Postpartum Psychosis Postpartum psychosis (PP) is a severe mental illness that occurs after childbirth. PP is a medical emergency, and it is important to seek help immediately by calling 911 or going to the nearest emergency room. Women who have PP can have delusions (thoughts or beliefs that are not true), hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or smelling things that are not there), mania (a high, elated mood that often seems out of touch with reality), paranoia, and confusion. Women who have PP also may be at risk for harming themselves or their child and should receive help as soon as possible. Recovery is possible with professional help.
With a Medicare Advantage Plan, you may have coverage for things Original Medicare doesn't cover, like fitness programs (gym memberships or discounts) and some vision, hearing, and dental services (like routine check ups or cleanings). Plans can also choose to cover even more benefits. For example, some plans may offer coverage for services like transportation to doctor visits, over-the-counter drugs, and services that promote your health and wellness. Plans can also tailor their benefit packages to offer these benefits to certain chronically-ill enrollees. These packages will provide benefits customized to treat specific conditions. Check with the plan before you enroll to see what benefits it offers, if you might qualify, and if there are any limitations. Learn more about what Medicare Advantage Plans cover.
First Sign Things are not Going Well off Meds
Most police officers, emergency medical technicians, and other first responders are trained and equipped to use a defibrillator. Call 9-1-1 right away if someone has signs or symptoms of SCA. The sooner you call for help, the sooner lifesaving treatment can begin.
The part of your retina that you need for reading, driving, and seeing faces is called the macula. Diabetes can lead to swelling in the macula, which is called diabetic macular edema. Over time, this disease can destroy the sharp vision in this part of the eye, leading to partial vision loss or blindness. Macular edema usually develops in people who already have other signs of diabetic retinopathy.
The most common early symptom of Alzheimer's is difficulty remembering newly learned information.Just like the rest of our bodies, our brains change as we age. Most of us eventually notice some slowed thinking and occasional problems with remembering certain things. However, serious memory loss, confusion and other major changes in the way our minds work may be a sign that brain cells are failing.Alzheimer's changes typically begin in the part of the brain that affects learning. As Alzheimer's advances through the brain it leads to increasingly severe symptoms, including disorientation, mood and behavior changes; deepening confusion about events, time and place; unfounded suspicions about family, friends and professional caregivers; more serious memory loss and behavior changes; and difficulty speaking, swallowing and walking.
Along the path a hearing signal travels to get from the inner ear to the brain, there are many places where things can go wrong to cause tinnitus. If scientists can understand what goes on in the brain to start tinnitus and cause it to persist, they can look for those places in the system where a therapeutic intervention could stop tinnitus in its tracks.
Pay attention to your loved one when he or she is doing better or simply making an effort. Too often we are so angry or discouraged that we take it for granted when things are going better. A word of appreciation or acknowledgement of a success can go a long way.
Can be a reaction to the stresses of living with MS as well as the result of neurologic and immune changes. Anxiety, mood swings, irritability, and episodes of uncontrollable laughing and crying pose significant challenges for people with MS and their families.
The period at the end of life is different for each person. The signs and symptoms people have may vary as their illness continues, and each person has unique needs for information and support. Questions and concerns that family members have about the end of life should be discussed with each other, as well as with the health care team, as they arise.
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to determine whether certain behaviors are a sign of mental illness. However, people who feel they are going crazy often have one thing in common: something feels amiss.
Orally administered treatments for COVID-19 are designed to be prescribed at the first sign of infection, potentially helping patients avoid severe illness, which can lead to hospitalization and death.
