Better Quality of Life
I am a reasonably healthy mid-60 year-old female. Thankfully doctor trips for me are rare, which is not the case for my husband who deals with numerous health issues due to Viet Nam injuries that are ongoing, even after all these years. I am grateful the VA remembers his, and other veteran’s sacrifices, given for this country.
Because of his health concerns, doctor visits are frequent and his list of medications long. The goal of, at least ‘maintaining his health status so it doesn’t worsen’, (at least rapidly) is a high priority, as it should be.
We try to eat healthy, but honestly that can be a struggle when there is so much, what I call ‘junk’ food to eat! Of course that includes processed foods, sugar foods, and most of the snacks. We aren’t different than anyone else, and always have at least ‘some’ —(although not an abundance) in the house!
We also garden, when we are in the area. When we aren’t I love when we can visit a Farmer’s Market, when everyone from the community comes together and offers their fresh, organic product to those who are interested. Sadly, most of us would rather reach for a can (or frozen) version of the fresh foods, instead of preparing it from scratch. What’s even sadder is knowing that many of us haven’t a clue how to even prepare food from scratch!
So while we try to keep our quality of life higher by eating healthy, and exercise (even if it’s minimally!), I’m amazed how often insurance will cover (for any issue I may have) a medical emergency, but will not cover a ‘maintaining’ appointment such as eye appointments or even dental, (and I suspect others, as well.) My mind asks the question, ‘Wouldn’t it be wiser to cover a yearly exam rather than a medical emergency?’ My logic, and it could be wrong, thinks the expense would be greater, given all that’s involved with an emergency. If ‘check ups’ were maintained, it seems that ‘emergencies’ would be less likely. Again, perhaps I’m wrong and that’s okay.
But there are others who could seriously use regular check ups. Their health problems and quality of life, would be much better maintained (like with my husband) if medical issues would be handled earlier rather than later.
This problem is compounded exponentially by the disability population as they battle these types of issues on a regular basis. Their medical situations often put them in a difficult position of maintaining a permanent job, attending college on a regular basis (although the internet is helping with that), general mobility of just getting around outside their homes, gardening, and so much more.
Because of financial difficulties, insurance is an added problem. So what are they to do? First, keep fighting! Additionally, finding an advocate to help the ‘fight’ is a good thing, as is, being deliberate about eating habits, exercise and even mental health.
We all, regardless of ‘ability’ or ‘lack of ability’, need to be intentional about our personal health, because this directly impacts our quality of life, which is very important to happiness for us and those around us.
#BetterQualityOfLife #personalHealth #disability #healthissues
#disabilityAdvocate #insuranceCosts #maintainingCare
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