Medical Information
How to Use -- Contents
Slightly Creaky does research to find the links you would most likely need and provides them for you in an easy-to-find format. You can access the various categories from any of our pages using the top or side menus. Each category has generalized headings, followed by more specific ones.
Listing of Medical Information Sites
Updated January 19, 2012
Please Contact us if you find a broken or bad link.
| Medical Information | |||
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| Self Diagnosis | |||
| Pharmaceuticals Drugs & Home Remedies |
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| Medicare Part D Prescription Plans |
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| Second Opinions | Check your medical insurance company before seeking a second opinion. Many policies have specificpre-notification procedures that must be followed. |
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| Organizations Supporting Many Ailments | |||
| Long Term Care | |||
| Advocacy Groups | For medical, disability, or aging situations; including medical and legal issues. |
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Also see Pets & Human Health (on our Pet page) |
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For specific information about an ailment or a support group, see our detailed alphabetical listings |
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Support Group Home Page or use the alphabetical index to link directly to disease sites. |
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Family & Relationships From advice columns, talking to your children (and grandchildren) about sex and drugs, to support groups, this area provides links that will help you understand interpersonal relationships. |
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NOTE: If the table lines do not show properly, please refresh the page.
I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it. - W. C. Fields
Caution - Proceed with care
Slightly Creaky is not responsible for the content of web sites listed here or the actions taken by the people owning, managing, or participating on these sites. Once you click on a link you are leaving our site.
These listings are the result of thousands of hours of research. It is the property of Slightly Creaky and may not be reproduced in any form. Every attempt has been made to provide an accurate description of each organization. Contact us if you find an error.
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We are constantly looking for more information, more links, as well as featured articles. Please help us improve our site and service. The Internet had millions of web pages dedicated to health; we can only sample a few of them. Our purpose is to give our viewers a taste of what is out there.
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Medical Information
Medical Information
"The Stedman's medical terminology dictionary contains medical terms, medical definitions, and some pronunciations. Stedmans provides the most comprehensive medical dictionary online, in an easy-to-use, flexible format." |
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| Stedman's Medical Dictionary | |
| National Library of Medicine | "The world's largest medical library." |
| A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia | The comprehensive A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia contains 3,600 original illustrated articles featuring over 2,000 original illustrations in eight topic categories. Articles are written by health professionals in clear, concise language and include cross-reference hyperlinks to related information, as well as literature source-references for further study. |
| Thomson Micromedex CareNotes | "CareNotes contain concise, easy-to-understand information relating to standard treatments for a variety of diseases and conditions. The carenotes cover general information on the nature of the disease/condition, possible causes, signs and symptoms, and standard means of care and support." |
| AllRefer Health | Guide to health with encyclopedia, symptom guide, and more |
| JoCoHealth | The Adam Health Illustrated Encyclopedia includes over 4,000 articles about diseases, tests, symptoms, injuries, and surgeries. It also contains an extensive library of medical photographs and illustrations. |
| Healthopedia | "A medical and health consumer information resource containing comprehensive and unbiased information in patient-friendly language from trusted sources on over 1,500 health topics, 70 focussed health centers, and more than 11,000 drugs and medications." |
| MedTerms Medical Dictionary | "MedTerms medical dictionary is the medical reference for MedicineNet.com. Our doctors define difficult medical language in easy-to-understand explanations of over 16,000 medical terms." |
| Medscape | General information about diseases, disabilities, and related topics |
| Senior Fitness Association | "At SFA, we realize you don’t have time to pour over all of the extensive new research on older adult fitness. We take care of that for you. With SFA publications and educational programs, you learn the latest, most effective, and most enjoyable methods for improving your participants’ quality of life through fun, responsible exercise programming." |
| Clinical Trials | "ClinicalTrials.gov is a registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the United States and around the world. ClinicalTrials.gov gives you information about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details. This information should be used in conjunction with advice from health care professionals." |
| National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities | Serves the nation as a central source of information on disabilities in infants, toddlers, children, and youth, IDEA, which is the law authorizing special education, No Child Left Behind (as it relates to children with disabilities), and research-based information on effective educational practices. |
| Verizon Solutions for Customers with Disabilities | Verizon is committed to providing the greatest range of communication capabilities to all of our customers. Our mission is to provide the highest quality of service and sensitivity to our customers with disabilities by empowering them with accessible telecommunications products and services. |
| Wrong Diagnosis | "WrongDiagnosis.com provides a free health-information service to help people understand their health better, offering crucial and factual health information that is otherwise difficult to find. The objective of the site is to encourage consumers to be informed and interested in managing their health, and to know what questions to ask their doctors to help ensure they are getting the best healthcare possible." |
| Medinfo | A UK site. "Medinfo® is being developed with the aim of providing free and easy to understand medical information and advice, such as you might get from your own doctor, on a number of common and not so common conditions." |
| BioMed Search | "A biomedical search engine that contains NIH/PubMed documents, plus a large collection of theses, dissertations, and other publications not found anywhere else for free, making it the most comprehensive free search on the web. BioMedSearch also provides advanced account features that allow saved searches, alerts, saving documents to portfolios, commenting on documents and portfolios, and sharing documents with other registered users. Registering for BioMedSearch is free." |
| Explore MedTerms Medical Dictionary by Letter | "MedTerms medical dictionary is the medical reference for MedicineNet.com. Our doctors define difficult medical language in easy-to-understand explanations of over 16,000 medical terms." |
| Find and Compare Hospitals | From Medicare |
| Patient and Medication Safety | "Ever since 2000 when the Institute of Medicine released its watershed report claiming that more than 2 million serious medical errors occur annually, the health care industry has been trying to improve patient safety. McKesson’s comprehensive patient safety framework provides the blueprint to help move the health care quality needle in the right direction." |
| Med Help | "In addition to helping patients find answers to their questions, MedHelp has a robust infrastructure to help patients actively manage their health. Through its condition-specific health applications and Personal Health Records, MedHelp members are able to track over 1500 symptoms and treatments on a daily basis as it relates to the progression of their medical condition." |
| Organized Wisdom | "A Health Center is an easy-to-use index of all the WisdomCards we have on a specific condition or health topic. Click subject to browse more, or subscribe to alerts by email, RSS or Twitter." |
| HealthCare.gov | This tool will help you find the health insurance best suited to your needs, whether it's private insurance for individuals, families, and small businesses, or public programs that may work for you. It was created to help consumers under the health insurance reform law, the Affordable Care Act. |
| Whether you or your loved one has been recently diagnosed, are managing a disease, or are just curious, our 'D&C' encyclopedia provides information about a variety of health topics, diseases, medical conditions, diagnostic tests, medical treatments and procedures, and general information for healthy living. | |
| Discovery Health | |
| NIH MedlinePlus | The A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia includes over 4,000 articles about diseases, tests, symptoms, injuries, and surgeries. It also contains an extensive library of medical photographs and illustrations. |
| CDC - Center for Disease Control & Prevention | CDC.gov provides users with credible, reliable health information on: Data and Statistics Diseases and Conditions Emergencies and Disasters Environmental Health Healthy Living Injury, Violence and Safety Life Stages and Populations Travelers' Health Workplace Safety and Health And more… |
| Penn State Health & Disease Information | "Penn State Hershey Medical Center references articles on diseases and conditions. You can read about signs, symptoms, causes, risk factors, when to seek medical advice, screening and diagnosis, complications, treatments and prevention. " |
| Health Central | Consumer health information |
| Healthline | "As consumers increasingly migrate online to self-manage their health, more companies are realizing the importance of delivering rich, contextually relevant health information to help their customers make better decisions. Healthline Networks powers intelligent health search, advertising and content services to a growing network of publishers, advertisers, destination sites and health plans. " |
| Health Vault | You should be able to use your health information wherever and whenever you want. You should be able to share it with whoever you want and decide what they can see and can’t. HealthVault can help you do that. HealthVault offers you a way to store health information from many sources in one location, so that it’s always organized and available to you online. |
| Everyday Health | "There are many features you can use on Everyday Health without registering for an account. However, you need to register in order to have a personalized homepage based on your health interests, create a profile, post comments on discussion forums, and exchange messages with other members." |
| Google Health | "Google Health allows you to store and manage all of your health information in one central place. And it's completely free. All you need to get started is a Google username and password.Google believes that you own your medical records and should have easy access to them. The way we see it, it's your information; why shouldn't you control it?" |
| Health For Seniors | "Official information and services from the U.S. government" |
| NIH Senior Health | National Institute of Health. "This easy-to-use website features health and wellness information for older adults from the National Institutes of Health. Use the buttons at the top of each page to make the text bigger, change text color, or hear the text read aloud." |
| Med Help | "In addition to helping patients find answers to their questions, MedHelp has a robust infrastructure to help patients actively manage their health. Through its condition-specific health applications and Personal Health Records, MedHelp members are able to track over 1500 symptoms and treatments on a daily basis as it relates to the progression of their medical condition." |
| Health Scout | "HealthScout is a leading provider of personalized health management tools including health alerts, newsletters, Latest Recalls, Mini-Checkups, and family health pages. Reaching over 1.2 million unique users monthly, HealthScout.com is consistently ranked among the top 5 consumer health sites by comScore." |
| "In this tool you will find information on how well hospitals care for patients with certain medical conditions or surgical procedures, and results from a survey of patients about the quality of care they received during a recent hospital stay. This information will help you compare the quality of care hospitals provide. Talk to your doctor about this information to help you, your family and your friends make your best hospital care decisions." | |
| Find and Compare Hospitals | |
| National Respite Locator Service | "Helps parents, caregivers, and professionals find respite services in their state and local area to match their specific needs." |
| Find and Compare Nursing Homes | From US Dept. of Health & Human Services. "This tool has detailed information about every Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the country." |
| Home Health Compare | This tool provides you with information on how well the home health agencies in your area care for their patients. |