Medicare Drug Discount Cards Help Seniors Save on Drug CostsLiberty Community CenterLiberty, Missouri President's Remarks view listen 3:32 P.M. CDT THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thanks for coming. We'reglad to be in Liberty, aren't we? (Applause.) What a great town.Gosh, I want to thank the citizens for lining the street and waving tous coming in. (Laughter.) I really appreciate it. Mr. Mayor -- Iknow the Mayor is here, Steve Hawkins. Mayor, thank you for -- pleasethank the citizens of your city for being so kind. And it's reallygreat to be here. You're wondering why I'm on stage with some local citizens and someimportant Washington, D.C.-type personalities -- (laughter) -- it'sbecause we're going to talk about something really important that'shappening in the country, and that is, we're going to talk about how tomake sure our seniors get the best health care possible. That's whatwe're here to talk about. We've got some -- this is going to be a veryinteresting discussion, one that I think you'll find to be educational,one that will help illuminate what's going on with a good piece of lawin a practical way. Before I do, I want to say something about my friend, Sam Graves.Congressman Graves, thank you for coming. (Applause.) I asked himwhat he did to lose weight. (Laughter.) He looks a lot prettier nowthan he used to. (Laughter.) He said he quit eating sugar. But he isa fine Congressman. I really enjoy working with him. And I appreciateyou being here, Sam. He's from a farming background. He's plentycapable, and plenty smart. And I'm saying that, because I want him tofeel good as he gets back to the limousine. I'm giving him a ride onAir Force One back go Washington. (Laughter.) I'm with my friend, Mark McClellan. I'll tell you about him in aminute. Today when I landed, I met a lady named Ruth Blake. Where areyou, Ruth? Yes, there she is. Ruth, thank you for coming.(Applause.) You're probably wondering why I'm introducing Ruth. Thereason why is she's from Shepherd's Center, which is a -- (applause) --sounds like you brought your family. (Laughter.) Ruth is avolunteer. She manages the adult education program that educates andempowers seniors. And the reason I bring that up is I just want ourfellow citizens here in Liberty, Missouri to understand that I know thegreat strength of the country is the heart and souls of the Americanpeople -- that our greatest strength -- (applause) -- I see some of ourmilitary folks here. That's a strength of America. We'll keep themilitary strong. (Applause.) And we've got to keep the military strong to make the world -- tohelp the world be a peaceful world. It's incumbent upon America tolead and work with other nations to spread freedom. Free countries arepeaceful countries. And I believe we have an obligation to work towardfreedom and peace, not only for our own security, not only because wemust never forget the lessons of September the 11th, but because, inthis nation, we understand that freedom is not America's gift to theworld, freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in thisworld. (Applause.) Another strength of America is the fact that we're a wealthynation, and that's important. It's important that we stay that way, sopeople can find work, they can put food on the table, people can dotheir duty as a mom or a dad. But our true strength is the fact that we've got loving citizenswho are willing volunteer to help change America, one heart and onesoul at a time. My call to our fellow citizens is to join the army ofcompassion, which exists in every neighborhood in every city of ourgreat land. Make a difference by teaching a child or an adult to read,by providing food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless, and together,we can make sure the great promise and hope of America is extended toevery corner of our great country. I'm honored you're here. Thanks for coming. Thanks forrepresenting the best of America. (Applause.) Nearly 39 years ago, not far from here, President Lyndon BainesJohnson signed the Medicare law, the first Medicare law. And,interestingly enough, the first Medicare card was handed to HarryTruman. You might remember him. (Laughter.) A fine President, Imight add. (Applause). But Medicare, which had done a great job formany years, got stuck in the past. In other words, medicine began tochange. But Medicare wouldn't change with it. For years, politicians talked about modernizing Medicare. Nothinggot done, though. As a matter of fact, as you might remember, itbecame, in political parlance, "Mediscare." In other words, somebodywould talk about it, and they'd use it against him as a politicalweapon. And it was time to get rid of that kind of talk becauseMedicare is too important to program for our seniors. We were willing to provide money for operations, but we weren'twilling to pay for the drugs that would prevent the operation fromneeding to happen in the first place. See, it was stuck in the past.The procedures were too old, and it required bureaucratic action tomake sure