With 40 years working as a psychotherapist, professional speaker and workshop presenter, I am passionate about helping people find advocacy resources, and introducing them to the community a wide range of available resources – from health advocacy to coping with trauma, and much more. I encourage you to explore this resources section for information that may help you as you navigate challenges and transitions in your life.
If you have a resource that you think others would benefit from knowing about, please contact Dr. Steiner to have the information included here.
Advanced Healthcare Directives
The American Bar Association
To help you plan for how you want your health care decisions handled when and if you are unable to speak for yourself in an emergency as well as detailed information about issues to consider when planning for end-of-life choices.
Aging
AARP: American Association of Retired Persons
America’s largest organization that represents people over 50. Their website has a wide range of helpful pieces about coping with health problems, or planning for retirement.
Medicare
Find health/drug plans and care providers, and explore a wide range of available health-related resources.
Exit Stage Right
Exit Stage Right® was established by Jeanne K.Smith to help families get their affairs in order and to assist the estate administrator with their duties. The workbook, Exit Strategies: A Plan and A Place For Your Estate Information contains a Family Resource Guide with all the information that I would share with you if we met in person and the data pages were created to record all your personal, financial and legal information that your family will need at a time of crisis. This includes recovering from a disaster, incapacity or settling an estate. After years helping others get organized Jeanne has retired. She decided to, rather than charging for her system to ask people to make a donation to a charity of their choice.
exitstageright.com
US Aging
Supports the national network of Area Agencies on Aging and advocates for the Title VI Native American Aging Programs, which help older adults, people with disabilities and family caregivers live with optimal health, well-being, independence and dignity in their homes and communities.
The National Council on Aging – Benefits CheckUp
Are You Getting all the Government Benefits You Are Entitled To? The NCOA reports that 5 million older adults are currently missing out on benefit programs that can provide help with health care, transportation, housing, energy assistance, and other services. Benefit CheckUp is a free, easy-to use public service that will help you find out what benefits you qualify for and how to get them.
Caregiving
UCSF Memory and Aging Center
Useful resources for caregiving and support.
memory.ucsf.edu/caregiving-support
Patient Advocate Foundation
Mediation and arbitration services for patients with debilitating and life-threatening illnesses.
Independent Living Centers
Services and resources for individuals with disabilities. “Definition of a Center for Independent Living from Section 702 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended: Center for Independent Living. The term center for independent living’ means a consumer-controlled, community-based, cross disability, nonresidential private nonprofit agency that is designed and operated within a local community by individuals with disabilities and provides an array of independent living services.” To find your local center, contact your local department of rehabilitation; call (713) 520 0232.
Chronic Pain
What I Wouldn’t Change If My Health Were Restored Tomorrow, Toni Bernhard
Helpful article if you or someone you care about, deals with chronic pain.
Clinical Trials
Why Participate in a Clinical Trial? They Are Never Successful
Q: Why should I participate in a clinical trial? If I participate in a trial, I take a ris,k and probably the trial will fail to prove that there is a better drug or treatment, so why should I put myself at risk with no chance of anyone getting any benefit?
A: This is an excellent question that many of us ask. However, we also know that clinical trials are vital in our search for better methods of prevention, detection and treatment for not only prostate cancer, but for all cancers and diseases. In a study published in “Archives of Internal Medicine” (2008; 168:632-642) Dr. Benjamine Djulbegovic M.D., Ph.D. from the Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute at the University of South Florida, Tampa Florida assessed the success rates of NIH sponsored phase III clinical trials.
The study assessed 624 trials involving over 216,000 different subjects. He found that 25% to 50% of the trials demonstrated that a new, novel treatment that was the subject of the trial was successful. So, don’t assume that you are not contributing to making significant progress towards better treatments. Also, remember that even negative results contribute to our knowledge base.
Written by Joel T. Nowak MA, MSW. Used with author’s permission.
Disability Rights
Disability Rights California
Provides protection & advocacy for Californians. Call (800) 776-5746
Estate Planning
The National Council on Aging
The National Council on Aging resources include an article about creating your estate plan as well as an explanation of the difference between wills and living trusts.
