising mental health concerns in children and young adults. A recent study conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, which tracks trends in employer-sponsored health plans, confirmed the youth mental health crisis did not actually begin with COVID.
Study results found that, in 2020 alone, 42% of all spending on mental health and substance use disorder treatment was attributed to individuals 25...

Burnout and other issues facing healthcare clinicians were magnified and exacerbated as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which brought about lengthier shifts, anxiety surrounding population and provider well-being, unsafe working conditions, and poor staff support. Furthermore, the majority of healthcare professionals were thrust into telehealth: a new and relatively unknown method of service delivery that brought about its own set of challenges. The result was a drastic shift in work-life balance for all healthcare providers (and much of the population).

Between 10 and 15% of all babies born in the United States require care in the NICU. There are many reasons why a newborn might need to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), including heart problems, birth defects, infections, breathing issues, and more. Prematurity is another common reason a newborn may end up in the NICU, since 1 in 8 babies are born before 37 weeks gestation1. In particular, the opioid crisis is a driving force behind the high demand for NICU services and professionals.