that the modern medicine was available to our seniors. Itkind of crept along. It wasn't doing its job. So we called Congressto task -- I called Congress to task. I said, let's do our duty aselected officials to make the system work better on behalf of oursenior citizens. Congress passed the law; I proudly signed it. Andit's going to make a positive difference, a big difference in the livesof our seniors. We're really in a three-stage process. We're going to talk aboutthe first stage of Medicare modernization today, which is the issuanceof drug discount cards. The second stage is what happens next year,when Medicare begins to pay for preventative medicine -- maintenanceand screenings for seniors. In other words, for the first time inMedicare's history, we're now going to diagnose problems before theybecome acute. That seems to make sense, particularly if you're worriedabout taxpayers' money. In other words, if you act early to preventproblems from happening in the first place, it's good for thetaxpayers. Medicare didn't do that in the past; we're going to do itnow. (Applause.) And starting in '06, for the first time ever, there will be aprescription drug benefit available for people in Medicare. It's a --by the way, one of the things I insisted on was that somebody who ishappy with the current Medicare system doesn't need to change. I mean,I fully understand there's a lot of seniors who don't want to change.I know that. We needed to change the system to make sure there was aprescription drug benefit available. But for seniors who are happywith Medicare, plus the prescription drug benefit, you're in greatshape. As a matter of fact, the program just got better in 2006. Andif you're a poorer senior, the government will help you afford the costof doing -- the cost of medicine. For other seniors, there's going to be more choices. For allseniors there's more choices. I mean, if you're happy with Medicare,fine. If you like the current Medicare Plus Choice, which will becalled Medicare Advantage, that's going to be more robust, moreavailable. If you want other options available to you, I always feltit was best to trust people, not government, in order to -- in thedecision-making process. (Applause.) And so we're moving down the road to make sure the system ismodern, and to make sure the system works. But today, we're going totalk about the issuance of cards, drug discount cards that are nowavailable to our seniors. And we've got some problems. One problem isthere's misinformation about these cards. Another problem is, is thatpeople -- they feel like it may be too complicated, the procedures maybe too complicated to get a drug discount card. Some of them say,well, it's not going to matter anyway. They're heard politicalpromises before, and a lot of times they fall empty. So today we'regoing to talk about how to make sure our seniors understand that thedrug discount card works. We're going to talk to two folks who have used their card. As amatter of fact, I witnessed Wanda going to the pharmacy, local pharmacyhere, and putting her card down, and her drugs, I think which wouldhave cost her $19, cost her $1.70, something like that, just about therange we're talking about. I may not have the numbers exact. MS. BLACKMORE: That's about right. THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I didn't pay for it. (Laughter.) Thereceipt is in her purse, I know. (Laughter.) It was something likethat. (Applause.) And that's what we're here to talk about. I want our seniors tounderstand -- and this will be repeated several times -- that if youhave any questions about the drug discount card, there is a way to getinformation that will help you, or there's a way for your son ordaughter to get information to help you, and that is to call1-800-MEDICARE. That's all you've got to do: pick up the phone,1-800-MEDICARE. And people will answer the phone. Is it 24/7 --24/7. In other words, that means 24 hours a day, seven days a week,somebody will be there to help and answer questions. You're going to hear Mark talk about what the federal government istrying to do to make sure that you understand this information isavailable. There's other ways to -- you can log on if you happen to bea high-tech person, and use the Internet. You can go towww.medicare.gov. It's not all that hard. And there will be all kindsof information available to you. And you're going to hear that there's a lot of different choices.You bet. That's what we want. We want there to be choices, differentcards available. That's how you meet -- that's how you meet differentneeds. We don't want a "one size fits all." That's not aconsumer-driven system. That's a government-driven system. Aconsumer-driven system is one that allows consumers to make the choiceson what's best for them. (Applause.) So there's different cards, is what I'm telling you, to meet yourneeds. And I understand, for some, that's going to be -- it's going tobe complicated, and some people just don't want their livescomplicated. And -- but you've got to know there's