| Find and Compare Hospitals | "In this tool you will find information on how well hospitals care for patients with certain medical conditions or surgical procedures, and results from a survey of patients about the quality of care they received during a recent hospital stay. This information will help you compare the quality of care hospitals provide. Talk to your doctor about this information to help you, your family and your friends make your best hospital care decisions." |
| Orphanet | ORPHANET is a database dedicated to information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. |
| Doctor Finder | From the AMA "This online physician Locator helps you find a perfect match for your medical needs DoctorFinder provides you with basic professional information on virtually every licensed physician in the United States. This includes more than 814,000 doctors. " |
| Choosing A Doctor | "There are many reasons why you might be looking for a new doctor. Maybe you’ve moved to another city or perhaps your doctor is retiring. If you need a new doctor, the following ideas can help you find one who is right for you. " |
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| U.S. News & World Report: Best Hospitals | |
| Doctors Fight Back Against Internet Critics | "Physicians are taking action as online ratings services such as Yelp and Angie's List grow in popularity and expand their reviews beyond restaurants and plumbers to include medical care, joining dedicated Web sites such as RateMDs.com." Read a Slightly Creaky commentary on this topic. |
NOTE: All commercial sites chage a fee for reviewing doctors. Many of them do not guarentee results. Therefore, we do not include any such sites in our listing. |
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| Top Insurance Companies Reviewed | "Read insurance company reviews by the insurance experts at FreeAdvice.com. Please feel free to add your comments and rating to those already found at the end of each review." |
| Health Insurance Consumer Reviews | "Read consumer reviews, complaints and compliments." |
| America's Best Health Plans | U.S. News and the National Committee for Quality Assurance, managed care's major accrediting and standards-setting body, have teamed up to rank healthcare plans. We release the rankings during open-enrollment season, when millions of Americans prepare to select their healthcare coverage for the next year. |
| Vitals | "Vitals was created to give consumers the tools to make intelligent, informed decisions about which doctor to choose." |
| Healthcare Reviews | "Free hospital, doctor and dentist ratings. Evaluate your healthcare and submit your opinions. Examine other patient assessments of their healthcare treatments. Research ratings, credentials and make a more informed decisions. Find the best healthcare for you and your family through patient feedback." |
| Yelp | (Set for New York - easily changed) “Yelp was founded in 2004 to help people find great local businesses like dentists, hair stylists and mechanics. Yelpers have written over 5 million local reviews, over 85% of them rating a business 3 stars or higher.” (i.e. You can search on a specific doctor’s name.) |
| Angie's List | "Angie's List is where you'll find thousands of unbiased reports and reviews about service companies in your area. Our members share their experiences with each other so that you can choose the service company that's right for your job the first time around." |
| RateMD | "Using the above links, you can find doctors, read reviews, and rate physicians. And it's all FREE!" |
| Check up on Your Doctor | From Consumer Reports "We've pulled together the best doctor resources out there to help you check up on your doctor, including information on quality, qualification, licensing and patient experience information." |
| Medical Malpractice Help | "If you want to understand medical malpractice and how a claim works you need to understand what goes into a medical malpractice case. In legal terms, medical malpractice occurs when a medical professional commits a breach of duty that causes injury or death to a patient." |
| How Do Hospitals Get Paid? | (Article from the New York Times - recommended reading) "Few Americans probably have any inkling of how their neighborhood hospital prices the myriad of distinct services rendered patients. I doubt many patients can understand the long hospital bills that feature exotic items such as “cath porta cath perit” or “OP6-central line reposit,” and so on. Even fewer still likely understand why a Tylenol pill or a rubber glove can carry the humongous price tags hospitals put on them...." |
Self Diagnosis
Self Diagnosis
| The Dangers of Internet Self-Diagnosis | "The high fever, the headache, the sore throat and the achy joints – it could be the flu. But the flu wouldn’t account for that weird rash, would it? Instead of calling a doctor, many people power up their computers, turn to a search engine, type in their symptoms, and hope for the best. One Web site says a fever, headache, sore throat, aching joints and a rash could be either the measles, monkey pox or SARS; yet another site suggests Lyme disease or diphtheria. None of these conditions are good news, and the sufferer – in addition to being ill – now fears their imminent demise." |
| Dangers of Self-Diagnosis | "The growing popularity of Web sites such as WebMD.com, and the increased frequency with which health insurance companies are urging clients to utilize educational Web portals before going to see a physician, often gives health care providers the challenge of overcoming patients’ preconceived notions." |
| Optum Health | “myOptumHealth offers visitors reliable medical information that is easy to read and understand. We track significant medical advancements and then boil down the research into concise, jargon-free articles. We give readers the bottom line on complex medical issues. myOptumHealth covers a broad spectrum of health and wellness topics for people at all stages of life with a focus on health maintenance and disease prevention. Our articles are backed by sound clinical research and scientific literature, not trendy opinions or theories.” |
| Optum Symptom Checker | "The Symptom Checker is intended for adults only. To check your symptoms, click on male or female. Then click on the body part or use the menu. Next, select the symptom that fits best. By answering a few questions, the most likely cause of your symptoms will be suggested. Be sure to take note of any action items, self-care and preventive tips." |
| Health Central Symptom Checker | "To get started, click on Man, Woman, or Child below." |
| Healthline | "As consumers increasingly migrate online to self-manage their health, more companies are realizing the importance of delivering rich, contextually relevant health information to help their customers make better decisions. Healthline Networks powers intelligent health search, advertising and content services to a growing network of publishers, advertisers, destination sites and health plans. " |
| Wrong Diagnosis | "WrongDiagnosis.com provides a free health-information service to help people understand their health better, offering crucial and factual health information that is otherwise difficult to find. The objective of the site is to encourage consumers to be informed and interested in managing their health, and to know what questions to ask their doctors to help ensure they are getting the best healthcare possible." |
| The Pros and Cons of Online Self-Diagnosis | "Although knowledge is always useful there are a few things to be aware of before concluding that you have some rare tropical disease." |
| Are You Playing Doctor on Google? | "Sure, the more info the better--especially when you're under the care of a doctor. But some have a name for looking online for health answers: "cyberchondria", the Internet twist on hypochondria. And experts warn that all this Internet-enabled self-diagnosing can be dangerous, especially if you bypass medical care and opt for self-treatment." |
| Patient and Medication Safety | "Ever since 2000 when the Institute of Medicine released its watershed report claiming that more than 2 million serious medical errors occur annually, the health care industry has been trying to improve patient safety. McKesson’s comprehensive patient safety framework provides the blueprint to help move the health care quality needle in the right direction." |
| "If you’ve had laboratory tests performed, you may have been given a copy of the report by the laboratory or your health care provider. If not, you may wish to request one from your physician. Once you get your report, however, it may not be easy for you to read or understand, leaving you with more questions than answers. This article points out some of the different sections that may be found on a typical lab report and explains some of the information that may be found in those sections." | |
| Deciphering Your Lab Report | |
| Understanding the Meaning of Laboratory Tests | "The following is a limited, brief explanation to help give you basic understanding of the the meaning and normal values of these tests. For more information, ask your physician for an interpretation of your test results. " |
| Understanding Your Tests | "While we can't offer the kinds of short, easy answers that we seem to be accustomed to in this information age, we have attempted in the following articles to break down the issues in a way that will help you to understand the issues a bit better and perhaps to ask the appropriate questions of your doctor." |
| How To Read and Understand Medical Blood Lab Test Results | "If you have blood tests done, request copies of the results from your doctor’s office or from the blood laboratory that performed the tests. If you live in the USA, you are entitled to copies of results from blood tests that have been ordered for you." |
| Reading a Lab Report | (PDF) From a hepatitis site, but good information for everyone. "It is important to remember that lab results can be different between labs. So, the same lab should be used whenever possible. Information from blood tests over time will show a trend or pattern. Medical decisions should not usually be made on just one test result." |
| How to Read and Understand Medical Laboratory Results | "Are you often confused when you are reading lab results? Do you wonder what those laboratory words and terms mean? Maybe this article will help you understand what your doctor is telling you about your lab results." |
| How to Interpret Your Blood Test Results | "Laboratory tests are tools helpful in evaluating the health status of an individual. It is important to realize that laboratory results may be outside of the so-called "normal range" for many reasons." |
| Lab Tests Online | Search boxes for lab tests, diseases and conditions, and recommended screenings. "Clinical lab tests often provide the link between the patient's presentation of symptoms and the doctor's diagnosis of and prescribed treatment for a particular condition or disease. Through preventive screening, lab tests also aid in the early detection of potentially fatal conditions and, in so doing, lead to early treatment. In short, lab tests can help both to save lives and to improve the quality of life." |
| Can I Eat And Drink Before A Blood Test? | "In most cases, you will be able to eat and drink as normal before having a blood test. However, there are times when you will not be able to eat before a blood test, and you may also be asked not to drink certain liquids, such as tea, coffee, alcohol and fruit juice. This is because eating or drinking certain foods and liquids may affect the accuracy of certain types of blood test." |
| The Need To Understand Lab And Other Tests And To Assess What They Find Correctly | From the New York Times. "Few people understand the significance of laboratory and other health tests and even fewer can interpret their results. Yet knowing how you fared on various tests and what the results mean can make you a more effective partner in your health care." |
| "What do you have to do to prepare for a MRI? Will having a liver biopsy be painful? Will I need to do anything special afterward? How soon will it be safe to go home after a cardiac catheterization and what are the risks? How soon will the results of that antibody test be back?" | |
| Guide to Diagnostic Tests | |
| Diagnostic Tests | Alphabetical List |
| Screening and Diagnostic Tests | "Diagnostic tests help physicians revise disease probability for their patients. All tests should be ordered by the physician to answer a specific question." |
| Basic Principles of Diagnostic Test Use and Interpretation |
(PDF) "The clinician’s main task is to make reasoned decisions about patient care despite imperfect clinical information and uncertainty about clinical outcomes. While data elicited from the history and physical examination are often sufficient for making a diagnosis or as a guide to therapy, more information may be required. In these situations, clinicians often turn to diagnostic tests for help." |
| Genetic Testing | "A genetic test examines a DNA sample of a person's cells for abnormal genes, or analyzes the number, arrangement, and characteristics of the chromosomes. Testing may be performed on samples of blood, semen, urine, saliva, stool, body tissues, bone, or hair." |
| Diagnostic Tests and Procedures | Links to resources and srtudies. |
| Common Medical Tests | "Tests are performed for a variety of reasons, including screening, diagnosing a disease, evaluating the severity of a disease so that treatment can be planned, and monitoring the response to treatment. Sometimes, a test may be used for more than one purpose." |
| MRI Scans | "MRI scans can show muscles, joints, bone marrow, blood vessels, nerves and other structures within your body. The images the scans produce are usually two-dimensional but, in some cases, several different scans can be taken to build up a three-dimensional image that can be displayed on a computer screen." |
| CT Scans | "A CT scan, sometimes also called a CAT scan, takes pictures of the body and uses a computer to put them together. CT stands for computerized tomography. A CT scanner uses X-rays and is a painless procedure." |
