Christina's Considerations

A New Normal - Administrator to Patient & Beyond

Three years ago, I decided it was time to walk away from my healthcare career and find something new. I was no longer being challenged and the long daily commute was wearing on my aging body. It was a hard... Read more →

Celebrating 420 with CBD

Last year, I celebrated my first 420 with a gift guide. Since then, I've continued to learn and test CBD for a variety of symptoms. I've also received great feedback from others who have tried the products. This year I... Read more →

Eat Pray Love: The Spoonie Senior Version

A few years ago I listened to the audio book Eat Pray Love. It is the story of a woman who re-examines herself after a life change and goes in search of her new self. My hero, of course, plans... Read more →

An End to Upside Down Thinking

Early in my career I focused my mental energy on my goals, and opportunities seemed to appear when needed the most. I'm an optimist and also believe I must address challenges in order to control my destiny. The mind has... Read more →

Ghosting: Tips for when your doctor disappears

I recently learned about "ghosting patients" - a term used when patients find their physician (or other provider) has left a practice/clinic/medical group/hospital/etc and they don't know how to find them. This often happens due to some sort of separation... Read more →

Safety In Healthcare: Considerations for Consumers, Patients & Family Caregivers

Safety in healthcare has been around for a really long time. Florence Nightingale is sometimes referred to as "the mother of patient safety" because of her attention to healthcare design. In the 1800's, she advocated for improved ventilation and sanitary... Read more →

Disaster Supply Kit: A Visual Checklist

Being prepared for a disaster is the responsible thing to do both personally and professionally. Disasters create business and personal risks... especially for those with special needs and/or functional limitations. Over the years of promoting preparedness and urging communities and... Read more →

Does ALL CAPS still indicate screaming online?

In the early days of the Internet, typing in all caps was deemed to be rude and screaming during online conversations with others. However, is this really always or still the case? This question occurred to me after reading an... Read more →

Aging Pets and CBD

Aging often brings chronic illness and pain into our lives. However, we aren't the only ones in the family who can suffer from this. Our pets - dogs, cats, horses, etc - can also experience arthritis and other conditions. And,... Read more →

Firearm Safety and a Dementia Diagnosis

The US Census Bureau estimates that older people will outnumber children for the first time in US history by 2035. So, it makes sense that we will see a corresponding increase in the more common “older people” conditions over the... Read more →

A Call to Healthcare Professionals: Contrary to what you’ve been taught, use social media

Way back in 2005, I began blogging. After a couple of years, I got tired of explaining to my hospital administration and physician friends "what's a blog?" and "why would I want to Twitter?" Since all of the young people... Read more →

Tips for Getting Through a Difficult Time

It isn't uncommon for people to make supportive and encouraging comments to me after hearing bits of my GBS story. I suppose it is partly because I am an optimist, but I explain that I truly am fortunate. I didn't... Read more →

Virtual reality: From the OR to the patient bedside

I haven't written much these last few months, because my typing accuracy and speed have not been the best. But, I'm still trying and just had a new article published after several months. Some of you may remember the old... Read more →

Patient Caregivers: The Importance of Self-Care

I just returned from a long trip to help my dad care for my mom. I was able to get my own scheduled treatments shifted over to providers in that state and community. Upon arriving at my parents' home; I... Read more →

Bed Rails for Home Care

Those recovering or being cared for at home after an injury, illness or surgery sometimes need a safety feature commonly found in hospitals, nursing homes and rehab facilities. That most common and effective (if actually used) safety measure has prevented... Read more →

Micro Communities and Dementia

Not long ago I finished a book on the power of micro communities - The Courage to Go Forward . It posed the question of how do we support populations of individuals in ways that achieve what is most important... Read more →

Woodworking as Art Therapy for PTSD

Guest Post: Robert Johnson is a woodworking enthusiast whose passion for power tools is expressed through writing. He is the founder, owner, and main author of Sawinery.net, a blog site dedicated to his personal reviews of different types and specific... Read more →

Adult Child Caregiver - The Sandwich Generation

Last week, just in time for Thanksgiving, I officially became an adult child caregiver of the "Sandwich Generation". I've made a significant impact to turn things around. So, this video is particularly and specifically of interest to me as I... Read more →

Exercise & Peripheral Neuropathy

This guest post comes from the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy; a public charity foundation committed to fostering collaboration among today’s most gifted and dedicated neuroscientists and physicians. To support their work, visit https://www.foundationforpn.org/donate/ We all have heard that exercise is... Read more →

Really Support Others Who Are Grieving

As a hospital administrator, I was sometimes called upon to support patients, families or even employees who were going through difficult times in their lives. I learned fairly quickly in my career to express empathy and support the natural grieving... Read more →

The Burning Question: Who Will Foot the Bill for America’s Increasing Burn-Care Costs?

I think about burn patients when I see the ergonomic tube squeezer I added to my shop as soon as it came onto the market. Yes, it helps those of us with hand weakness and coordination, but it is also... Read more →

Address Inflammatory Disease with Walnuts in Your Diet

Holiday entertaining is around the corner and every year we say we want to choose healthier options; but do we? I have a bowl of black walnuts from California sitting on my counter, a gift from a thoughtful young lady's... Read more →

If I won the lottery...

I play the lottery when it gets exciting and consider it a little extra support for the schools. This round of Mega Millions and Power Ball seems especially exciting, so it has got me thinking about what I should do... Read more →

Fall Risk? Get a personal alarm!

So, last year I was a fall risk, due to my Guillain Barre Syndrome, and did fall on a regular basis. I didn't go outside unless someone in my family was around. Early one evening I ventured off the patio... Read more →

Working While Receiving State and Federal Disability Benefits

Disability insurance is available at both the state and federal levels to assist workers who become disabled; and unable to work. Learning the qualifications/disqualifications and self-advocating to ensure effective communications are occurring are two challenges many will experience. Another, often... Read more →