Ultimate Estate Planning Checklist: A Step-by-Step Guide
Do You Need a Will or a Trust? Here’s How to Decide
NIH National Institute on Aging
Getting Your Affairs in Order Checklist: Documents to Prepare for the Future
Absolute Trust Counsel
Kirsten Howe, managing attorney at Absolute Trust Counsel, and associate attorney Jessica Colbert examine the estate of beloved actor Gene Hackman. They provide valuable insights into how proper estate planning anticipates contingencies like beneficiaries predeceasing the trustor.
Behind the Headlines: Gene Hackman’s Estate Plan and What We Can Learn
Exercise
Even a Little Bit of Exercise Could Help, Kelly Young
“Just 10 minutes of exercise a week might be better than no physical activity in terms of mortality risk, according to a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. And very high levels of exercise are more protective. Researchers studied 88,000 U.S. adults aged 40 to 85 who participated in the National Health Interview Surveys and provided information about their weekly leisure-time physical activity. During a median 9-year follow-up, 9% died.
After adjustment for BMI, smoking status, and other potential confounders, participants who had even a minimal amount of physical activity — 10 to 59 minutes a week — had a lower mortality risk than those who were inactive (hazard ratio, 0.82). The mortality benefit continued to grow with more activity — even when people exercised more than 1500 minutes, over 5–10 times the amount recommended by guidelines (HR, 0.54).
The authors conclude that promoting physical activity “of any intensity and amount is an important approach to reducing mortality risk in the general population.”
Exit Strategies
Exit Stage Right
Exit Stage Right® was established by Jeanne K.Smith to help families get their affairs in order and to assist the estate administrator with their duties. The workbook, Exit Strategies: A Plan and A Place For Your Estate Information contains a Family Resource Guide with all the information that I would share with you if we met in person and the data pages were created to record all your personal, financial and legal information that your family will need at a time of crisis. This includes recovering from a disaster, incapacity or settling an estate. After years helping others get organized Jeanne has retired. She decided to, rather than charging for her system to ask people to make a donation to a charity of their choice.
exitstageright.com
Finance
Health Access California
Guidance and help for Californians facing hefty hospital bills.
NeedyMeds
An online medication resource center that includes leads for getting help with the cost of medication.
Health
National Center for Health Statistics
United States’ principle health statistics agency, part of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
United States National Library of National Institutes of Health
Includes links to Biomedical journal literature from MEDLINE/PubMed, also en espanol, provides free health and drug information for patients, family and friends.
The American Academy of Pain Management
Produces a monthly newsletter called “Currents” that has a lot of useful information on current research relating to pain and pain management. As one person wrote, “I like it because it saves me from having to spend a lot of time searching the literature myself.”
There are two ways to access it: (1) subscribe to it and receive it monthly in your email or (2) go directly to the following link and scroll down to the Newsletter Archive section. You can subscribe to Currents and from the Academy’s main page.
Hospice
Hospice care provides quality of life and comfort at the end of life. There are many different hospice organizations which offer different services, throughout the US and the world.
National Alliance for Care at Home
The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) have come together to form the National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance). The Alliance is the largest organization representing, advocating for, educating, and connecting providers of care in the home for millions across the US who depend on that care.
Hospice of the East Bay
Provides hospice and palliative care services that support and comfort people and their loved ones through the final stages of life. For more information: (925) 887-5678.
Legal
Americans with Disabilities
The Department of Justice maintains an ADA Information Line to assist the public in understanding and interpreting the Americans with Disabilities Act. The line also provides contact information for the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, and other agencies with regulatory responsibility under the ADA.
(800) 514-0301 (voice), (800) 514-0383 (TTD)
Cystic Fibrosis Legal Information Hotline
Free, general legal information resource about laws designed for people with cystic fibrosis, their caregivers, and others.
(800) 622-0385
Prescriptions
NeedyMeds
An online medication resource center that includes leads for getting help with the cost of medication.
Partnership for Prescription Assistance
Many Americans are having problems being able to pay for necessary prescription medication. This program offers one possible solution. This program “brings together America’s pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups to help qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage get the medicines they need through the public or private program that’s right for them. Many will get them free or nearly free. Its mission is to increase awareness of patient assistance programs and boost enrollment of those who are eligible. Through this site, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance offers a single point of access to more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including more than 180 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. To access the Partnership for Prescription Assistance by phone, you can call toll-free, 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669).”