help. And justbecause it may seem complicated, that's not a good -- I think peopleshould not use that as an excuse to participate, because you're goingto find there's good -- there's good discounts; there's good savings.Fifteen percent on brand-name drugs, minimum. Isn't that right? Is"minimum" the right word to use? Minimum? Thirty percent on genericdrugs. Those are the drugs that after a patent has expired, they dothe exact same thing as the brand-name drug, but at a much cheapercost. And by the way, he was ahead of the FDA before I put him in thisposition. And his job was to speed up generic drugs to the markets.People shouldn't be afraid of using generic drugs. They accomplish thesame thing; you're going to save a lot of money. They asked Wanda --they said, this is a generic drug, Wanda. She said, fine, let me havethe generic drug. I know it's going to do the same thing as thebrand-name drug, but it's going to cost me a heck of a lot less. In other words, this discount card is going to save our seniors alot of money. And I'm just about running out of air -- (laughter) --you'll be happy to hear. (Laughter.) Want me to keep talking? Okay.(Laughter.) But she can tell it better than me. But first, I want to start off with my friend, Mark McClellan. Heis -- he is a doctor and a Ph.D. He's from Texas. (Laughter andapplause.) And he is the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare andMedicaid Services. That's his job. His job is to make sure theMedicare system works well, and that as the law kicks in -- in otherwords, as the system becomes more modern, his job is to make sure ithappens for the benefit of our seniors. I picked a smart guy to dothis. He understands health care, and he understands the task. Andthe task is to make sure our seniors get the best health care possible,and our taxpayers get the best deal possible, as our seniors get thebest health care possible. And so, Mark, welcome. Thanks for coming. As I mentioned to you,he at one time was the head of the FDA, and he did such a fine jobthere that I gave him a tougher job. And so, Mark, thanks for coming.Share some stuff with us. Tell us what's on your mind. Tell us howour seniors can benefit from this program. DR. McCLELLAN: Thank you, Mr. President. It's a real pleasure tobe here with you, with all of you here in Liberty, and especially to beworking with Medicare at such a critical time. It's just six monthssince this new Medicare law was passed, and we already are having theopportunity to get drug cost down for seniors that need help right now,and who have been waiting too long. There's been a lot of talk for along time. We're actually implementing steps right now that aregetting those costs down. And that's coming about through a couple means. The cards is astart, but with the cards, you get a chance to band together, to sticktogether to get lower prices on your drugs, just like people who havehad insurance for their drugs have been able to do for a while. Thatgets negotiated prices down from manufacturers, and that leads tosavings. And on top of that, we're giving people more information onwhere they can get the best prices, so they can comparison shop moreeasily. You talked about the fact that consumers can really help us findbetter deals for Americans in many areas, but that's been tough indrugs. It's been hard to get prices, and hard to know exactly what youcan -- what kind of deal you can get at different pharmacies andthrough different means available -- through mail order, through otheroptions like that. And we're going to put all that information infront of you with this program. And as you said, Mr. President, what we're seeing through the drugcard program is now savings of, very often, 15 to 30 percent or moreoff the list prices for brand name drugs, and much larger savings forgeneric drugs. And we'll also tell you about the generics when they'reavailable, so you can find out about more ways to save through usinggenerics, whenever they are available. And some seniors have been able to get a little bit of help.They've been trying hard to find good deals. But often when you go toyour neighborhood pharmacy, the best you can get is a pharmacy discountcard that may give you a few percent off the drug store prices, butdon't let you negotiate to get those much lower prices. And that'swhere these real savings are coming from. And the most important thing is for people who are having drugcosts that are causing them trouble right now, where they're strugglingwith their costs, is to find out about this program. As you said, Mr.President, there's some easy ways to do that. You can call us at1-800-MEDICARE, any time, day or night. You can go to the website, thewww.medicare.gov. And we've also made help available, for the firsttime ever through some expanded programs in local areas. Joe is goingto talk about this in a few minutes. But you can get face-to-facehelp. If you don't think you can follow through with a phone call, ifyou really want to talk to somebody face to face about this program,you