| Diagnostic Procedures | Alphabetical list of procedures, what part of the body is involved, and a desctiption of what happens. |
"Getting your cholesterol and blood pressure tested are steps toward a healthy future -- but it's important that you fully understand your results so you can make lifestyle changes, if necessary. So here's information on cholesterol and blood pressure tests, as well as tips on getting the most accurate results." |
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| Making Sense of Your Cholesterol and Blood Pressure Readings | |
| Blood Pressure Monitoring at Home | "Measuring your blood pressure at home and keeping a record of the measurements will show you and your doctor how much your blood pressure changes during the day. Your doctor can use the measurements to see how well your medicine is working to control your high blood pressure." |
| How to Take Blood Pressure: a Step-by-Step guide | "Blood pressure is the pressure of the circulating blood against the walls of the arteries, the veins, and the chambers of the heart. Blood pressure results from two forces. One created by the heart as it pumps blood into the arteries through the circulatory system. The other is the force of the arteries as they resist the blood flow." |
"Clogged arteries don't happen overnight. Active adults with no outward symptoms may have unhealthy cholesterol and fats circulating through their arteries like silent time bombs, ready to explode in a heart attack or stroke." |
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| Cholesterol Screenings: Making Sense of the Results | |
| Making Sense of Your Cholesterol and Blood Pressure Readings | "Getting your cholesterol and blood pressure tested are steps toward a healthy future -- but it's important that you fully understand your results so you can make lifestyle changes, if necessary. So here's information on cholesterol and blood pressure tests, as well as tips on getting the most accurate results." |
| High Cholesterol | "Cholesterol and triglycerides are the two major fats in the blood. Blood fats are also called lipids. Your body makes cholesterol (in the liver) and gets it from food, then uses it to build cell membranes and hormones. Cholesterol testing is an analysis of the cholesterol levels in a sample of your blood." |
| What Are Cholesterol Readings? | "Cholesterol readings are the results of tests that measure cholesterol in the blood. A test known as a lipid panel generates cholesterol readings measuring total cholesterol, LDL, and HDL. In addition to cholesterol readings, lipid panels measure triglycerides, a different form of fat. Total cholesterol readings on their own can be misleading; most cholesterol treatment decisions are made based on LDL and HDL cholesterol readings." |
| High Triglycerides: What Are They? Where Do They Come From? | "This website is intended to help you manage your own care, ask the right questions, insist on adequate management and information, and seek an optimal outcome for yourself as an informed patient. Perhaps it will even help the health professionals who are giving care to better understand and, hopefully, incorporate into their practice the nutritional approach to high blood triglycerides. " |
| "It’s important to your health to control your blood glucose (also called blood sugar). Keeping your glucose level close to normal helps prevent or delay some diabetes problems, such as eye disease, kidney disease, and nerve damage. One thing that can help you control your glucose level is to keep track of it." | |
| The Diabetic Monitor | |
| Diabetes And Urine Glucose Monitoring | "if you have difficulty obtaining a drop of blood, or you have some other difficulty performing blood glucose monitoring, your doctor or diabetes educator may suggest that urine glucose monitoring is suitable for you." |
| Understanding Home Blood Glucose Results | "Do disappointing blood glucose results make you feel like a failure? Don’t let them. They aren’t report cards, and you can’t pass or fail. These numbers are not there to hurt you, but to help direct you." |
| Understanding the Fasting Plasma Glucose Test | "The fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test, also known as the fasting blood sugar test, measures blood sugar levels and is used to diagnose diabetes. Relatively simple and inexpensive, the test exposes problems with insulin functioning." |
| Diabetes Dictionary | "Modified from the Diabetes Dictionary of the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse" |
"It helps determine whether you have cancer of the prostate, a walnut-sized gland enfolding the duct leading from the bladder to the penis. The test measures how much of a protein essential to human reproduction, PSA (prostate-specific antigen), is in your blood." |
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| PSA | |
| Prostate Cancer Watchful Waiting | "A small sample of blood is taken, usually from a vein in the arm, and is tested for the presence of PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen). This is an enzyme which was initially thought to be formed only by the prostate gland - hence "prostate specific". This is not so and very small quantities of the enzyme are produced by other glands - and even by women." |
| From the New York Times. "Urinalysis is the physical, chemical, and microscopic examination of urine. It involves a number of tests to detect and measure various compounds that pass through the urine." |
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| Urinalysis | |
| Understanding Pregnancy Tests | "There are two types of pregnancy tests; one uses a urine sample, the other a sample of blood." |
| Your Guide to Pregnancy Tests | "Today's home pregnancy tests are virtually foolproof and almost as accurate as those given at the doctor's office. But there are some important issues to consider when deciding what kind of pregnancy test is right for you." |
| Diabetes And Urine Glucose Monitoring | "If you have difficulty obtaining a drop of blood, or you have some other difficulty performing blood glucose monitoring, your doctor or diabetes educator may suggest that urine glucose monitoring is suitable for you." |
Pharmaceuticals and Home Remedies
Pharmaceuticals & Home Remedies
| Everything you need to know about any US approved pharmaceutical. It includes dosages, effects, adverse affects, overdose care, drug interaction, and chemical make-up of the drug. "DailyMed provides high quality information about marketed drugs. This information includes FDA approved labels (package inserts). This Web site provides health information providers and the public with a standard, comprehensive, up-to-date, look-up and download resource of medication content and labeling as found in medication package inserts." | |
| DailyMed | |
| Drugs.com | "Drugs.com is the most popular, comprehensive and up-to-date source of drug information online. Providing free, accurate and independent advice on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products." |
| DrugWatch.com | "DrugWatch.com is a comprehensive Web site database featuring extensive information about thousands of different medications and drugs currently on the market or previously available worldwide. DrugWatch.com includes up-to-date information about prescription and over-the-counter medications and includes details about associated side effects to aid in the protection of patients and consumers." |
| Pharmacy Checker | "PharmacyChecker.com was founded by a medical doctor in 2003 to help consumers safely save money on medication. It independently checks the credentials of online pharmacies and lets you easily compare drug prices. It's online pharmacy verification program is the largest and most accepted." Be sure to check out their "Safe Strategies For Drug Savings." |
| Drug Information | An alphabetical list of prescription and OTC drugs in an easy to understand format |
| Who Cares? | With so many sources of health information at your fingertips — many of them online — it can be tough to tell fact from fiction, or useful health products and services from those that don’t work or aren’t safe. The FTC has created this website to help you find reliable sources of information on health topics important to you, whether you’re an older consumer or a family member, caregiver, or friend. |
| Bio-Medicine | "Bio-Medicine is one of the Internet's leading online organizations and Web portals devoted to biology and medicine. The free, advertising-supported service brings you breaking news about the latest discoveries and hottest research projects in everything about biology and medicine." |
| DMOZ | The Open Directory Project. Many links, in dozens of language,s about pharmaceutics services around the world. It offers hundreds of articles on a variety of topics. |
| Body Surface Area Calculator | Calculates Body Surface Area for medication doses and includes descriptive statistics. |
| PDR Consumer Drug Information A-Z index | PDR Consumer Drug Information is written in lay terms and is based on the FDA-approved drug information found in the PDR. It gives consumers plain-English explanations for the safe and effective use of prescription and non-prescription drugs—explanations that are consistent with the information professionals are referencing in the PDR. |
| The Internet Drug Index | "RxList is an online medical resource dedicated to offering detailed and current pharmaceutical information on brand and generic drugs. Founded by pharmacists in 1995, RxList is the premier Internet Drug Index resource. Our knowledgeable staff at RxList continuously reviews and updates the site with articles written by pharmacists and physicians and data provided by credible and reliable sources like the FDA and First Data Bank, Inc. to ensure the most accurate and beneficial information is provided. " |
| U.S. Food & Drug Administration - Buying Drugs Online, Protecting Yourself (FDA) | Protect yourself with these resources from the Food and Drug Administration. The agency offers: tips for buying medicines, medical devices, and radiation-emitting products online safely and reporting suspicious Web sites and products; summaries of recent safety alerts prompted by reports received by FDA from health care professionals and their patients; warnings and other enforcement actions FDA has taken to protect the public from counterfeit or other fraudulent products; advice on how to report fraudulent or dangerous products |
| Canada Pharmacy News | "Links to the latest news in the world of pharmacy with a focus on items most relevant to Canadian pharmacists or others that are interested in Canadian pharmacies. This includes news about Canadian pharmacy seen in the mainstream media on topics such as new drug information and the international pharmacy industry." |
| FDA MedWatch Alert | Articles about medications and products that the Food & Drug Administration has found to cause problems |
| Center for Drug Evaluation and Research | "The CDER responds to written consumer, health professional, professional organization, government agency, etc., inquiries covering the entire spectrum of prescription and over-the-counter drug issues. CESS develops Center and agency responses to drug information requests under the provision of Food and Drug Administration's procedural regulations and established policies. CESS prepares, maintains, and provides health and drug information/education printed materials to the public, the health care industry, Congress, foreign dignitaries, etc." |
| MHRA | From the UK. - Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. "Using herbal medicines: Advice to consumers " |
| Zeus Services | "Zeus Information Service keeps you informed and updated on your freedoms in the area of natural health. We let you know about important developments about people and organizations that are working to uphold your right to practice natural medicine or to benefit from healthy alternatives." |
| Strategies for Saving on Prescription Drugs | (New York Times article with many good links) "Prices vary from drugstore to drugstore — sometimes a lot, depending on the medicine. If you don’t have insurance and you take a pricey name-brand drug, shop around. " |
| Analgesics & Anti- Inflammatories |
A listing of specific medicines, with related articles. Also available in German. |
| Pharmacology and Childhood Medications | "Information about pediatric drugs and commonly used medications. Topics include databases with drug reference material, and information for consumers about how to administer medicines to their kids." |
| Antianxiety Agents | A listing of specific medicines, with related articles. |
| Worst Pills, Best Pills | "A primary focus is working to ban or relabel unsafe or ineffective drugs and to encourage greater transparency and accountability in the drug approval process. We also work towards improving the system for monitoring and responding to postmarketing safety concerns in the U.S., improving the information available to consumers regarding drugs and dietary supplements, and helping doctors and patients make safe and economically wise decisions about drug treatment." |
| Patient and Medication Safety | "Ever since 2000 when the Institute of Medicine released its watershed report claiming that more than 2 million serious medical errors occur annually, the health care industry has been trying to improve patient safety. McKesson’s comprehensive patient safety framework provides the blueprint to help move the health care quality needle in the right direction." |
| Drug Watch: Drug and Medical Product Recalls | Additional information can be found by using the tabs on the top of the page. "Includes up-to-date information about prescription and over-the-counter medications and includes details about associated side effects to aid in the protection of patients and consumers." |
| Drugs.com's Pill Identification Wizard uses drug pictures to help consumers identify pills by their appearance, using a database of over 3,000 images of prescription drugs. The drug identification pictures are sourced from Micromedex, a leading provider of health and medical information." | |
| Pill Identification Wizard | |