Safety
Lifeline Systems
Pendant – when pressed, alerts local monitoring station that the wearer needs help. Increases safety and independence, especially for those who live alone.
MedicAlert Foundation
Bracelets or pendants with phone number for 24-hour emergency medical information.
Vita-LINK
Pendant – when pressed activates an alarm system, and the subscriber will be connected to their emergency response center. Recommended to increase safety and independence at home.
Medical Guardian
Wearable safety device with a button you can press for 24/7 help.
Self Care
WebMD
Web MD offers a Free Personal Health Record offers a free personal health information, a way to manage your own medical records, ensuring complete documentation of your treatment and medical history.
CareZone
A free app that “makes it simpler to take care of yourself and your family. Keep everything organized and easily coordinate with the people that matter to you.”
Dosecast
A free app that “reminds you to take your medications, vitamins, or birth control pills on time, and tracks your medication adherence — the only medication reminder app with live sync between devices.”
montunosoftware.com, download in the Apple App Store or Google Play
Sick Leave
No Sick Leave?
Workers without paid sick leave are more likely to experience psychological distress than those who take time off work when they became ill, finds a study in American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. Researchers examined data from nearly 180,00 respondents to the National Health Interview Survey, 41 percent of whom did not have paid sick leave. Those workers were more likely to experience sadness, hopelessness, nervousness and other distress symptoms than were workers with paid sick leave, even after controlling for physical health, alcohol use, sleep and other variables.” ( From Monitor on Psychology, In Brief: December 2017. P 12)
Sleep
New research shows that sleeping well helps us stay healthy as we age. “Increasingly, scientists are discovering that how much and how well you sleep throughout adulthood can be a big factor in how healthy you stay into your golden years. Insufficient sleep increases the risk of disorders such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, stroke and depression. It’s also associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. “We see very large changes to sleep physiology with aging“ says Michael Skyland PhD an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Baylor University who studies sleep neuroscience and cognition.… “We have 50 years of data showing that people who sleep between seven and eight hours live the longest. That relationship doesn’t change too much with age.“ Says psychologist Michael Grandner, PhD Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona. The quality of sleep you get is as important as the quantity. Other research showed that after two weeks of being forced to cut back to just six hours of sleep per night participants cognitive functions suffered they generally book believe they did up to do the shorter sleep and didn’t realize how much it change their performance. (Sleep, Vol. 26, No. 2, 2003). Hans Van Dongen, PhD To read more: sleep and human aging Mander, BA, Winer, J.R. & Walker, M.P. Neuron, 2017. (Abstracted from Kirsten Weir, Monitor on Psychology 2017 October, The Power of Restorative Sleep p. 38 -43.)
Support
Caring Bridge
Patient-focused nonprofit committed to bringing friends and family together during any form of health journey. Free, personalized web sites and blogs for those experiencing significant life events, helps those wishing to stay in touch with family and friends during significant life events. The easy to start and use formats help people stay informed and connected. CaringBridge authors craft messages that are informative and reflect a special sensitivity to privacy issues. At each web site, well-wishers can read updates about the subject and leave messages in the Guestbook.
Lotsa Helping Hands
Caregiver-focused resources, online websites, help calendar, etc. Helps friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors manage and coordinate offers of help for loved ones in need.
Surgery
Having surgery?
People Who Get Prompt Physical Therapy For Knee, Shoulder, Or Lower Back Pain May Have Less Need For Opioids, Researchers Say.
HealthDay (12/14, Norton) reported, “People who get prompt physical therapy for pain in the knee, shoulder or lower back may have less need for opioid” analgesics, research indicated. The 89,000 US patient-study revealed that “people given physical therapy for their pain were seven percent to 16 percent less likely to fill a prescription for an opioid.” The findings were published online in JAMA Network Open. Healio (12/14, Laday) also covered the study. (From The Cleveland Clinic’s Rheumatology Daily Briefing December 17, 2018.)