can do that. Right here in Missouri, we're working with CLAIM --it's a state health insurance assistance plan that provides thispersonalized help for seniors, often working through volunteers whoknow this program well. So those are some simple ways that you canfind out about what's in this program for you. And the people who need help the most get the most help right awaywith this program. If you're struggling with drug costs today, becauseyou don't have good drug coverage, you should find out about it. Butespecially if you've got a limited income, below about $1,400 a monthfor a couple, about $1,040 a month for a single senior -- about 7million Medicare beneficiaries who are in that category, below thoseincome levels, they can get not only the discounts, but some directfinancial help on their card -- $600 this year, $600 next year, andthere's some additional discounts coming from the drug manufacturersfor them, as well. So it amounts to literally thousands of dollars insavings. And you can find out about it right now just by calling us at1-800-MEDICARE, and we'll put you in touch with a face-to-face personif you want to get help that way. THE PRESIDENT: Good job, thanks. Do we have the program up andrunning where somebody can actually dial up -- put in their ZIP code,the pharmacies come up, they show the different prices for drugs intheir neighborhood? DR. McCLELLAN: That's exactly right. THE PRESIDENT: In other words, it's kind of a virtual market.It's kind of an interesting concept, isn't it? One of the things Ibelieve is that markets have got a fantastic way of rewarding consumerswith better quality and better price. And you can get on your web pageor you can get on the computer, and you can shop -- price shop rightnow in your particular ZIP code. And that's the way, also, to makesure that -- better prices available for our seniors. DR. McCLELLAN: That's right. And if you don't want to go on theweb, we can help you over the phone and send you something, apersonalized brochure, that gives you as much or as little detail asyou want about the best options for your own personal needs at thepharmacies that you want to use. THE PRESIDENT: Joe Tilghman is with us. Joe is theAdministrator. He works with Mark. Don't worry about all thecameras. (Laughter.) He is the Regional Administrator. He has beencharged with helping people in this area understand the benefits of thedrug discount card. He will then, once he completes that task herethis year, he'll then be in charge of the '05 modernization ofinformation, and then in '06, will be in charge with helping Markimplement the brand new law. And it's good. I'm telling you, it'sgoing to make a big difference in our seniors' lives. Joe, thanks. Welcome. * * * * * THE PRESIDENT: See, what you're hearing is, is that Mark has asked-- asked his team to go out and educate people. People need to -- thepeople need to understand the truth and the facts and what'savailable. That's what we're trying to get done here. And that's whatwe're trying to get done all around the country. And you're doing afine job at it. Thank you. MR. TILGHMAN: Thank you, sir. THE PRESIDENT: Just keep putting the word out. This is a programthat helps people. If you've got a mom or a dad out there that may benervous about hearing the change in Medicare, talk to them. Call thenumber. Because this will help. And, look, you're probably saying,another guy is showing up from Washington, laying out something that'sjust not true. Well, it's true. And I'll tell you, who best to testify is Wanda -- WandaBlackmore. She and I, as I told you, we just went to a pharmacy. She-- I was going to say, you whipped out your card, but you left yourcard there before, right? Anyway, they had her card, and she boughtsome drugs that is -- a blood thinner. Right? MS. BLACKMORE: Right. THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Okay, talk into the mike. (Laughter.) MS. BLACKMORE: Yes, sir. (Applause.) I was afraid you would tryto over talk me if -- THE PRESIDENT: That's right. (Laughter and applause.) Yes, thegrandkids are here. She's talking to me like she does her grandkids.That's okay. (Laughter.) I'm used to strong women. (Laughter). MS. BLACKMORE: I'm old enough to be your grandmother, too.(Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: Okay. Let's get to work, will you? (Laughter.) * * * * * THE PRESIDENT: So here's the thing. Let me see if I can distillit, summarize what she just said. She got her card. The first timeshe used it was June 7th. On a prescription that usually cost $10, shepaid $1.14. That's called savings. It looks like -- we kind of didsome rough math, didn't we, and it looks like you're going to saveabout $750 this year. And that's a lot. That's an awful lot for somepeople in this country. And I'm telling you this thing is working. And I appreciate you coming to testify. MS. BLACKMORE: Yes, sir. THE PRESIDENT: There you go. She drove in with the limo -- we'rea little familiar with each other because she was in the limousine fromthe airport to here. (Laughter.) MS. BLACKMORE: I got him lined out. (Laughter.) THE PRESIDENT: That's right. All right, you're not the onlyperson on the stage here. (Laughter.) MS. BLACKMORE: I will be, if you keep talking like that.