Health Corner

We all may get anxious from time to time. We know it is important to do good self-care.

We need to have strong boundaries and say no when needed. To take time for our self and share our feelings with a trusted person.

But, for some people anxiety may be chronic, lasting six months or more. People may have excessive worry and tension. They may expect the worst. They are unable to relax and may have insomnia. There may also be physical symptoms like fatigue, trembling, muscle tension and headaches.

If you are having chronic anxiety, please talk with your primary care provider. If you are experiencing “everyday anxiety,” try some resources on this page.

Assessing General Anxiety Disorder

Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Is it Stress or Anxiety

Coping with Stress

11 tips for coping with anxiety disorder

Tips to Manage Anxiety
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Mental Health and Self-care

Being healthy means dealing with the changes in your body – and your mind. Relationships, body image, families, emotions. Teen Health Website

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3 Kinds of Exercise That Boost Heart Health | Johns Hopkins Medicine

Exercises to Keep Your Heart Healthy (webmd.com)

Quitting smoking is possible. By taking small steps, you can learn what works for you. Smoking cessation

How you can help your heart if you quitting Smoking (webmd.com)

Smoking and cardiovascular disease | Johns Hopkins Medicine

An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a bulge (aneurysm) in a weak or damaged area of your aorta wall. AAA’s occur in the abdominal section of your aorta down near your stomach.

Your aorta is your body’s largest artery, one of the vessels that move blood from your heart to the rest of your body. It runs from your heart all the way down to the bottom of your abdomen.

AAA’s can be silent killers. You may not have any symptoms of this condition until your aneurysm bursts. A burst aneurysm would cause you to bleed internally and requires emergency surgery.

If you are in a high-risk category talk with your health care provider see if you need to be screened.

Conditions or actions that weaken or damage your artery walls can lead to an aneurysm. These risk factors include:

• Smoking
• Being male. Men are more likely than women to have an aneurysm
• Age 65 or older
• Were involved in a major physical trauma like a car accident
• Have atherosclerosis (buildup of plaque that narrows your arteries)
• Have high blood pressure
• Your genetics can also play a role, with aneurysms running in some families. People with an inherited condition called Marfan syndrome, for example, face a higher risk of developing aneurysms.

Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, occurs when a person’s heart is not able to pump blood the way it should. As a result, the body doesn’t get enough blood – and the oxygen that blood cells carry – to maintain the body and its normal functions. It is a common reason for people over 65 to go to the hospital.

What Causes Heart Failure?

The most common cause of heart failure is coronary artery disease (CAD). In this condition, arteries that supply blood to the heart become clogged or blocked with a hard buildup called plaque.

Other risk factors and causes of heart failure include:

• Heart disease
• Past heart attack
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmia)
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Some chemotherapy medications,  cardio-oncology program
• Congenital heart disease (present since birth)
• Heart valve disease or infection

Anyone can develop heart failure, but it is more likely in people who are male, over 65, diabetic, overweight or obese.

Signs and Symptoms of Heart Failure

To compensate for poorer performance, a failing heart may get bigger, develop extra muscle mass or pump faster. These changes weaken the heart over time, and the person’s health gradually worsens.

As heart failure advances, signs may include:

• Shortness of breath when resting, especially when lying down
• Coughing or wheezing when lying down or exercising
• Dizziness or fainting (syncope)
• Fatigue (feeling tired all the time)
• Irregular heartbeat
• Nausea, loss of appetite or a feeling that your stomach is full
• Swelling in your ankles, feet, legs, abdomen and veins in your neck
• Weight gain due to fluid retention
• Confusion or “fuzzy” thinking

There are many types of treatment. It is important to diagnose and treat heart failure at an early stage. Depending on the stage of heart failure, treatment may include but not limited to medication such as diuretics (Lasix), or beta blockers, and surgery.

Heart failure – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic

If you have a health condition, something that will not be resolved quickly, you will need to manage this condition with your health care provider. Examples of chronic conditions include high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, chronic pain, headaches, and thyroid problems, among others

We all want to stay as healthy as possible and feel well.

Here are some practical steps to take.