| Drugs for Diseases and Conditions | "Use this facility to find drugs used to treat a particular disease or condition. For detailed information on diseases & conditions not specific to drugs, see the Medial Encyclopedia." |
| "There are basically only three reasons why people would consider going to Mexico to purchase their prescription drugs. Some prescription drugs are cheaper in Mexico than they are in the United States. Some drugs may be difficult to get locally. Some drugs that require a prescription in the U.S. are sold over the counter in Mexico. Whatever your reasons for wanting to buy prescription drugs in Mexico, if you are considering making the trip there are some important things you ought to know. | |
| Buying Prescription Drugs in Mexico | |
| Pros and Cons of Online Pharmacies | "As with any on-line activity there are risks as well as benefits. Here are a few: identity theft and credit card fraud. " |
| Beware of Online Drug Scams | "With increasing fears about bioterrorism, it's a good idea to be alert for suspicious or illegal drug offers seeking to profit from these concerns." |
| Spotting Online Pharmacy Scams: Learn from My Mistake | "There are tons of online pharmacy websites that offer drugs without a prescription. Most just have you fill out a questionnaire. Of course, you can see the fatal errors that can occur from someone providing false information. Many don't even require any medical history at all, just a credit card number." |
| Consumer Focus: Buying Drugs Online | "The latest service available on the web is ordering both prescription and over-the-counter drugs through online "drug stores." These new web sites offer many advantages: easy comparative shopping for the best prices and the ability to order medications and speak to a pharmacist in the privacy of your own home. But are the medications you receive safe? " |
| Access2Wellness | "Many people might find themselves choosing between medications and other important necessities of life. Access2wellness provides access to one of the broadest selections of assistance programs that offer more than 1,000 prescription medications, for free or at a discount, to those who qualify. This site contains information about these programs and can help determine who might be eligible to receive assistance. " |
All Home Remedy sites come with disclaimers such as the one immediately below. Why? Because home remedies can be dangerous. |
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| Home Remedies For You | English or Spanish. "All the contents are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition." |
| What is Herbal Medicine? | "Herbal medicine, sometimes referred to as Herbalism, Botanical medicine or Herbology, is the use of plants, in a wide variety of forms, for their therapeutic value. Herb plants produce and contain a variety of chemical compounds that act upon the body and are used to prevent or treat disease or promote health and well-being." |
| Advantages of Herbal Remedies | "Herbs are of medicinal values and used by people for more than thousands of years.In this modern world,the usage of herbs were limited due to the growth of pharmaceutical industry and technological advancement in medical field." |
| Discover the Advantages of Alternative Health | "Our journey will be discovering the joy and advantages of alternative health and herbal remedies so we can start living naturally and become alternatively healthier." |
| Top Ten: Homemade Remedies | "Before modern medicine and high-tech cosmetics became all the rage, Cleopatra bathed in milk and grandparents ate tree bark to get rid of stomachaches. Here are some other all-natural ways to cure your ailments." |
| Homemade Products and Recipes | "Given below the list of Best Home Remedies for all common diseases and conditions. Try these effective home remedies for a few days and see the results. If the symptoms do not go away, or you do not see any improvement, then you must consult your doctor." |
| Home Remedies | "Home remedies are made at home & work out less expensive than other alternative forms of medicines. Generally, homemade remedies are harmless when compared to other forms of modern medicines and rarely cause reactions or side effects." |
| Home Remedies | "While not being a replacement for medical attention, and you should always see your doctor when you feel you have to, this site gives you some simple home remedies and holistic cures that have been proven to work on everything from Acne to Warts. " |
| Home Remedies That Work | "Home remedies are great when you don't want to spend money to buy those over the counter remedies. Whether it is zapping a zit overnight, or getting rid of that nasty wart for good, I came up with some home remedies that I have used over the years, and some are remedies that you guys have emailed me!" |
| Natural News | With information about the treatment of many diseases, this site specializes in articles about natural remedies. |
| MedFacts Natural Products | "The MedFacts Natural Products Consumer database is a comprehensive source of information on traditional and/or conventional uses of natural products. A basic overview of each product is provided (including dosages, possible drug interactions, side effects and contraindications) along with safety and/or efficacy ratings" |
| What's the Best Remedy for a Bee Sting? | "When it comes to bee stings, most of us react somewhere between Smithers on The Simpsons—for whom one sting nearly meant death" |
(PDF) "Key findings from a global health survey conducted by The Nielsen Company has found that headaches, colds, sleeping problems and back aches are the most common ailments of the world’s consumers, and when it comes to their treatment in an industry estimated to be worth over US$70 billion, consumers are loyal and habitual purchasers of Over-The-Counter (OTC) self-medication products." |
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| Consumer Ailments and Remedies |
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| The Dangers Of Herbal Remedies | "The word alternative implies that these treatments can be used instead of, or isolated from, the ways in which traditional medicine does things. While it's true I might make a cough medicine out of a couple of plant leaves that I know will help as much as any over the counter stuff, I'm still going to go see an orthopaedic surgeon when I break my leg." |
| Herbal Remedies' Potential Dangers | "A surprising number of people are putting themselves at risk by using herbal supplements without being informed about their actual benefits and potential dangers." |
| Potential Dangers Of Using Herbal Remedies | "People seem to forget that most of the pharmaceutical medicines and drugs that people are using nowadays are made up of natural ingredients, similar to herbal remedies. The only difference is that the ingredients in pharmaceutical remedies have been processed and developed specifically so that they contain the exact amount of dosage and potency." |
| Health Fraud Awareness Quiz | "Serious diseases like cancer and diabetes are very complex. A product that claims it can cure all cancers, let alone a number of diseases is often a telltale sign that the product will over- promise and under-deliver." |
| Fatal Health Problems Tied To Lack Of Regulation | (News Article) "Alarmed by widespread reports of serious health problems -- some leading to death -- associated with herbal remedies, a group of Bay Area doctors and nutrition experts is calling for new oversight of the nation's burgeoning $12 billion dietary supplement industry. " |
| "A side effect is usually regarded as an undesirable secondary effect which occurs in addition to the desired therapeutic effect of a drug or medication. Side effects may vary for each individual depending on the person's disease state, age, weight, gender, ethnicity and general health. Side effects can occur when commencing, decreasing/increasing dosages, or ending a drug or medication regimen. Side effects may also lead to non-compliance with prescribed treatment. When side effects of a drug or medication are severe, the dosage may be adjusted or a second medication may be prescribed. Lifestyle or dietary changes may also help to minimize side effects. |
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| Drug Side Effects | |
| Side Effects | "Provides general information about the side effects of every drug, food group, health problem, and general problem." |
| Drug Watch | "A comprehensive database featuring extensive information about thousands of different medications and drugs currently on the market or previously available worldwide." |
| Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs | "Best Buy Drugs is a public education project. It will help you talk to your doctor about prescription drugs, and find the most effective and safe drugs that also give you the best value for your health care dollar." |
| SafeMedication | "SafeMedication.com features complete, easy-to-read information on more than 800 drugs. It is based on ASHP's premier, unbiased drug information resources, which are developed independently by pharmacists and other medication experts." |
| The People's Pharmacy | Have you ever had a problem with a generic drug or a drug side effect? Report it here. |
| RxCrossCheck | Rxcrosscheck is a web site designed and maintained by Registered Pharmacists who recognize that the changing market for prescription drugs has created a great danger to the consumer. |
| Consumer Complaints | A listing of recent complaints about pharmacies and drug companies, with a red button on the top right to submit complaints. Site available in English and Spanish. |
| NSAIDS | "Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are medications which, as well as having pain-relieving (analgesic) effects, have the effect of reducing inflammation when used over a period of time." |
| Substance Abuse | A listing of articles and information about a variety of addictive problems including alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. |
Medicare Part D
Medicare Part D
Prescription Drug Plans
| Social Security Online: Help With Prescription Drug Costs | "Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for the extra help if they have limited income and resources. The extra help can increase their cost savings by paying for part of the monthly premiums, annual deductibles and prescription co-payments under the new prescription drug program. The extra help could be worth up to $3,600 per year." |
| Getting Help With Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs | From Social Security: "If you have limited income and resources, you may be able to get help paying for your monthly premiums, annual deductibles and prescription co-payments under the Medicare prescription drug program." |
| Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage | "The Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare" |
| Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage | "Private companies provide Medicare prescription drug coverage. You choose the drug plan you like best. Whether or not you should sign up for the coverage depends on how good your current coverage is. You need to sign up for coverage as soon as you are eligible for Medicare. Otherwise, you might have to pay a penalty." |
| Medicare Prescription Drug Plans | From the US Railroad Retirement Board but has good information for everyone. "The following questions and answers explain how Medicare prescription drug plans work and other aspects of the drug plans. They are based on information provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Federal agency responsible for administering the Federal Medicare program." |
| Help With Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs | (PDF) "People with limited incomes and resources (including your savings, stocks, and bonds, but not counting your home) may be able to get extra help with drug plan costs." |
| From the National Association of Social Workers but has good information for everyone. "Medicare prescription drug plans provide insurance coverage for prescription drugs. Like other insurance, if people with Medicare join they will pay a monthly premium and pay a share of the cost of their prescriptions. Costs will vary depending on the drug plan that is chosen." | |
| What are Medicare Prescription Drug Plans? | |
| Medicare Part D: A Beginner's Guide | A good starting place for general information. "Here are the basics you need to know about Medicare Part D prescription drug plans." |
| 2011 Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans: Overview by State | "Choose your State from the list below for an overview of the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans available in 2008. Please note - Medicare Part D Plans vary in cost and coverage by State - this means that if you move to a new State during the enrollment year, you may pay a different premium and/or possibly may not have access to the same selection of Medicare Part D plans." |
| Details of Medicare Prescription Drug Plan | "This article presents the most current information regarding the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 that you will need to help you make the best decisions regarding your Medicare coverage." |
| The Prescription Drug Plan Additional Help for Low Income Beneficiaries | "Private prescription providers and insurance companies are developing plans to offer the coverage. Eligible individuals will be able to choose from several different plans from their prescription carrier." |
| Searching for a Cheap Prescription Plan | "Finding cheap prescription plan is hard to locate. Some companies or health organizations offer various prescription plans and they call it cheap. According to those plans the customer pays a month or quarterly fee and gets assistant when in need to buy prescription drugs or medication. However, one needs to keep in mind that these companies are in business to make money." |
| Medicare Prescription Drug Program |
