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Eugeria

Month: March 2010

Resolving Conflict and Reducing Hospital Re-Admissions: Dr. Rick Voyles and Mary Perloe Talk to Eugeria! Radio

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Voyles, Rick compressedDr. Rick Voyles loves a good fight!  Or, rather, he likes to mediate a good fight!  Dr. Voyles became interested in conflict management when he was writing his doctoral thesis in religion a number of years ago.  His area of interest at the time was Christian/Jewish/Muslim relations (an obviously fertile ground for the practice of conflict management).  He tells us that he is absolutely thrilled to be able to intervene in tense and challenging situations and help bring clarity of purpose and a set of viable alternatives for families to consider as they work through their issues.  Dr. Voyles is the President of Conflict Resolution Academy, located in Smyrna, Georgia.  His goal is to create a “universal language” for guidance in the resolution of disputes as soon as they happen.  Listen as he talks about his work educating social workers, facility directors, care providers and family caregivers, among others, on how to resolve elder conflict issues.  Dr. Voyles can be reached at drrickv@aol.com, or at the academy at (770) 435-5009.  For more information, check out their website at www.conflictresolutionacademy.com.

Perloe, Mary compressedFollowing from last week’s conversation with Jo Vonn Givens, this week we were privileged to hear from another member of the Georgia Medical Care Foundation (GMCF) team.  Originally from Altoona, Pennsylvania, Mary Perloe received a degree from University of Wisconsin in Madison.  Twenty years ago, she relocated to Atlanta with her husband.   Today, Mary is the Manager of the Care Transitions Initiative for GMCF.  As noted last week, GMCF is the Medicare Quality Improvement organization for the state of Georgia.  The Care Transitions Initiative is intended to improve post acute care and referrals.  Specifically, Mary is working hard to reduce 30 day readmissions for Medicare and Medicaid patients.  Astonishingly, one in five patients today are readmitted to an acute care facility within 30 days of discharge, and a large percentage of those within the first week.  A study in 2005 pegged the national annual cost of this at 17 billion dollars!  Mary tells us that one of her case study facilities has decreased readmission of congestive heart failure patients by 10% in the last year.  The secret?  Education of patient and family, transfer of information at transitions and well planned and executed processes guiding these transitions.  Contact Mary at (678) 527-3425, email her at mperloe@gmcf.org, or visit the GMCF website at www.gmcf.org.

Krishnan K, Jo Vonn Givens and Alton Reynolds Share Stories with Eugeria! Radio

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KrishnanBorn and raised in India, and spending an additional 16 years in South Africa, Krishnan Kalyanasundaram brings a multi-national perspective to his work with seniors in the Atlanta area.  Specifically, Krishnan is the Executive Director of Arbor Terrace of Tucker, a 65 bed community that prides itself on exceptional customer service.  Krishnan tells us that one of the highlights of his day is eating lunch or supper (or both) with his residents in their 15 bed Memory Care community.  He is also very proud of Arbor Terrace’s “Resident Chef” program.  Krishnan explains that each month, one of the residents shares a personal recipe, and is encouraged to oversee the preparation and serving of the meal.  Sign me up!  For a tour of the community, contact Krishnan or one of his staff at (770) 925-9170.  You can also visit their website at www.at-tucker.com. 

Reynolds, Alton compressedAlton Reynolds wears a multitude of hats!  He has been serving in the “helping professions” both on the clinical and business side of healthcare for nearly 40 years.  Starting his career providing psychiatric assessments of Navy and Marine personnel returning from Viet Nam, Alton continues to provide these assessments today for seven different hospitals as part of the Peachford Hospital Mobile Assessment Team.  Alton confirms what we heard several weeks ago from the Fuqua Center that depression in the senior community is a problem to be taken seriously.  When Alton is not working in one of his many businesses, he is teaching teenagers Blues Music History as part of the Mudcatz School of Blues.  Alton can be reached at (770) 454-2302.

Givens, Jo Vonn compressedGeorgia Medical Care Foundation (GMCF) helps healthcare providers improve the care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries.  Jo Vonn Givens manages GMCF’s Chronic Kidney Disease Initiative.  Her goal is to educate providers in specific measures for quality improvement in the prevention and care of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).  Jo Vonn tells us that, unlike some other diseases, CKD is largely preventable through lifestyle changes.  Largely the result of Diabetes, Hypertension and Heart Disease, CKD can be managed or prevented through exercise, diet and a personal support network.  Jo Vonn notes that the typical cost for end stage renal failure is in excess of $60,000 per year!   Though her organization primarily deals with physicians and their practices, resources are available to anyone that is interested.  Contact JoVonn at (678)527-3678, or visit the GMCF website at www.gmcf.org.

Don’t Miss the 10th Annual Cancer Survivor Network “Sharing the Journey” Conference

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Don’t miss the 2010 Sharing the Journey  Cancer Survivors’ 10th Annual Conference, sponsored by St. Joseph’s Hospital Cancer Survivors’ Network on Saturday, March 27, 2010 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.  The conference is being held at the Carroll Conference and Education Center at St. Joseph’s.  This conference has a number of general speakers and breakout sessions that promised to be informative, educational and inspirational.  Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.  For information, and to register, click here.

Eugeria! Talks to Anthony Johnson, and Cancer Survivors Debbie Church and Janet Kempe

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Kempe, Janet compressedOriginally from the Midwest, Janet Kempe earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Purdue University.  After college, Janet spent 24 years as an industrial designer designing retail store fixtures.  Her life, and her career, took a major shift when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  Having battled the disease, becoming a survivor, Janet wanted to help others who were making the same journey through cancer.  To that end, she started volunteering her time with those going through treatment at the Southeastern Gynecologic Oncology practice at St. Joseph’s Medical Group in Atlanta.  Eventually, Janet got involved in the development of the SEGO We Care Foundation, where she is now the SEGO Buddies Coordinator.  Janet can be reached via email at janet.kempe@segynonc.com, or via telephone at 678-420-4129.