• See your health care provider as recommended.
• Take your medications as prescribed.
• Eat as healthy as you can for your condition. You may need to watch your salt or sugar intake.
• Move as much as you can. You may need to do special exercises depending on your condition.
• Learn about your condition read about it, take a class, join a support group. The more you know about your condition, the healthier you can be.
• Be empowered, ask questions of your doctor on what you can do to stay well, take a list of questions that come up between visits. Many health care systems provide ways to contact your health care providers. Use the system’s e-mail to ask advice or report non-urgent information. 
• Have a good relationship with your pharmacists. Talk with the pharmacist or tech about concerns:
  • When and how to take your medications.
  • Questions about starting a new over the counter medication.
  • Ask about drug interactions, especially regarding over the counter drugs and supplements.
  • Ask what to do if you miss a dose.
• Always keep a list of all your prescribed and over the counter medications with you. This includes; vitamins, supplements, sprays, and ointments. Take it with you to all health care provider appointments and share it with your pharmacist. You need to understand what medications you are taking and how they may interact with each other.

This link takes you to the National Council on Aging’s website that lists options for self management of various chronic conditions:

National Council on Aging with multiple links to programs for specific concerns

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion – CDC

• Taking better care of yourself means having healthy boundaries. It’s okay to say “No.”  You can say: “I cannot help you in that way,” or “I can’t provide you with the help you need.”
• If someone is asking you to do something, take a moment to ask yourself, “Do I want to do that? Do I have time or energy to do it?”
• It is okay to say “No.” even to good things. We know what our priorities are. We know how much energy we have.
• Set limits and boundaries. Breathe! Remember you can take care of yourself. Don’t own other people’s reactions. Learning to say “No” may take practice. Remember only you can take care of yourself.

COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard for Milwaukee County 

COVID-19 CDC  (Current info)

Vaccine Schedules (All ages) – CDC

Managing Anxiety and Stress – Center for Disease Control’s website

American Diabetes Association website

A collection of resources for seniors from the National Council on Aging.

If you are on medications, you need them. They may be to control some disease, like high blood pressure, or to give you something your body is missing, like thyroid medication, or to keep a disease from coming back, like cancer medications.

Make sure you have the correct medication. If the pill looks different, question it. Call your pharmacy to check why is it different. They may be using a different supplier, or it may be the wrong medication.

There are many ways to get your medications: going to the pharmacy, ordering by mail, calling in a refill, or having it refilled automatically. Pick the service that works best for you.

Take your medication at the same time every day. Tie it to a daily routine like brushing your teeth or getting ready for bed. Follow the directions. Do you need to take it on a full or empty stomach?

Use a pill container. Some have sections for multiple doses: morning, lunch, evening, and night.

Fill the container the same day every week.

Make sure to have a small container to take with you when you are out to eat.

When traveling keep your medications in your carry-on bag.

There are machines that will remind you about your medications.

If you just struggle to remember to take your medicines call me, we can come up a plan together.

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U.S. Department of Agriculture healthy eating tips. ChooseMyPlate

Healthy Recipes for all Diets

Benefits of Healthy Eating-CDC

Do you know your fruits and vegetables? Take the quiz!

What’s Nutritious

Know What You are Eating

Foods that fight inflammation

For nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

Recommended for Hypertension

Diabetes Plate Method

Gluten-Free Diet

Mediterranean Diet

Mediterranean diet for heart health – Mayo Clinic

Vegetarian Diet: How to Get the Best Nutrition – Mayo Clinic

Vegetarian Recipes

Basics of a Vegan Diet

Vegan Recipes

Plant-Based Eating

Probiotics are the microbes that live in your gut and prebiotics are the food they eat.

Prebiotics are very important for the health of your microbiome (your gut) as they stimulate the growth among preexisting good bacteria.

Prebiotics are a type of non-digestible fiber that helps your good bacteria. They are found in foods like: asparagus; Jerusalem artichokes; jicama; bananas; oatmeal; legumes; berries; and the skin of apples, onions, and garlic. Prebiotics pass through the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract, when they reach the colon they are the nutrient source for the beneficial bacteria that live in your gut.

Probiotics are found in fermented foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchi, cultured yogurt, raw cheese, goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, apple cider vinegar, salted gherkin pickles, brine-cured olives, tempeh, and miso.