(PDF) From the University of Nevada. "The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA) signed into law in 2003 provides people 65 and older, and those living with disabilities, additional benefits through Medicare. Its purpose is to help Medicare recipients address the high cost of prescription drugs, allowing qualified recipients to reduce their out-of-pocket costs for medications." |
| Medicare's Part D Prescription Drug Coverage | "Enrollment is voluntary, except for people who also receive benefits from Medicaid. If you qualify for Medicaid, the government automatically enrolls you in a Medicare Part D plan, through which you will receive your prescription drug coverage." |
| Take Your Time Deciding and Beware of Scams |
"Consumer and Medicare groups have expressed concern that consumers will be overwhelmed by the plan choices and that the open season will be a high-pressured marketing blitz rather than an effort to genuinely educate seniors about Medicare D options. In addition, these groups caution that unscrupulous people might acquire bank account and Social Security information, or fees, under the guise of registering people for the new drug program, as has been the case with the discount drug card program. " |
| Plan D Scams | "Sadly, there are those who wish to take advantage of our neediest senior citizens. Our citizens deserve the confidence that the price they are paying for pharmaceutical drug coverage is the fairest possible price, not one that will result in high profits for shady companies." |
| Medicare Scam Involving Prescription Drug Plans | |
| Don’t Get Caught In Medicare Health Plan Marketing Scams | "For over a year advocates have complained about such scams as going door-to-door at senior housing facilities to solicit enrollment in MA plans, enrolling beneficiaries in a more costly PDP than the one they wanted to enroll in, or enrolling beneficiaries in an MA-PD when they wanted to enroll in a PDP." |
| Medicare Part D Solicitations: Words to the Wise About Fraud | From the FTC. "Unfortunately, not everyone who contacts you about the new drug plan has the best intentions. Scam artists also follow the headlines, and they are reportedly contacting seniors claiming to represent a Medicare Part D provider, when all they really want is personal information, like Social Security numbers or checking or credit card account numbers. They can use this information to commit financial fraud." |
| Part D Scams - Watch Out!! | "The "$299 Ring" Scam - beginning in March of 2006, callers, identifying themselves as Medicare employees, have telephoned seniors and asked for their checking account information in order to "sell them a Part D drug plan for $299."" |
| Seniors Alerted to Scam | "If senior citizens don't have enough problems sorting out the Medicare prescription drug program, now they have to be alert to the possibility of being scammed by crooks that offer to help them enroll in the new Medicare Part D, but are really after money and checking account information." |
| Beware of Scam Artists Selling Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage | "We are concerned that scam artists will try to take advantage of the situation and try to steal your money." |
| How to Spot a Health Scam | "When Medicare introduced Part D coverage to pay for prescription drugs in 2006, it gave seniors a golden opportunity to save money -- and crooks a golden opportunity to steal it." |
Second Opinions
Second Opinions
| Second Opinions: Why, When, and Who | From a site about cancer treatment, but good generalized information. "Some doctors are more conservative and others more aggressive. There may be good arguments for several different options; getting a second option can be a good way to hear some of them. Another doctor might come up with a completely different and promising option - one that your first doctor didn't think of, or didn't know about. It happens - no doctor can know everything or make the right decision all the time .A second opinion can also serve a general quality check - to make sure you're really getting the most up to date, most effective treatment. " |
| Wrong Diagnosis | "WrongDiagnosis.com provides a free health-information service to help people understand their health better, offering crucial and factual health information that is otherwise difficult to find. The objective of the site is to encourage consumers to be informed and interested in managing their health, and to know what questions to ask their doctors to help ensure they are getting the best healthcare possible." |
| Five Diagnoses That Call for a Second Opinion | From CNN. "While it's important to get second opinions for various treatments, doctors say there are certain procedures where it's especially crucial: when the diagnosis is tricky, the procedure is risky or has permanent consequences, or when there are less-invasive alternatives." |
| Seeking Second Opinions | From Revolution Health. "Whenever we need to make a difficult decision, it's usually helpful to gather other points of view. Part of making a health care decision that feels right may include obtaining a second opinion." |
| Second Opinions: If in Doubt, Seek One Out | "Refreshingly, today many docs agree that folks should feel comfortable soliciting another's perspective. Even physicians seek out second opinions for themselves, according to a New York Times essay. Medical diagnosis is frequently a murky world, and oftentimes even experienced physicians aren't sure what's going on with a patient. That's particularly true in geriatric care." |
| Cancer Second Opinions | "Most cases are usually straightforward. A diagnosis is made and treatments are initiated. Thus, many patients may not need a second opinion. But when a diagnosis of cancer is made, there is much fear, misunderstanding, and many questions about therapy. All these factors can determine whether a person may live or die-thus it is not unreasonable to a patient to want to have another point of view-what we call a second opinion." |
| Second Opinions, Through a Patient’s Eyes | From the New York Times. "Second opinions have undoubtedly saved many lives and are likely to gain in importance with the growing public focus on medical errors. But they can be awkward for doctor and patient, and surprisingly little is known about them." |
| The Second Opinion | (Specializing in cancer). "The Second Opinion provides a unique service not duplicated by any other agency. Our approach empowers patients and family members because, by receiving clarity of their diagnosis and treatment options, patients have the information necessary to manage their disease, improve their well-being, and to face potentially difficult choices. Often we make suggestions that enhance treatment choices or even confirm the benefits of an existing treatment course." |
| Trusera | "An online health network where people could find and share health experiences with others who had been there. By connecting people who were passionate about their health and harnessing the power of shared experiences, this site aims to help others avoid the confusing and debilitating journey others have experienced." |
| Your Disease Risk | "Here, you can find out your risk of developing five of the most important diseases in the United States and get personalized tips for preventing them. Developed over the past ten years by world-renowned experts, Your Disease Risk collects the latest scientific evidence on disease risk factors into one easy-to-use tool." |
| Second Opinions (UK) | "Second Opinions is the website of Barry Groves PhD, offering online nutritional facts and online nutritional information. This website should be used to support rather than replace medical advice advocated by physicians. " |
| PubMed | "PubMe A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health." Contains searchable database of medical articles dealing with all sorts of medical conditions. Be aware articles are written by doctors for doctors and lay persons may have difficulty understanding some of the material. |
| You’re Sick. Now What? Knowledge Is Power. | From The New York Times. "The rise of the Internet, along with thousands of health-oriented Web sites, medical blogs and even doctor-based television and radio programs, means that today’s patients have more opportunities than ever to take charge of their medical care." |
| e-Patient | "Tom Ferguson coined the term e-patients to describe individuals who are equipped, enabled, empowered and engaged in their health and health care decisions. He envisioned health care as an equal partnership between e-patients and health professionals and systems that support them.Before Tom's untimely death in 2006, he was writing the White Paper in consultation with the group of advisors he dubbed the e-Patient Scholars Working Group. This site continues the conversations we began with Tom." |
| Destination Rx | "We provide free, easy-to-use tools to help you securely manage and make decisions about prescription purchases for you and your family." |
| Health Grades | Helps you locate a doctor in your area by specialty. You can then purchase a detailed review of that doctor. Our experience: not all physicians are listed. |
| Commercial Sites for medical information | These sites provide medical answers for a fee. Slightly Creaky does not endorse any of them nor do we encourage our readers to use them. They are here for your convenience. |
| Just Answers Health | "1.
Enter your question, and create a user account. You must activate the account by e-mail. 2. Name your price. You can pay up front or wait until an Expert answers. Prepaid questions are typically answered faster. 3. An Expert answers, usually within hours. JustAnswer sends an e-mail notifying you when your question is answered or if an Expert needs more information. Questions close after 24 hours of inactivity." |
| eCleveland Clinic | "eCleveland Clinic is a Web-based extension of the Cleveland Clinic's role as one of America's most respected academic medical institutions. Proudly carrying on the tradition of the innovative application of technology for the benefit of all patients, eCleveland Clinic utilizes state-of-the-art digital information systems to eliminate geographic barriers and deliver a variety of quality e-health services." |
Organizations Supporting Many Ailments
Organizations Supporting
Many Ailments
Be sure to also check our Support Groups listing
| Patients Like Me | "Our goal is to enable people to share information that can improve the lives of patients diagnosed with life-changing diseases. To make this happen, we've created a platform for collecting and sharing real world, outcome-based patient data and are establishing data-sharing partnerships with doctors, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, research organizations, and non-profits." |
| National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute | US Department of Health and Human Services |
| Undiagnosed Illnesses | "My Personal story of living with an undiagnosed illness. I decided to start my own website because I need to express my anger, frustration and suffering. The lifestyle changes it causes, the way other's treat you, the disrespect shown by some people who have no idea what life is. like. I'm sure so many can relate." Includes an "Undiagnosed Illness Forum" |
| Care Pages | CarePages websites are free patient blogs that connect friends and family during a health challenge |
| Med Help | "In addition to helping patients find answers to their questions, MedHelp has a robust infrastructure to help patients actively manage their health. Through its condition-specific health applications and Personal Health Records, MedHelp members are able to track over 1500 symptoms and treatments on a daily basis as it relates to the progression of their medical condition." |
| Caring Bridge | Free, personalized websites that support and connect loved ones during critical illness, treatment and recovery. |
| Serves children and adults with disabilities, their families and communities through early intervention and child development services, vocational training and employment services, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. | |
| Easter Seals | |
| Disabled Online | A web site for the entire disabled community. This site is a directory offering a variety of resources and topics, as well as offering forums and chat rooms |
| American Health Assistance Foundation | AHAF is one of America's leading supporters of scientific and medical investigations into Alzheimer's Disease, Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration, Heart Disease, and Stroke. |
| The Magic Foundation | Major Aspects of Growth In Children (MAGIC) is made up of more than 25,000 families. The majority of us are parents of children with growth disorders and others are affected adults |
| Daily Strength | DailyStrength.org is the largest, most comprehensive health network of people sharing their advice, treatment experiences, and support. Keep a wellness journal, read members’ stories, and chat with new friends with over 500 support groups |
| Jewish Genetic Diseases | There are nearly 4,000 genetic diseases known that afflict the world’s population. However, in almost every ethnic, racial, or demographic group, certain genetic diseases occur at higher frequencies among their members than in the general population. Such is the case for the Jewish people. |
| National Alliance for Hispanic Health | The National Alliance for Hispanic Health is the premier organization focusing on Hispanic Health. Alliance members reach over 14 million Hispanic consumers throughout the U.S. |
| National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition | (HMHB) is a recognized leader and resource in maternal and child health reaching an estimated ten million health care professionals, parents and policymakers |
| Pull-thru Network | The Pull-thru Network is a volunteer-based organization dedicated to providing education, information, support and advocacy for those individuals, and the families of those individuals, who are affected by any congenital anorectal, colorectal or urogenital disorder and any of the variety of related diagnoses. |