(Laughter.) THE PRESIDENT: That's right. MS. BLACKMORE: I'll throw him out. THE PRESIDENT: All right, here we go. (Laughter.) Yes, ma'am.(Laughter.) MS. BLACKMORE: Thank you, sir. THE PRESIDENT: Gladys Cole. MS. COLE: Mr. President, I can tell you that your drug card isworking. THE PRESIDENT: Okay, why can you say that? MS. COLE: Well, because I went and got my medicine that I had togive $120 for, and when I got through, I gave $20-something for thatsame medicine. (Applause.) So there's no doubt in my mind that it isworking, and working quite well. THE PRESIDENT: All right, how did you find out about the card?See, people are wondering out there how these two ladies found outabout the card and they may not have heard about it. MS. COLE: Well, my pharmacist knew that I had no prescriptioncard, and so he knew what a price I'd been paying for my medicine. Sowhen the leaflets come in for us to fill out, he asked me if -- would Itake them home and fill it out. And he said, oh, I'll fax them in ifyou'll just fill them out. So I thought, oh, well, maybe $5 or $10,but $5 and $10 looked awful good to me. So I said, all right. Andwhen he got my medicine card, and I took it in, and he told me what thesavings was, I about dropped my false teeth. (Laughter and applause.) THE PRESIDENT: We're talking about teeth up here. (Laughter.)Now that you've recovered your false teeth -- (laughter). MS. COLE: So I'm sold on it, and anytime I can tell you people outthere that are of our age, try it out. See if it fits for you. Andthen if it don't, well, fine. But you need to at least try it andsee. THE PRESIDENT: There you go. I appreciate you, Gladys. Thanks,very much, for sharing that. (Applause.) It's estimated that over the next seven months, she's going to save$700 for the year. (Applause.) That's good. Yes, that's a lot ofmoney. (Applause.) These ladies qualify for the $600 subsidy. At acertain income level, people can qualify for additional help, not onlyget the card. If you don't qualify, you use the card anyway, becauseyou're going to get your discounts. But you get $600 additional a yearhelp. MS. BLACKMORE: This is the only time I've been glad to be poor.(Laughter.) THE PRESIDENT: Who's writing your material for you? (Laughter.) MS. BLACKMORE: I'm not going to tell. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: We didn't have enough room on the stage -- well, wehave plenty of room. Anyway -- (laughter) -- Roberta Sims and BettySten is with us, too. Where are you? There you go. Thanks forcoming, ladies. I appreciate you all being here. (Applause.) She gother -- Roberta got her card, and she used it at Liberty Wal-Mart onJune the 5th. She purchased over $300 in prescriptions and paid$22.62. (Applause.) That's a fact. It better be a fact.(Laughter.) Betty got her card recently, too, and is going to save alot of money, $500. In other words, this is important. The reason we're here is toshare information. We're trying to fight through the clutter, thenoise, so that people can understand that there is a great opportunityto take advantage of a good piece of legislation. That's what we'rehere to talk about. We want our seniors to be able to have the benefits of modernmedicine in a way that is best affordable. That's what we're here totalk about. And if you don't believe me, just listen to the two ladieshere on the stage. They go to their pharmacies, they put down theirmoney, and they've seen the difference between what they had beencharged and what they're paying now. And it's a real savings. Andit's important savings. And I want to thank them for coming to sharetheir stories. You have made the day much more credible -- (laughter)-- much more lively, too. (Applause.) Let me conclude by telling you this: I -- you know, our countryhas been challenged. We're challenged to make sure that -- that we'redefended from an enemy that can't stand what we believe in. We'rechallenged because the economy has been through quite a bit. It's nowgetting better, I might add. (Applause.) We've been challenged in alot of ways. Our hearts are challenged every day when we realizeamidst our plenty there are people who hurt. The thing I want to share with you and remind you about, that thisgreat country can overcome any challenge we face. This is a greatcountry, because of the values we believe in. It's a great countrybecause of the citizens who inhabit her. And there's nothing, there'snot one thing we can't do together to make sure the world is more free,the country is secure, and America is the best possible place it can befor all our citizens to call home. Thanks for greeting us today. I'm so honored you came. May Godbless you all. (Applause.) END 4:07 P.M. CDT Printer-Friendly Version Email this page to a friend IssuesBudget Management
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