Church, Debbie compressedDebbie Church has been working with cancer survivors for more than 18 years.  She first worked with cancer survivors when she was a Chaplain intern at North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  She is well-prepared for this work by education, having been awarded a BA in Psychology/History from Salem College, and then a Master of Divinity at Southeastern Theological Seminary at Wake Forest.  A number of years ago, Debbie worked with cancer survivors at Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers.  Then, in 2008, she went back to Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers as a patient.  Now back in the workforce as a survivor herself, Debbie is the Coordinator for the Cancer Survivor’s Network at St. Joseph’s Hospital.  Debbie can be reached at 678-843-5051, or via email at dchurch@sjha.org. 

Johnson, Anthony compressed Anthony Johnson started his career in pharmacy as a soda jerk at Anglin’s pharmacy in Buford, GA.  He went on to University of Georgia to get a degree in pharmacy.  Upon graduation, he worked in a hospital, worked in large chain pharmacies, and finally returned to Anglin’s, which was still an independent pharmacy.  About four years ago, Anthony had the opportunity to buy the pharmacy in which he started his career so many years ago.  Today, it is called Johnson’s Hometown Pharmacy – and still an independent pharmacy.  Anthony tells us that his focus is on relationships and customer service.  With most seniors taking 14 or more different medications, there is an 80% chance that there will be at least a mild interaction between the drugs.  Sometimes the interaction is catastrophic.  It is Anthony’s mission to get to know each of his clients well enough to be able to provide some advice and counsel with respect to the entire regimen of drugs a client may be taking.  Visit Anthony in his store at 85 E. Main in the heart of historic Buford.  He can also be reached at 770-945-9501.

Eugeria! Radio Chats with Leslie Spears, Joe Skillin and Susan Peterson-Hazan

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Spears, Leslie compressedLeslie Spears began working with seniors on a volunteer basis more than 18 years ago when she was in school at Georgia State University.  After graduating, she developed a volunteer organization that served seniors in metro area high rise living centers with social and recreational activities both in and out of the buildings in which they lived.  She has written 5 trivia books geared specifically to and for the enjoyment of the senior population.  For our long time listeners, you’ll know she fit right in with the Eugeria! crew!  Today, Leslie is the Executive Director of Arbor Terrace at Cascade, a unique African American assisted living community.  For more information, or to schedule a tour contact Leslie or her team at (404) 237-4026.  You can also check them out on the web at www.at-cascade.com.

Skillin, JoeOur next guest is San Francisco native and author, Joe Skillin.  Joe has written a book entitled Confessions of a Caregiver; When Alzheimers Comes to Your Home.  The book was written as a result of a personal experience over a period of a decade taking care of his mother-in-law, who was suffering from Alzheimers.  Joe tells us the book was not written about Alzheimers, or even about his mother-in-law.  Rather, this book was written about himself, his own feelings, initially of anger and frustration.  It was written as a guide to those who would come after him in the journey of caring for a loved one suffering from this disease that is so devastating both to the victims and their families and caregivers.  Joe’s book is available on Amazon.com, at a local book store or via Tate Publishing. 

Susan Peterson-HazanOur final guest is a Clinical Social Worker at Emory University Department of Neurology.  Susan Peterson-Hazan began her career as a social worker thinking she wanted to work with children.  During her graduate work at the University of Georgia, Susan lost a grandmother who was very close to her.  Through the agency in which she was working, she had the opportunity to serve at an adult daycare.  It was then she realized her passion was really in the area aging.  Susan tells us that she loves her work so much because she meets so many amazing people every single day!  One of the highlights of Susan’s work is her leadership of Early Memory Loss Support Groups conducted twice per year for eight weeks each.  A unique aspect of these groups is that they are really two concurrent groups, one for those with the memory loss, and the other for their care partners.  For more information about these groups, call Susan directly at 404-728-6273.  For a clinical evaluation,please call 404-778-3444.

Stroke, Alzheimers, Parkinsons: Listen as Dr. Marshall Nash and his team discuss the latest research!

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NeurosciencesDr. Marshall Nash is the founder and CEO of Neurostudies.net.  Dr. Nash is also Director of Stroke and Neuroscience Research at Gwinnett Medical Center.  His work focuses on cutting edge research around Stroke, Alzheimers, Parkinson’s diseases.  Dr. Nash became interested in medicine, particularly neurology, as a teenager when he was called in by one of the doctors to observe memory loss in one of his grandparents.  Now, he offers research treatments to many who might otherwise have no hope of relief from their disease.  Dr. Nash and his team can be reached at either 404-475-0552 in Decatur, or in their Lawrenceville office at 770-339-3312.  You can also visit their web site:  www.neurostudies.net. 

Kiva Schindler began her career in healthcare working as an emergency room nurse.  During her tenure in the ER, she saw how critical timing was in treating stroke victims.  While still at Dekalb Medical Center, she met Dr. Nash.  Today Kiva is the Site Director for Neurostudies.net, managing nine research coordinators and five other staff members.  She is passionate about educating families about the importance of quickly recognizing signs of stroke and getting expert treatment within the first three hours after the stroke occurs. 

Though one of the newer members of the team, Corie Lynn brings anotherimportant dimension to the Neurostudies team.  She is their Recruitment Specialist, and is charged with educating and advising families and patients that might benefit from the new treatment options being made available through the group’s reasearch work.  Corie is well prepared for this position, having earned a BS degree from Seton Hall, and working on both sides of the research fence, first at Merck, then at the University of South Carolina.  Corie and Kiva can also be reached at the numbers listed above.