| The National Organization for Rare Disorders is a unique federation of voluntary health organizations dedicated to helping people with rare "orphan" diseases and assisting the organizations that serve them. NORD is committed to the identification, treatment, and cure of rare disorders through programs of education, advocacy, research, and service. | |
| National Organization for Rare Disorders | |
| Orphanet | ORPHANET is a database dedicated to information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. |
| MUMS National Parent-to-Parent Network | MUMS is a national Parent-to-Parent organization for parents or care providers of a child with any disability, rare or not so rare disorder, chromosomal abnormality or health condition. |
| Syndromes Without A Name USA | Syndromes Without A Name is organization for family and friends of children who have undiagnosed or unnamed conditions. Some may be still looking for a diagnosis and some may be at peace with not knowing. |
| Save Babies Through Screening Foundation, Inc. | A national charity run by volunteers. Its mission is to improve the lives of babies by working to prevent disabilities and early death resulting from disorders detectable through newborn screening. Without proper screening affected children will likely suffer mental retardation, physical disability or even death. Most affected children can lead normal, healthy lives when diagnosed and started on treatment early. |
Long Term Care
Long Term Care
| The Gilbert Guide | “Our easy-to-use directory allows readers to identify options in every state across the country. Readers can leverage our experience and tools to conduct their own “expert” evaluation or providers. Whether readers want to understand senior care basics, develop a care plan or learn about cutting-edge issues, they’ll find the expert advice they need here at GilbertGuide.com.” |
| Home Health Compare | This tool provides you with information on how well the home health agencies in your area care for their patients. |
| SSI: Compassionate Allowances | "Social Security has an obligation to provide benefits quickly to applicants whose medical conditions are so serious that their conditions obviously meet disability standards. Compassionate allowances are a way of quickly identifying diseases and other medical conditions that invariably qualify under the Listing of Impairments based on minimal objective medical information." |
| Senior Lifestyles Directory | “Provides fast, comprehensive information about retirement options, housing and care nationwide. Whether you are looking into your own retirement, helping a parent or spouse to address long-term care needs or just seeing what's out there, you'll find useful ideas and information on this site and thousands of locations coast to coast.” |
| Find and Compare Hospitals | "In this tool you will find information on how well hospitals care for patients with certain medical conditions or surgical procedures, and results from a survey of patients about the quality of care they received during a recent hospital stay. This information will help you compare the quality of care hospitals provide. Talk to your doctor about this information to help you, your family and your friends make your best hospital care decisions." |
| Medicare Basics | (PDF) From Medicare. For patients, family, friends, and caretakers. |
| Medicaid Program - General Information | "Medicaid is available only to certain low-income individuals and families who fit into an eligibility group that is recognized by federal and state law. Medicaid does not pay money to you; instead, it sends payments directly to your health care providers. |
| Life Management | "To inform the millions of Americans facing the trauma of divorce, separation, senior care, and dealing with issues affecting the elderly and disabled." |
| Geriatric Internet Retirement Home | "It happens to the best of us: a feeling of loneliness, insecurity, and helplessness in our older age. Our friends are too wrapped up in their own problems to offer us a helping hand. Or perhaps our husband or wife has recently passed away, and we need to share our feelings but don't know how. This page was created for the geriatric community as an interactive support and informational group. Here you can get in touch with a whole world of people who are experiencing the same feelings you are. " |
| Senior Resources | "Real-time news and useful links for Seniors." |
| Family Caregiver Alliance | "Founded in 1977, Family Caregiver Alliance was the first community-based nonprofit organization in the country to address the needs of families and friends providing long-term care at home. Long recognized as a pioneer in health services, FCA now offers programs at national, state and local levels to support and sustain caregivers." |
| The Aging Process | "Point and click access for researchers and laypersons to find information on the aging process." |
| American Health Assistance Foundation | "Funds research seeking cures for Alzheimer’s disease, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma, and provides the public with information about risk factors, preventative lifestyles, available treatments and coping strategies." |
| Who Cares? | With so many sources of health information at your fingertips — many of them online — it can be tough to tell fact from fiction, or useful health products and services from those that don’t work or aren’t safe. The FTC has created this website to help you find reliable sources of information on health topics important to you, whether you’re an older consumer or a family member, caregiver, or friend. |
| Mature Market Institute | "The MMI is MetLife’s research organization and a recognized thought leader on the multi-dimensional and multi-generational issues of aging and longevity. MMI’s groundbreaking research, gerontology expertise, national partnerships, and educational materials work to expand the knowledge and choices for those in, approaching, or caring for those in the mature market." |
| “Assisted Living INFO is your online guide for selecting an assisted living facility, retirement community, or other personal care facility anywhere in the United States. Our site is designed to assist you throughout the selection process. We offer tools to help you evaluate a senior's needs, facility selection tips, and our highly-acclaimed, map-based search engine to find a facility near family and friends.” | |
| Assisted Living Facilities | |
| Assisted Living Facilities for Seniors | "As the Baby Boomers enter their retirement years, it's inevitable that some of these seniors, who may once have headed companies or traveled the globe, might start to need assistance with day-to-day activities. But they are understandably reluctant to forfeit their independence. Someone accustomed to managing a business (or a family) can have a difficult time acknowledging that they forget to take their medication, or need help getting bathed and dressed. Because they do not need daily medical care at this point, Assisted Living can be a good housing option.” |
| Assisted Living from National Institute of Health | "Assisted living is for adults who need help with everyday tasks. They may need help with dressing, bathing, eating, or using the bathroom, but they don't need full-time nursing care. Some assisted living facilities are part of retirement communities. Others are near nursing homes, so a person can move easily if needs change.Assisted living costs less than nursing home care. It is still fairly expensive. Older people or their families usually foot the bill. Health and long-term care insurance policies may cover some of the costs. Medicare does not cover the costs of assisted living." |
| Assisted Living Federation of America | “The largest national association exclusively dedicated to professionally operated assisted living communities for seniors and provides many resources for seniors and their families interested in learning more about assisted living. “ |
| About Assisted Living | "Assisted living, also called residential care, is a type of living arrangement in which personal care services such as meals, housekeeping, transportation, and assistance with activities of daily living are available as needed. Also an important aspect of the assisted living model is to provide security, comfort and meaningful activities for residents. But unlike nursing homes, residents in assisted living remain independent, living on their own in a residential setting.” |
| Eldicare Locator | "The first step to finding resources for older adults in any U.S. community. Just one phone call or Web site visit instantly connects you to eldercare resources in your community. You can find local information resources by following the directions below, or calling toll-free 1-800-677-1116." |
| Hospice Care | "Hospice care is end-of-life care provided by health professionals and volunteers. They give medical, psychological and spiritual support. The goal of the care is to help people who are dying have peace, comfort and dignity. The caregivers try to control pain and other symptoms so a person can remain as alert and comfortable as possible. Hospice programs also provide services to support a patient's family." |
| Find a Hospice | "To find a local hospice or palliative care program, enter as much information as possible below. Be sure you select if you want the search to “Match all the criteria” or “Match any of the criteria.” " |
| “The purpose of this section is to provide visitors with information relating to Medicaid and Medicare certified nursing homes throughout the United States. It includes information on payment and patient rights, and a nursing home checklist which will help you evaluate the nursing homes that you visit.” | |
| Medicare: Nursing Homes | |
| Match Nursing Homes | Searching for the right nursing facility can be a daunting task, which is why we provide easy to use maps and search tools to locate the facility that best meets your needs. |
| Skilled Nursing Facilities | SkilledNursingFacilities.org is a senior care resource that offers a nationwide directory of nursing homes. For over 15,100 nursing homes in our directory, we provide detailed Medicare quality ratings, inspection information and filed complaints to help consumers research the best skilled nursing care options. |
| Nursing Home Info | “Choosing the right nursing home is one of life's most challenging events. Nursing Home INFO is here to help you make the best choice. Whether you are starting from square one or have a good idea of what you are looking for, we can improve every step of the process.” |
| Medline Plus; Nursing Homes | “Some nursing homes are set up like a hospital. The staff provides medical care, as well as physical, speech and occupational therapy. There might be a nurses' station on each floor. Other nursing homes try to be more like home. They try to have a neighborhood feel. Often, they don't have a fixed day-to-day schedule, and kitchens might be open to residents. Staff members are encouraged to develop relationships with residents.” |
| Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home | PDF Document: “The “Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home” is designed to help you find and compare nursing homes. It can help you and your family make your best choice, whether you are planning ahead, or need to make an unexpected decision. It includes information about different types of long-term care, how to find and compare nursing homes in your area, and how to pay for nursing home care.” |
| Find and Compare Nursing Homes | From US Dept. of Health & Human Services. "This tool has detailed information about every Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the country." |
| Nursing Home Care | From the National Center for Health Care Statistics, US Department of Health & Human Services. |
| Nursing Home Statistics | The majority of nursing facility services are funded by the Medicare and Medicaid programs . Medicare long term care services are covered by Part A, "Skilled Nursing Facility" (SNF) services which are associated with post-operative or post-hospitalization including rehabilitation therapies. Medicaid "Nursing Facility" (NF) services are provided to state residents who meet the Medicaid eligibility requirements.” |
| Seniors-Site.com: Nursing Homes | Is there a nursing home in your future? Do you have a family member that may need to be placed in a nursing home? There are currently over one million residents in the more than 19,000 nursing homes in the United States. The nursing home population has been growing, and continue to grow with the increase in the number of elderly. While only 5% of the elderly population is in a nursing home at any one time, approximately 20% to 30% of all people can expect to spend some time in a nursing home setting.” |
| About Nursing Homes | “Nursing homes provide a cost-effective way to enable patients with injuries, acute illnesses or postoperative care needs to recover in an environment outside a hospital. When these patients are admitted from a hospital, Medicare will cover the cost.” |
| “The reported nursing home abuse statistics only solidify the fears that nursing home abuse has become a widespread nationwide concern. Reports show nursing home abuse statistics that 30% of the facilities are cited for instances of abuse. Still, even more alarming is the nursing home abuse statistics showing that the majority of all nursing home abuse instances are never even reported.” | |
| Nursing Home Abuse Resources | |
| Match Nursing Homes | Searching for the right nursing facility can be a daunting task, which is why we provide easy to use maps and search tools to locate the facility that best meets your needs. |
| New Rating System for Nursing Homes | " Federal officials unveiled a five-star rating system that for the first time ranks the quality of the nation's 15,800 nursing homes that participate in Medicare or Medicaid.” |
