Why is Care Management Important for Mental Illness Patients?

Last Updated on Wednesday, 12 October 2011 01:21 Written by Natural Health Team Wednesday, 12 October 2011 01:21

Health Information about Why is Care Management Important for Mental Illness Patients?

Patients with severe mental illnesses are dying prematurely, compared with the rest of the population, mostly due to co-occurring health conditions that go untreated. Person-centered mental health homes aim to provide better care management, so that mental illness patients have access to the simple treatment that can prevent existing physical health conditions from becoming fatal.

At the core of the patient-centered medical home clinical approach is team based care that provides care management and supports individuals in their self management goals. A mental health report found that care management was identified as being among the few policy options that hold promise not only of containing costs but also of improving health outcomes for high-risk populations.

Care management is the coordination of care in order to reduce fragmentation and unnecessary use of services, prevent avoidable conditions, and promote independence and self-care. Alternatively called advanced care management, targeted case management, high-cost or high-risk case management, care coordination, disease management, and other terms, care management programs manifest themselves in a wide variety of ways. In some cases, care management encompasses personalized nurse counseling, pharmacy review, utilization management, case management and depression management programs.

This emphasis on self-care resonates with the behavioral health system’s movement towards a recovery and resilience orientation, utilizing approaches such as the newly revised Wellness Management and Recovery program or the Wellness Recovery Action Plan. With these models, the behavioral health field has developed structured approaches that strengthen the individual’s capacity to set goals for improved self management of specific conditions and to problem solve barriers using the resources of the community and personal support systems in addition to formal services. These approaches are critical to meeting the needs of people living with serious mental illness as well as chronic health conditions.

The five clinical functions of the care manager, as identified in the Health Disparities Collaborative, are:

> Develop and maintain rapport with patient and provider
> Educate the patient and the family
> Monitor symptoms and communicate findings to provider
> Develop and maintain a self-care action plan
> Maximize adherence to the treatment plan through negotiation of solutions to treatment-emergent problems

Unlike disease management models with arms-length, telephonic care management, in the Chronic Care Model and patient-centered medical home the care manager is embedded in the clinical team.

The <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link/2364399']);” href=”http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/cs/_overview”>community mental health centers</a> participating in the Health Disparities Collaborative have also identified the importance of enabling services in helping engage and support individuals with chronic health conditions. These are non-medical services that facilitate access to timely and appropriate medical care, including transportation, language assistance, case management, and community outreach and education. This set of activities is ancillary to the focused care management task of monitoring health status and calibrating care for an individual and is generally not performed by the care manager. However, the team’s success in managing chronic health conditions depends on the provision of these enabling services alongside the clinical services.

Care management is the key to transforming a healthcare system geared towards acute problems into one focused on addressing health needs from a longitudinal perspective (i.e., managing chronic illness and facilitating preventative self-care). Longitudinal monitoring and timely response to the course of illness is how care management transforms treatment as usual. This focus on ongoing accountability and responsibility for individuals being cared for should be distinguished from old ideas about “gatekeeping” access to care – a distinction confounded by the varying ways in which the terms care manager and case manager have been used in the last twenty years.

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Effective Stress Management Tips for a Healthy Life

Last Updated on Saturday, 1 October 2011 11:11 Written by Natural Health Team Saturday, 1 October 2011 11:11

Health Information about Effective Stress Management Tips for a Healthy Life

We all get exposed to stress at different stages in our lives. In order to lead a healthier lifestyle, it is helpful to know various ways to alleviate stress. Though managing your stress may at times seem difficult, you have a lot more control than you might believe. Actually, the simple awareness of the fact that you’re in control of your life is the basis of stress management.

Stress management is all about taking control of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. There are many reasons which may contribute to a high stress level and other stress related illnesses. Though complete elimination of stress is unrealistic, management of life stresses is quite possible.

Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. To identify your true sources of stress, examine your habits, attitudes, and behaviors which you easily tend to overlook. However, it is important on your part to accept the responsibility for the role you play in creating it. Unless you do this, your stress level will remain out of your control.

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Each time you feel stressed, keep track of it in your diary, which can help you recognize the regular stressors in your life and the way you handle each of them. Think about the ways you have currently used to cope with or manage stress in your life. If your methods of coping with stress haven’t proven to be helpful or productive, then these ways may compound the problem and cause more damage in the long run.

In your effort to seek healthier ways, it is important to remember that no single method works for everyone. So, try out different methods and approaches. Concentrate on what makes you feel calm and composed.

While deciding upon which strategy to choose, it’s helpful to think of the four A’s: Avoid, Alter, Accept, or Adopt

The first strategy is to . You should avoid taking added responsibilities by learning to say no. Avoid interacting with people who stress you out. The second strategy says that if you cannot avoid a situation, Alter it. This would involve altering the way you commune and operate in your daily life.

Next, instead of railing against a situation you can’t change, Accept things as they are. Develop positive attitude in life and nourish yourself by setting aside some time for fun and relaxation. Finally, Adopt a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly, eating healthy diet and taking adequate rest.   

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Stress Management Strategies ? Natural Health

Last Updated on Tuesday, 6 September 2011 01:10 Written by Natural Health Team Tuesday, 6 September 2011 01:10

Health Information about Stress Management Strategies ? Natural Health

Stress can be considered a silent killer. Stress affects every level of our lives and impacts us on a mental, physical, emotional and spiritual level. Stress causes the release of hormones and toxins into our bodies that causes our bodies to maintain a fight

Body: Stress can be considered a silent killer. Stress affects every level of our lives and impacts us on a mental, physical, emotional and spiritual level. Stress causes the release of hormones and toxins into our bodies that causes our bodies to maintain a fight or flight condition that breaks down the immune system and wreaks havoc in our lives. Stress management strategies are essential. The social pressures and negative media that bombard our lives on a daily basis add to the already overwhelming responsibilities and demands of daily life and survival. Trying to maintain harmony and balance in these hostile conditions takes determination and practice. Natural health is the way to achieve balance.

Today it seems like there is a pill for everything. There are also pills prescribed for stress management. The problem with these prescriptions is that they will eventually become addictive. Side effects of the pills can be worse than the original condition. People can go about their lives in a zombie like stupor and lose the joy and excitement of living. Although in extreme cases this may be necessary, natural holistic ways to combat stress and improve health have been proven effective. Holistic health care is available.

Meditation is one of the stress management strategies used to cultivate a quiet mindful way of being. Meditation has been proven to slow the breath, quiet the mind and produce more harmonious brain activity. It only takes about 15 minutes a day to achieve positive results. Focusing on the breath is one way to meditate. Simply giving attention to the in and out breath can help to calm the body and the emotions increasing natural health. Focusing on a word or mantra is another way to refocus the mind and cause it to become calm and peaceful. These exercises can be done at any time and in any setting that may prove stressful and only take a few moments.

Natural stress management strategies can also be obtained through a variety of herbs that are available to help relieve stress. St. John’s Wort has been used for centuries to help calm the nerves and reduce stress. Valerian is another herb that has also been used to reduce stress and as an aid in sleep. A holistic health clinic is available to help with stress management. Perhaps one of the best and most natural ways to reduce stress is to simplify your life. Reclaim a joyful life through natural holistic stress reduction techniques.

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Stress Management And Mental Health In The Workplace

Last Updated on Thursday, 1 September 2011 01:21 Written by Natural Health Team Thursday, 1 September 2011 01:21

Health Information about Stress Management And Mental Health In The Workplace

In recent years more and more attention has been focused on the health and welfare of employees within companies of all sizes yet it is only very recently that businesses have began to address the mental health issues faced by staff.

