Articles and Information from GA Foods

While your patients are in your care, you provide them with quality nutrition care. But, what happens when they go home? 

Many transitional care plans may be missing an important piece – nutrition care. Providing access to food allows the frail and elderly to regain their strength and energy faster. Proper nutrition for those at risk improves patient outcomes following surgery or hospitalization.

As people age, the ability to remain independent in their homes and make decisions regarding their care may diminish. The causes may be due to physical reasons such as medical conditions or cognitive dysfunction. Social determinants of health, like safety in the home, community support, or economic status, also impact an older person’s autonomy and quality of life.

September is National Senior Center Month and this year's theme is "Building Momentum." Before we get into the importance of senior centers and giving them recognition, it is probably best to start out with some history.

Addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH) is increasingly important to hospitals and healthcare systems. In fact, medical care determines only 20 percent of overall health -- while social, economic, and environmental factors determine 50 percent of overall health. Extending ways to help patients stay healthy outside the hospital can help patients, communities, and hospitals. SDOH include all factors outside of the hospital that affects patients, such as:

It’s Back-to-School Season 2018! This is the time of the year when parents are bombarded with… well, everything! Between school supply lists, new school clothes or uniforms, teacher meet and greets, first day photos, and finding the perfect backpack, the last thing on a parent’s mind is packing a healthy lunch. Meals at school are essential to student health and well-being. They ensure that children have the nutrition they need to learn.

My son was a picky eater and always at the bottom of the weight percentile on his growth chart. As a Registered Dietitian, I thought I could make him healthier lunches from home. But studies have shown that school meals are healthier than meals from home. School meals are rich in lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. School meals also limit unhealthy fats and sodium.

Hospitals face many challenges when patients are discharged. Some concerns include if patients understand their care plan and need for follow up appointments. Will your patients have access to healthy meals when they return home? What if they are unable to shop or prepare meals for themselves? 

When patients go into the hospital, one thing they may not expect is to leave malnourished. But, that is what occurs to one-third of patients admitted to hospitals. Malnutrition is not always recognized and often goes untreated during hospitalization. Weight loss and inadequate nutritional intake can delay the healing and recovery process. This may lead to more challenging recoveries, and in many cases, relapse and readmission.

July 19th on a balmy summer night in Louisiana, in a crowd of thousands of Chefs, our Executive Chef Michael Thrash was presented with the Presidents Medallion from the American Culinary Foundation. 

Case managers are often on the front lines of telemedicine. They have the expertise to provide help to their members, or patients, on managing chronic conditions or treating minor illnesses by phone or virtual online visits. 

Telemedicine, or telehealth, is proven to be a cost-effective alternative to traditional doctor office visits. There are various studies that find telemedicine can help lower hospital readmissions and reduce healthcare costs. 

An increasing number of health plans across the U.S. are expanding their benefits to include telemedicine services for their members. Plans like Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare are examples of those offering these services. In fact, 76 percent of health systems have or will be implementing consumer telehealth in some capacity by December 2018.