| Frequently Asked Questions About Nursing Homes | “Your doctor or a member of your health care team will talk to you, your family, or your appointed representative as soon as the need for a nursing home is identified. Early discussion should allow time for everyone to participate in developing the plan of action.” |
| Nursing Home Issues | The decision to move to or to place a loved one in a nursing home is usually painful, but sometimes there is no other way to provide the necessary level of care. Around-the-clock home care is expensive and it is often difficult to find competent providers at any price.” |
| Nursing Home Issues | Can there be a more difficult job than finding a nursing home for a parent or spouse? No one wants to live in a nursing home. They serve as institutions of last resort when it's impossible to provide the necessary care in any other setting. And, typically, the search takes place under the gun – when a hospital or rehabilitation center is threatening discharge or it's no longer possible for the loved one to live at home. Finally, in most cases, finding the right nursing home is a once-in-a-lifetime task, one you're taking on without the experience of having done it before.” |
| Nursing Home News | "Today's nursing homes have too few skilled and dedicated workers, too many undertrained and poorly motivated workers. Most nursing homes are poorly regulated and inadequately supervised." |
| Medicare Nursing Home Overview | "The purpose of this section is to provide visitors with information relating to Medicaid and Medicare certified nursing homes throughout the United States. It includes information on payment and patient rights, and a nursing home checklist which will help you evaluate the nursing homes that you visit. " |
| Nursing Home Survey Ratings, Complaints and Report of Repeat Violations | "MemberoftheFamily.net provides information about 16,000 Medicare/Medicaid-certified nursing homes in the United States, including easy-to-understand reports based on recent government surveys. We also compile a National Watch List of homes recently cited for violations or that have had substantiated complaints made against them. Additionally we maintain an Honor Roll of facilities found to be deficiency-free." |
| Nursing Homes / Skilled Care Facilities | "To help ease the decision process we have made these inspection results more available and useful by developing a tool to help evaluate and compare nursing home quality with our ratings system. This tool provides ratings, rankings, detailed reports, graphics and analysis of every Medicare and Medicaid certified Nursing Home in the USA. Over 44,000 individual inspections for 16,000 nursing homes available on-line!" |
| Where are the Best & Worst Nursing Homes in the U.S. | From About.com. "Making the decision to put a loved on into a nursing home can be difficult under the best of circumstances. And news reports of abuse and deaths among nursing home residents can make the decision process downright scary. Where are the worst nursing homes? And where are the nursing homes with no violations?" |
| Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Report | "Nursing-homes-ratings.com hosts information about nursing homes in your area. We provide data on the each nursing home's inspections and resident ratings. We partner with ElderCarelink to provide a FREE referral service to help you find everything from Home Care and Assisted Living to Financial Planning and Personal Emergency Responses." |
| Nursing Homes and Personal Care Facilities (OSHA) | "Nursing homes and personal care facilities have one of the highest rates of injury and illness among industries for which nationwide lost workday injury and illness rates. ” |
| In the Hands of Strangers: Are Nursing Home Safeguards Working | “Americans are growing older and living longer – many with complex, chronic medical conditions. As increasing numbers of our nation’s baby boom generation retire, the need for high-quality long term care, both in the community and in nursing homes will grow commensurately. About 1.5 million Americans reside in the nation’s 16,000 nursing homes on any given day. More than 3 million Americans rely on services provided by a nursing home at some point during the year. Those individuals, and an even larger number of their family members, friends, and relatives, must be able to count on nursing homes to provide reliable care of consistently high quality. |
| Twenty Common Nursing Home Problems and the Laws to Resolve Them | “The average consumer knows much more about cars or apartments than he does about nursing homes. Most people, for example, know that a landlord cannot legally evict a tenant within 48 hours because she is too "difficult." But does a nursing home resident who is told the same thing know her legal rights?” |
| Nursing Home Abuse | "The Nursing Home Abuse Center is an informational website committed to providing comprehensive information on nursing home abuse and neglect for the elderly and their loved ones." |
| Resolving Problems in Nursing Homes | “There are several steps to take when dealing with problems encountered in nursing homes. Some problems may seem, and sometimes are, overwhelming. However, concerned individuals and organizations have been successful in working for improvements for individual residents and for the nursing home system as a whole. You, as a resident, family member, friend, volunteer or advocate need to know the steps you can take.” |
| Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect Blog | Blog entries on a variety of related topics |
| Handling Problems in Nursing Homes | “Complaints may be about such items as: call button not working or out of reach; insufficient staff on duty; medical records are falsified; medications not given or given by an unauthorized person; lack of activities; lack of personal hygiene; dirty linen; inadequate diet; retaliation; snacks unavailable; unsanitary conditions in the hallways, rooms, etc.; patient's funds mishandled, lost, or stolen; violation of patient's rights. This is not an exhaustive list of problems by any means and is only to indicate the range of problems one may encounter in a nursing home.” |
| Signs of Nursing Home Abuse | “Because many nursing home residents have limited abilities to communicate, identifying potential abuse requires careful monitoring. Look for the signs of nursing home abuse in your frequent visits to the nursing home or assisted living facility.” |
| Options For Solving Problems In Nursing Homes | “It can be difficult for nursing home residents or their families to know how to deal with problems that may arise in the nursing home. Some residents feel they must defer to the authority of the nursing and administrative staff. Others don’t want to cause trouble for anybody or they don’t want to be seen as a complainer. Some residents believe voicing their concerns do no good, nobody will listen. Others may fear retaliation.” |
| Nursing Home eTool (OSHA) | “This eTool* is designed to assist employers and employees in identifying and controlling the hazards associated with nursing homes and residential care facilities.” |
| Nutritional Issues in Nursing Home Care | “The most common nutritional problems in nursing home residents are weight loss and concomitant protein energy undernutrition. Although the causes of weight loss in these patients can usually be treated, they are rarely identified in the nursing home. Depression and adverse drug effects are the most common causes of weight loss. Vitamin deficiencies, especially folate and pyridoxine deficiencies, frequently develop in nursing home residents.” |
| (Prepared by the National Institute of Health) "Care at the end of life focuses on making patients comfortable. They still receive medicines and treatments to control pain and other symptoms. Some patients choose to die at home. Others enter a hospital or a hospice. Either way, services are available to help patients and their families deal with issues surrounding death." | |
| End of Life Issues | |
| Helpful Resources on Advance Directives and End-of-Life Care | "For those facing the prospect of providing or needing long-term care, this list of guidelines and organizations offers invaluable information about advance directives and end-of-life treatment. Included in the End-Of-Life Guidelines section are handbooks and factsheets for caregivers as well as tips for paying for and choosing hospice care." |
| Talking About Your Final Wishes | "Death is a natural part of life - but for most of us, talking about it isn't. Most people are uncomfortable talking, or even thinking, about what will happen when they or a loved one dies. " |
| Living Wills and Advanced Care Directives | "Advanced directives are formal documents written in advance of serious illness that state choices for health care, or that name someone to make those decisions for you. Advance directives may include either a living will or a durable power of attorney for health care, or both." |
| Estate Planning for Federal Employees | "If you'd like to ensure your assets are distributed as you'd like them to be when you die, estate planning is the answer. Successful estate planning transfers your assets to your beneficiaries quickly and with minimal tax consequences. Estate planning can also assure that family members know how you'd like your financial and medical affairs to be handled if you become incapable of making your own decisions." |
| How Social Security Can Help You When A Family Member Dies | "Social Security should be notified as soon as possible when a person dies. In most cases, the funeral director will report the person's death to Social Security. Some of the deceased's family members may be able to receive Social Security benefits if the deceased person worked long enough under Social Security to quality for benefits." |
| Coping With Bereavement | "The loss of a loved one is life’s most stressful event and can cause a major emotional crisis. After the death of someone you love, you experience bereavement, which literally means “to be deprived by death.”" |
| Funerals: A Consumer Guide | "When a loved one dies, grieving family members and friends often are confronted with dozens of decisions about the funeral - all of which must be made quickly and often under great emotional duress. What kind of funeral should it be? What funeral provider should you use? Should you bury or cremate the body, or donate it to science? What are you legally required to buy? What other arrangements should you plan? And, as callous as it may sound, how much is it all going to cost?" |
| Final Details: A Checklist | "You have just suffered an emotionally devastating event and the last thing you want to deal with is money and legal matters. But they do matter, now and for your future, so try to do the best you can. Many of these tasks can also be handled by family members and trusted friends, so allow them to assist you. " |
| Advance Directives | "What kind of medical care would you want if you were too ill or hurt to express your wishes? Advance directives are legal documents that allow you to convey your decisions about end-of-life care ahead of time. They provide a way for you to communicate your wishes to family, friends and health care professionals, and to avoid confusion later on." |
| Autopsy Information | "The purpose of an autopsy is to answer questions about the person's illness or the cause of death. In addition, autopsies provide valuable information that helps doctors save the lives of others." |
| Good Grief Center | "Each of us will experience grief at some time in our lives. While it is a universal experience, it is also a unique one. There is no specific process, no healing formula, no right way to manage grief. However, there are healthy, effective ways to cope. We are dedicated to helping people through these especially difficult times" |
| M.I.S.S. Foundation | "If you are a family member experiencing the death of a child, we extend our deepest empathy. There simply are not words to express the depth of the sorrow...we are here to share the pain and we want you to know that we will walk with you." |
| SHARE - Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support | "The mission of Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, Inc. is to serve those whose lives are touched by the tragic death of a baby through early pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or in the first few months of life." |
| One of the most persistent questions in U.S. social policy concerns the mix of personal and public responsibility for long-term care. Although most long-term care is provided by family members on an unpaid basis, most of the nation’s long-term care spending (three-fourths) is concentrated on nursing home care, and Medicaid, the nation’s health care program for poor and low income Americans, is the largest source of payment for that care.” | |
| Long-Term Care Financing Project (PDF) | |
| Paying for Care | Under certain limited conditions, Medicare will pay some nursing home costs for Medicare beneficiaries who require skilled nursing or rehabilitation services. To be covered, you must receive the services from a Medicare certified skilled nursing home after a qualifying hospital stay” |
| Nursing Home Costs | “According to a recent survey, nursing home costs now average about $168 a day—$61,320 a year. That is about 10% more than two years ago. Expenses such as these can have a devastating impact on your retirement savings. Many people over 65 erroneously believe that Medicare will pay most or even all of their nursing home bills, or that their HMO will pick up the cost.” |
| "Caregiver Media Group is a leading provider of information, support and guidance for family and professional caregivers. Founded in 1995, we produce Today's Caregiver magazine, the first national magazine dedicated to caregivers, the "Sharing Wisdom Caregivers Conferences", and our web site, caregiver.com which includes topic specific newsletters, online discussion lists, back issue articles of Today's Caregiver magazine, chat rooms and an online store. Caregiver Media Group and all of it's products are developed for caregivers, about caregivers and by caregivers. " | |