Prebiotics and probiotics enhance our gut health. Working together they help to battle inflammation and help in lowering overall disease risk.

Increase your intake of prebiotics.

Prebiotics are linked to benefits, including:

• lower risk for cardiovascular disease
• healthier cholesterol levels
• better gut health
• improved digestion
• lower stress response
• better hormonal balance
• higher immune function
• lower risk for obesity and weight gain
• lower inflammation and autoimmune reactions

Alzheimer’s Prevention

Alzheimer’s Association

Memory Care Resources:

• Memory Care in Wisconsin  
• Memory Care Facility Guide
• When to consider memory care
• What to expect in Memory Care

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Fall Prevention

Please check the Table of Contents to link quickly to the topic you’re most interested in 

Popular Topics:

Who qualifies in Wisconsin?

Medicare Plans in Wisconsin

How much does Medicare in Wisconsin? 

Medicare Resources in Wisconsin

If your healthcare provider is:

• leaving your insurance provider
• retiring
• moving to a new city
• not able to connect with you in a meaningful way
• doesn’t follow up 

It may be time to change your healthcare provider.

• Check to see if there are restrictions with your insurance plan.
• Check with the hospital system you use; many can help you find a new provider near you. You may be able to request a female or male provider, the part of town the office is in, and find out what hospital systems they are affiliated with.
• There may be a video to see an introduction of the doctor.
• Some doctors do a 5-minute meet and greet with a new patient (this is rare).

Prepare before you see your healthcare provider:

• Have a list of your questions and concerns and give that list to your provider.
• Keep a copy of your list of questions.
• You will have a limited time with your provider. You may only cover two or three things on your list, but your provider may see something on your list that is very important and needs to be discussed first.

Before you leave your provider:

• Be sure you understand what you discussed.  
• Use both sides of this handy brochure at every visit 

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Home “Honey Do” Checklist

Plan to Stay Home Longer

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Medication Logs and Health Literacy

Medication Logs How To

Oh, no, I forgot to take my medications again

• If you are on medications, you need them. They may be to control some disease, like high blood pressure, or to give you something your body is missing, like thyroid medication, or to keep a disease from coming back, like cancer medications.
• Make sure you have the correct medication. If the pill looks different, question it. Call your pharmacy to check why it is different. They may be using a different supplier, or it may be the wrong medication.
• There are many ways to get your medications: going to the pharmacy, ordering by mail, calling in a refill, or having it refilled automatically. Pick the service that works best for you.
• Take your medication at the same time every day. Tie it to a daily routine like brushing your teeth or getting ready for bed. Follow the directions. Do you need to take it on a full or empty stomach? 
• Taking your medications at the time directed and on time is important. Taking pain meds before your symptoms start can reduce flare-ups. Using your inhaler for asthma on time may prevent further irritation of the airways and other symptoms. Not finishing prescribed antibiotics may prolong your infection. 
• Keep a list of your medications – names, dosage, what amount and how often to take – in your wallet or purse. On this list, include the name and phone number of your health care provider and pharmacy.
• Use a pill container. Some have sections for multiple doses: morning, lunch, evening, and night.
• Fill the container the same day every week.
• Make sure to have a small container to take your pills with you when you go out to eat.
• When traveling keep your medications in your carry-on bag.
• There are machines that will remind you about your medications. Consider setting a reminder on your phone or smart speaker

What is the difference between Palliative care and Hospice care?

Palliative care is specialized health care for people for people living with a serious illness. It focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.

Hospice care provides for the physical, emotional and spiritual pain for someone whose illness, disease or condition is unlikely to be cured and treatment of the disease is stopped.  

Both provide comfort and support.

Palliative care is provided by a specially-trained team of doctors, nurses, and other specialists who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. Palliative care is based on the needs of the patient, not on the prognosis. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.  Palliative care is based on need, not prognosis. 

Hospice care is individualized depending on what each patient needs; it also provides support for the family during the illness and grief support after death.

Hospice care can be provided in a home, hospital, assisted living, nursing home, or a freestanding hospice center.

Two physicians must certify that the patient meets the medical eligibility criteria for hospice, usually with a patient’s life expectancy of 6 months or less if their condition runs its typical course.

Talk with your physician about the need for palliative or hospice care.