Health Briefs for July 21, 2008

• Published: Jul 21, 2008 - Page: 1D - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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A national advocacy group for retired Americans ranked Louisiana as the least expensive state for nursing home care.

In a new AARP bulletin, the organization estimated the daily cost for nursing home care in Louisiana to be $125. Alaska residents pay the highest nursing home rates, about $515 per day.

Southern and Midwestern states were generally less expensive than Northeastern and Northwestern states.

Southern states fared as follows (from most to least expensive per day of care): No. 17, Florida ($202); No. 28, North Carolina ($183); No. 29, Kentucky ($177); No. 31, Mississippi ($174); No. 35, Tennessee ($159); No. 36, Alabama ($158); No. 37, South Carolina ($158); No. 42, Texas ($144); No. 43, Georgia ($143); and No. 47, Arkansas ($137).

Disaster wallet card available for patients
A new wallet card listing disaster-time cancer resources is now available for residents of the Gulf Coast from the National Cancer Institute and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Patients and doctors can obtain the card by calling 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) or visiting
https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/ncipubs/details.asp?pid=4154.

Scope gives better view of GI tract
The Endoscopy Department at Baton Rouge General is the first program in the region to offer an endoscopic ultrasound for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases. The minimally invasive device, inserted through the mouth, takes a 360-degree view of a patient’s gastrointestinal tract using both a traditional camera and sound waves.

The EUS also can be used by doctors to determine the proper treatment program for patients, if a gastrointestinal disease is found.

Grant to help cancer patients
The Cancer Program of Our Lady of the Lake and Mary Bird Perkins received a $105,000 grant from a New York group to provide follow-up care to patients diagnosed with cancer. The Cancer Program was one of only five to receive funding from the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention in Harlem, N.Y.

The Cancer Program will conduct a trial period for the program at its LSU Mid-City clinic and the Leo Butler Community Center through August. The program will begin in full for breast cancer patients in September with additional programs for prostate, skin and colorectal cancer patients to begin early next summer.

New therapy offered for tremor patients
The NeuroMedical Center now offers Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) treatment for patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease and Essential Tremor.

DBS therapy works similarly to a cardiac pacemaker, which uses controlled electronic impulses to regulate the beat of the heart. Under DBS therapy, an electronic device is implanted in the patient to provide prescribed signals to designated parts in the brain. The device is adjustable, allowing doctors to tailor a program providing maximum relief with minimum side effects.

The treatment may reduce the occurrence of tremors in Essential Tremor patients anywhere from to 60 to 90 percent. DBS also can reduce the shaking, stiffness and slowness often associated with Parkinson’s disease.