| Today's Caregiver | |
| Caregiver Information | Medicare information for caregivers. |
| Caregivers | "As our population ages and life expectancy increases, more and more families find themselves not only busy with raising children and juggling demanding careers, but also caring for aging parents. This is the largest population ever to be faced with the dual responsibility of caring for their children and parents at the same time. Whether you are a family in need of assistance, or someone who would like to care for the elderly, much of this site is devoted to helping you in this endeavor." |
| Family Caregiver Alliance | "You’ll find a wealth of information on care strategies, stress relief, community resources, family issues and hands-on care. Be sure to also visit our Fact Sheet section for a comprehensive collection of family-friendly publications filled with practical information. For more personal assistance, click on “Ask FCA”. And don’t miss our online Discussion Groups, to keep you connected, 24 hours a day, with other caregivers." |
| Family Caregiver Web | "None of us knows it all, but none of us is alone. Join the family! " |
| National Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center | "An Ombudsman is an advocate for residents of nursing homes, board and care homes, and assisted living. Ombudsmen provide information about how to find a facility and what to do to get quality care. They are trained to resolve problems. If you want, the ombudsman can assist you with complaints. However, unless you give the ombudsman permission to share your concerns, these matters are kept confidential. Under the federal Older Americans Act, every state is required to have an Ombudsman Program that addresses complaints and advocates for improvements in the long term care system. To find the ombudsman nearest you, contact your State Ombudsman office." |
| National Respite Locator Service | "Helps parents, caregivers, and professionals find respite services in their state and local area to match their specific needs." |
| Caregiving Stress | “Caregiver stress is the emotional and physical strain of caregiving. It can take many forms. For instance, you may feel frustrated and angry taking care of someone with dementia who often wanders away or becomes easily upset or guilty because you think that you should be able to provide better care, despite all the other things that you have to do.” |
| Information for Caregivers | "Help, advice, or just someone who can listen and understand are available for caregivers of the chronically ill." |
| MedLine Plus: Caregivers | "Caregivers are people who take care of other adults, often parents or spouses, or children with special medical needs. Some caregivers are family members; others are paid." |
| Resources for Individuals, Families and Caregivers | "In order to respond to an emergency or disaster in a community, every individual, family, caregiver, and aging services network professional must have a well-developed personal preparedness and response plan. These resources and links can assist you in developing plans suited to your individual needs, across a wide variety of disaster and emergency situations, as well as provide information about possible sources of assistance following a disaster. " |
| Checklists and Forms for Caregivers | "Topics include: housing, money, insurance, planning, recordkeeping, and other end-of-life issues." |
| Caring for an Aging Loved One | "It’s easy to see why most of us think of long-term care as something needed by older people. But an accident or illness can strike at any age. Historically, the extended family group provided care when needed. But today’s families are smaller and often scattered across the country, adding an extra challenge to caring for an aging loved one. Despite these challenges, families and friends continue to provide a significant amount of long-term support and care." |
| Well Spouse Association | "To provide emotional peer-to-peer support to the wives, husbands, and partners of the chronically ill and/or disabled. We offer this support through our various programs and events. Our members can share their thoughts and feelings openly with others facing similar circumstances in a supportive, non-judgmental environment." |
| Caregivers Library | "The National Caregivers Library is one of the most extensive libraries for caregivers that exist today. Hundreds of articles, forms, checklists and links to topic-specific external resources are organized into logical categories on the side of each page." |
| Caring From a Distance | "Whether you live across-the-world or an hour away, you and your family face special challenges. Where can you find the local resources they require? How can you, family and friends communicate in an emergency? What can you do to help when you visit? CFAD is here to help." |
| So Far Away | "So Far Away often refers to caregiving for aging parents but, in fact, this booklet offers tips you can use no matter who you are caring for, be it an older relative, family friend, or former neighbor." |
| Senior Sites | "Our goal is to provide a website that FOCUSES on senior citizens and provide UNIQUE information that seniors and their children and caregivers can use." |
| Caregiver.com | "Offers insights, information and inspirations into your role as a family caregiver for aging relatives." |
| "The American Geriatrics Society Foundation for Health in Aging is proud to be publishing the 2nd edition of Eldercare at Home as a resource for families and friends who are caring for older people at home. Written by experienced health professionals, the book is a tool for caregivers who are working in consultation with a health care professional in providing home care for an older person." | |
| Eldercare at Home | |
| Eldercare & Caregiver Resource Center | "St. Andrew's has a wealth of information available to the public on the subject of caregiving for older adults. " |
| Home Care Services | "Home care is care that allows a person with special needs stay in their home. It might be for people who are getting older, are chronically ill, recovering from surgery or disabled." |
| Find Homecare Providers | "When considering home care, first consider private duty home care. You and your loved ones deserve the peace of mind, trust and security that private duty home care uniquely offers." |
| “Activities within nursing homes are an important part of maintaining the health and well being of residents. Stimulating activities help avoid a slow decline into depression caused by boredom and provide an extra sparkle to life. Many residents enjoy taking part in different hobbies and functions, and visitors as well as staff can participate. There are many nursing home activities ideas that are straightforward to run without the need for specialist equipment or resources.” | |
| Nursing Home Activities Ideas | |
| Nursing Homes: Activities, Meals and People | "Senior citizens faced with the possibility of living in a nursing home often dread it simply because they feel nursing homes are dark, dismal places at best. Most nursing homes that senior citizens can live in now days are bright, cheerful, happy places to live.” |
| Ideas & Tips for Visiting Nursing Home Residents |
"The oldest old in nursing homes and assisted living facilities often feel isolated and excluded. Developing stronger connections between these older adults and their community can have tremendous benefits for young and old. Even older adults with serious memory loss can still enjoy a visit, even if they don't remember it later. " |
| Saying Goodbye to Bingo | "You’re a unique individual, distinguished by particular habits, preferences, desires and abilities — even when you’re old. Perhaps this is why the term “nursing homes” — and the sterile, depressing image it conjures — has been disappearing from our lexicon, making way for “care homes” and “communities.” The new terms emphasize a more personal, less hospital-like existence." |
| Keeping Seniors Active | "Nursing home activities can help seniors stay healthy both physically and mentally. By being active seniors can lead longer, more productive lives and hopefully be happier in their golden years. The nursing home activities however have to be in tune with the abilities and interests of the residents themselves. " |
| Therapeutic Recreation | "Recreational therapists, also referred to as therapeutic recreation specialists, provide treatment services and recreation activities for individuals with disabilities or illnesses. Using a variety of techniques, including arts and crafts, animals, sports, games, dance and movement, drama, music, and community outings, therapists improve and maintain the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of their clients." |
| Social Activities for Nursing Home Residents | "If your loved one has recently entered a nursing home, the staff may be unfamiliar with his or her interests or needs. Though you may be able to provide this information with a phone call or quick interview with the admissions officer or a social worker, it may be a good idea to make a list of suggestions that can be kept in a safe place or transferred to an activities schedule." |
Advocacy Groups
Advocacy Groups
| American Association of People with Disabilities | The largest nonprofit, nonpartisan, cross-disability organization in the United States. |
| The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund | A leading national civil rights law and policy center directed by individuals with disabilities and parents who have children with disabilities. |
| National Organization on Disability | Our mission is to expand the participation and contribution of America’s 54 million men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life by raising disability awareness through programs and information. |
| TASH | An international membership association leading the way to inclusive communities through research, education, and advocacy. TASH members are people with disabilities, family members, fellow citizens, advocates, and professionals working together to create change and build capacity so that all people, no matter their perceived level of disability, are included in all aspects of society. |
| Through the Looking Glass | A nationally recognized center that has pioneered research, training, and services for families in which a child, parent or grandparent has a disability or medical issue. TLG is a disability community based nonprofit organization, which emerged from the independent living movement, and was founded in 1982 in Berkeley, California. Our mission is "To create, demonstrate and encourage non-pathological and empowering resources and model early intervention services for families with disability issues in parent or child which integrate expertise derived from personal disability experience and disability culture |
| First Signs | Our organization aims to educate parents, healthcare providers, early childhood educators, and other professionals in order to ensure the best developmental outcome for every child. Our goals are to improve screening and referral practices and to lower the age at which young children are identified with developmental disorders. |
| Genetic Alliance | Genetic Alliance increases the capacity of genetic advocacy organizations to achieve their missions and leverages the voices of millions of individuals and families living with genetic conditions. |
| Support Works | SupportWorks provides help finding or forming support groups and researching medical information about issues such as substance abuse, alcohol abuse and alcoholism. |
| National Fathers' Network | Our mission is to celebrate and support fathers and families raising children with special health care needs and developmental disabilities. |
| Supported Life Institute | The mission of the Supported Life Institute is to offer educational and training opportunities to assist individuals and organizations in the work of improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. |
| World Association of Persons with Disabilities | Whether the term is disability, disabled, disabilities, handicapped or whatever the popular "categorizing" label.... WAPD is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association, that represents huge portions of the one in five residents of earth that are being... ALIVE, INVOLVED AND EFFECTIVE in their daily living. WAPD advances the interests of persons with disAbilities at national, state, local and home levels. We believe that all are entitled to high quality of life. |
| Nursing Home Abuse | "The Nursing Home Abuse Center is an informational website committed to providing comprehensive information on nursing home abuse and neglect for the elderly and their loved ones." |
| ABA Commission on Law & Aging - Journal on Law and Aging | "BIFOCAL, the ABA Commission's bi-monthly journal, provides timely, valuable legal resources pertaining to older persons, generated through the joint efforts of public and private bar groups and the aging network." |
| Medical Malpractice Help | "If you want to understand medical malpractice and how a claim works you need to understand what goes into a medical malpractice case. In legal terms, medical malpractice occurs when a medical professional commits a breach of duty that causes injury or death to a patient." |
| National Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center | "An Ombudsman is an advocate for residents of nursing homes, board and care homes, and assisted living. Ombudsmen provide information about how to find a facility and what to do to get quality care. They are trained to resolve problems. If you want, the ombudsman can assist you with complaints. However, unless you give the ombudsman permission to share your concerns, these matters are kept confidential. Under the federal Older Americans Act, every state is required to have an Ombudsman Program that addresses complaints and advocates for improvements in the long term care system. To find the ombudsman nearest you, contact your State Ombudsman office." |
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