The CBI (Confederation of British Industry) held a survey in which it was reported that nine out ten employees believed that the companies they worked for should be concerned about the mental health of their staff. Yet, less than one in ten of companies have an adequate mental health policy.

Of course, many people spend a large amount of their time at work so it makes good business sense to make sure that mental health issues are not ignored. Because of the stressful nature of work the mental and psychological well being of staff should be equally important as all other aspects of health and safety at work. In fact it should most probably be the factor of most concern within a companies health and safety regimen.

The good news is that more companies are now becoming aware of mental health issues within the workforce and actively encourage management and staff to attend training courses designed to being stress under control in the workplace.

These kinds of mental health training courses are invaluable on two levels; firstly it enables staff to be more aware of the stress they are feeling and provides them with tips and techniques to control those feelings and, secondly, it equips staff to recognise signs of stress in their co-workers.

The value of these kind of courses should not be under-estimated as failing to address the problems of stress in the workplace could lead to reduced effectiveness from the staff and a general decline in productivity. Initially it can result in staff taking more time off and can lead to issues amongst the workforce. Sending staff on a mental health training course will provide solutions for those already feeling the pressures of stress but will also be a pre-emptive safeguard to other employees who will learn how to identify the symptoms of stress and be able to take measures to ensure that stress doesn?t develop.

Possibly the single biggest advantage in sending staff and management teams to a mental health training course is that they will gain a valuable insight into understanding stress and how it is caused. This knowledge will help staff at all levels of the company to perform better and to be aware of the importance of monitoring their own and their colleagues levels of stress.

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Stress Management – Addressing The Source

Last Updated on Monday, 18 January 2010 05:09 Written by Natural Health Team Monday, 18 January 2010 05:09

Stresses induced by modern day living habits takes a serious toll on the well being of families everywhere. Deadlines to meet at the workplace, financial obligations to be met at the homefront, relationship issues, parenting issues and the like have caused a lot of havoc in a lot of people’s lives. News articles and magazines are filled with stress induced fatigue and stress induced senseless actions taken by people in all kinds of stressful situations. And this stress is not limited to any specific geographical region, any specific people or any specific age group. Stress seems to be affecting not only adults in the prime of their lives, but also the elderly and children of both sexes male and female. Management of stress is extremely important at this juncture in our society and unfortunately this is not something that is taught in schools and universities. While this article cannot encompass all aspects of stress management, we will deal here only with one aspect of stress management and that is addressing the source of stress.

Stress management is usually associated with yoga or meditation and other relaxation exercises. While mind calming techniques such as deep breathing and calming scene visualizations do play an important role in stress reduction, in the opinion of the author, stress reduction is different from stress management. To associate stress reduction with stress management is akin to saying reducing your household expenses is the same as home finance management; sure reducing the expenses will certainly help, but that is not management.

Stress management invokes the use of techniques to manage stress, with the full awareness that you cannot lead a stress free life in the modern world and run to the mountains. Hence the first step in stress management is the acceptance that there will be factors that push your limits and introduce stress levels in your day to day life. Now, once that is accepted, you can proceed to manage it. Management of stress involves first of all finding the source of the stress and addressing the source rather than the result which is the stress. For example, because there is a tight deadline for you to meet for some project at work, you may get stressed; in this case, the source of stress is the deadline at work; you need to manage your resources, time, people, etc to ensure that you will meet this deadline and you would have managed the stress effectively.

Another example here; let’s say you are in the process of buying a house and your finances are really not in great shape to purchase this house; you are getting stressed all over. In this case, you need to identify that purchasing the house is not the source of stress, rather it is your bad financial management that is the culprit; you have one of two choices, you can face the reality and back off buying this property until you get all your financial ducks in a row or you can opt to buy a lesser valued home. The house project may suffer, but you would have mitigated the stress from buying the house when your finances are terrible. As you can see from these two examples, addressing the source of the stress many times involves being completely honest with yourself and facing reality the way it is instead of hiding behind the curtain of imaginary bliss.

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