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6A ♦ FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2006 Critical conditions; Preparing for end-of-life care Special to the Journal Rapid advancements in medicine and technology have helped improve tre mendously the quality of our lives. Yet, they pose a curious question to our society: how are we to deal with health care at the end of life? Many people face agoniz ing decisions regarding med ical care for loved ones at the end of life. Each of us has known or heard of some one whose life was prolonged beyond its natural end. For some, it was their choice to be kept alive as long as possible. For others, it was against their wishes. Unfortunately, it is at a | I Margie Cox, Director of Volunteer Services for Houston Healthcare, from left, Ethel Edwards, Joyce Griffin, Marjorie Daniel, and Evelyn Davis. Submitted Small steps, big rewards; Preventing type 2 diabetes Special to the Journal Thousands of Georgians are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, a serious and costly disease that is becoming increasingly com mon throughout the state. Diabetes is a serious illness that can cause end stage kid ney disease, blindness, heart disease, stroke, hyperten sion, impotence and ampu tations. The good news is that Type 2 diabetes can be prevented by eating less and moving more. According to the American Diabetes Association, before people develop Type 2 dia betes, they almost always have prediabetes, a condi tion where blood glucose lev els are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. An estimated 40 million people have prediabetes, though many are unaware they have the condition since it usually shows no symptoms. “If you are over the age of 45 and overweight, you need your blood sugar checked,” says Vicky Alexander, RN, FNF) Disease Management Coordinator at Houston Healthcare. “Knowing you are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes can be a life saving wake-up call.” Besides being overweight, other prediabetic risk fac tors include: ■ Physical inactivity ■ Unhealthy eating hab its Grrrreaf Deals Li nu have scmetliimi Dress es tc sell and It’s under {o p w ISC? If, sc, call cur Co!n merp m classified dent + He’ll ffiptpL ranitfcr 5 days 1 *Q fiutoParts liwtt l m usUaler per w*ek ■ nuntmncnSltnfli , time when people should have the most control over their lives that they have the least. The vast majority of peo ple have not made their deci sions about end-of-life care known through a living will or durable healthcare power of attorney document. Often it is left up to loved ones, physicians and other care givers who are unaware of a dying person’s wishes to make end-of-life decisions for them. Final health care decisions cannot be honored if they are not known. “Most people are uncom fortable talking about death,” says Evelyn Hughes, Patient Representative at ■ High blood pressure ■ Low HDL, or “good” cholesterol, and high triglyc erides ■ A family history of the disease ■ A history of gestational diabetes or of giving birth to a baby weighing more than nine pounds ■ Being of African- American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American or Asian/ Pacific Islander descent Studies show that people who are prediabetic can pre vent or delay the onset of developing Type 2 diabetes by increasing their physical activity and eating a low fat, low-sugar, high-fiber diet. “Inactivity is one of the most important risk factors for Type 2 diabetes and may be to blame for half of all cases,” comments Alexander. “Exercise and changing your diet can prevent the progres sion of the disease and may even bring your glucose lev els back to normal.” Through its award-win ning Diabetes Management Program, Houston Healthcare offers a free edu cational seminar on how to prevent or delay Type 2 dia betes. Taught by Certified Diabetes Educators, attend ees learn the basic tools to help them make appropriate lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of developing dia betes. For more information on class dates and times, call EduCare at (478) 923-9771 or visit www.hhc.org. Perry Hospital. “We don’t want to discuss it, so we don’t do anything about making these important decisions. Unfortunately, that’s when our loved ones have to make agonizing decisions for us.” The Ethics Committees of Perry Hospital and Houston Medical Center, including physicians, nurses, other health care professionals and community residents, began looking at ways to help individuals and their loved ones discuss and plan for their final health care. The committees launched Critical Conditions, a com prehensive campaign to help educate people about mak ing final health care deci sions and discussing them j Here: where we want 10 be fi Ojr physicians, nurses, ard s:ah a - e working in 3 health | care system and a community they love That matters pL. jjttk | I Here: where you live. KM Hr Mim Ck JT U The people of our community deserve hign-ouelity fl * * ® medical care, dose to hone Nothing less. ; Here: where care is 21st-century. ■■rrnin . -u c tc -r: IB Houston Heart Institute I The Women's Center I Surgery I Oncology I Occupational Health I Diagnostic imaging Human Motion Institute i Behavioral Health I Emergency Medical Care I Rehabilitative Services I Pain Management I Pediatrics hhc.org HEALTH with their loved ones. The program provides tools to help individuals doc ument their advance direc tive. “Physicians and other health care practitioners are faced with situations every day where we walk a fine line between pro longing life and prolonging death,” says Beth Jones, RN, Director of Houston Healthcare’s Community Education and Health Services and Chairperson of Perry Hospital’s Ethics Committee. “Advancing medical knowledge, treatments and technologies offer us ever increasing alternatives to fighting illnesses and diseas- es that we were once help less against. But they have also presented us with new dilemmas and decisions. When a patient’s wishes are known, it takes the burden of having to make those end of-life decisions off of the family.” Hughes and other patient representatives at Perry Hospital and Houston Medical Center meet with patients and family mem bers, encouraging them to talk to their loved ones and physician to address this issue. “Making these choices in advance is one of the best gifts you can give your fam ily. And, the best time to deal with these matters is Perry Hospital auxiliary installs new officers Special to the Journal The Perry Hospital Auxiliary recently installed its new officers for the year 2007. The new officers include Roselle Davidson, President; Evelyn Davis, Vice-President; Marjorie Daniel and Joyce Griffin, Treasurers; and Ethel Edwards, Secretary. More than 150 adults and young people serve as volunteers through the Auxiliaries of Perry Hospital and Houston Medical Center. They work in almost every area of Houston Healthcare, performing any number of tasks from working the information desk to fil ing records, operating the HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL now - before a crisis occurs,” she said. Houston Healthcare is sponsoring a Critical Conditions workshop on Wednesday, Wednesday from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Houston Health Pavilion EduCare Center in the Houston Mall. Attendees will learn more about the Critical Conditions program and the need to plan for health care at the end of life. They will also receive a copy of the legal document that combines durable medi cal power of attorney and the living will. For more information and to pre-register, call (478) 923-9771. gift shops and delivering mail to patient rooms. The Auxiliaries also give back to the hospitals the money they raise through sales in the gift shops and other activi ties. For more information on becoming a volunteer, call (478) 542-7753. 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