Idaho - Boise and the Treasure Valley

Capitalize on a lifetime of learning If you are a life-long student still hoping to complete that dream of a bachelors degree, consider the Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies at Boise State University. This degree is designed to help adults successfully complete a degree while balancing life with school. Whether its to show your children or grandchildren that its never too late to seek out education or something that you want to check off your bucket list, we can help you get there. Our students average age is 42 years old, with our youngest students in their mid to late twenties to our most senior student at age 82, who is graduating this semester! If you prefer a completely online option, consider the Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies online degree. The Multidisciplinary Studies degree is designed for students with 58 or more college credits and at least five years of work/life experience. An individual customized degree completion plan is created by the student and approval is granted for course selections designed around personal and professional goals. Many of our students did not take the traditional four year plan through school opting for more of a scenic route through education and are now ready to get that diploma. With a little more time on their hands and the handsome fee waiver for Idaho residents that dream can become a reality. Idaho residents who are at least 60 years old may register for courses and pay $5 per credit hour, a $20 registration fee (per semester), and any special fees (such as for private music lessons, workshops, or laboratory fees). Give us a call and lets see how we can help you finish that dream of completing your Bachelors Degree, its just a phone call away! For more information, please contact mds@boisestate.edu or call 426-3721 and speak with Vicki Budd, Program Director, Alexis, or Rebecca for more detailed information visit our website at http//sspa.boisestate.edu/mds. Editors Note: This article was written by Vicki Budd, Program Director for the Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies. Visit http//sspa.boisestate.edu/mds for more information.

Legacy Corps is an award-winning national service project that provides volunteer-powered caregiver support for veterans and military families. A growing and specialized need for caregiver support exists among veterans and military families. Research indicates that caregivers of veterans report more than twice the emotional stress of caregivers of adults nationally, almost three times the level of physical strain, and almost four times the level of financial hardship.Legacy Corps was launched by Friends in Action in 2012 to help address these caregiving needs. Legacy Corps programs operate in 15 cities across 10 states, and all Legacy Corps programs partner with the University of Maryland and the Corporation for National and Community Service to provide support services to many veteran and military families.Legacy Corps volunteers provide weekly, quality assistance to veteran/military families who care for a loved one at home. Volunteers serve as companions with the veteran being cared for so the family caregiver can have a weekly break; volunteers provide transportation and prepare light meals; and volunteers help connect families to other community support services, peer-to-peer support groups, and other related services. Volunteers are well-prepared as a result of 90 hours of pre-service and ongoing in-service trainings! Legacy Corps volunteers commit to 450 hours of service over a one year period, which means every volunteer serves 10-12 hours per week helping 3 to 4 families each. Legacy Corps volunteers become a close-knit team who make a huge difference in the lives of many, many families across the Treasure Valley. All volunteers must complete an application, agree to criminal and sex offender back ground checks, participate in a national research study and have mid-year and end-of- year evaluations.Legacy Corps volunteers receive many benefits from their service. In addition to life-changing experiences helping others, volunteers receive a monthly taxable stipend and are eligible to receive an Educational Award of nearly $1,500 when they complete their year of service. For volunteers age 55+, the education award can be given to a child or grandchild. The Educational Award may be used to attend classes at most colleges/universities or to repay qualified student loans.Legacy Corps volunteers assist many veteran and military families who care for a chronically ill or disabled adult at home. This service project helps family caregivers maintain their own health and well-being; it helps volunteers develop new skills and knowledge; and it fills a growing need in our communities. For further information about Legacy Corps, please contact Friends in Action (www.fiaboise.org) at 333-1363.Friends in ActionFriends in Action is a unique volunteer-powered program serving family caregivers and those they care for. We are a program of the nonprofit Mountain States Group. Highly trained volunteers lead award-winning education programs; provide caregiver respite and support/ and assist with the annual southwest Idaho Family Caregiver Conference.

What is a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH)?A Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH) that provides specialized medical, nursing and rehabilitation services for patients who need more advanced care for their recovery process, but who no longer require services at a traditional hospital. Patients typically have a chronic or medically complex medical condition that requires hospitalization for an average of 25 days or more in a facility that offers a 24/7 specialized treatment program. Long term often leads people to assume that its similar to a long-term facility (Nursing Home), but a more accurate description of an LTACH, would be a post-acute care hospital. The main difference between a traditional hospital and an LTACH is the length of stay. Traditional hospitals are focused on caring for a patient for an average of four to five days, where initial surgical interventions and diagnostic procedures are performed, while a long term acute care hospital typically cares for a patient an average of 25 days. The purpose of a LTACH is to provide critical care-level services but with a stronger recovery and rehabilitative focus permitted by the longer length of stay. Patients referred to an LTACH must meet an admission criteria designated by their insurer including Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurers. At an LTACH, patients can continue to receive intensive interventions, such as ventilator weaning, cardiac monitoring, aggressive wound management, antibiotic infusions, TPN, while being managed by a coordinated patient care team. Long term acute care hospitals offer specialized programs for patients who require ventilator-weaning, wound care, infectious disease management, or intensive management of medically complex conditions. Typical services include daily management and rounding by Hospitalists and/or Pulmonologists, telemetry, laboratory, pharmacy, radiology, respiratory therapy, rehabilitation, dialysis, and an intensive staff-to patient ratio. For those looking to understand what services and conditions may be available for treatment at an LTACH, the following are the most common: Ventilator-Weaning Respiratory Failure Wounds Medically Complex Amputation Cardiovascular Disease COPD CHF Head Injury/Trauma Infectious Diseases (including MRSA, VRE) Malnutrition Pneumonia Post-Operative Patients Renal Disease/Failure Spinal Cord Injury Stroke Trauma Most common questions about LTACH Services: Is an LTACH like a nursing home? Not at all. Patients in a Long Term Acute Care Hospital are too medically complex for nursing homes to typically accept. LTACHs provide daily physician management, 24 hour nursing care, pharmacy in-house, radiology, dialysis, 24 hour respiratory therapy, and 6 day a week rehabilitation therapy. In addition, admission to an LTACH avoids using precious skilled nursing facility days granted by Medicare. Is LTACH like hospice? Hospice care is primarily for those not expected to recover and have a terminal illness. In contrast, the Long Term Acute Care Hospital is for patients who can be treated, recover and then return home or to a lower level of care.Written by Tammy Pettingill Director of Marketing Southwest Idaho Advanced Care Hospital

The need for hospice services for military veterans has never been greater, but often those who were the first to answer our nations call for help are among the last to seek help when they need it. Today, more than 37 percent of the veteran population is 65 years or older. More than 1,800 veterans die every day, but most veterans still die in their communities only 4% occur in Veterans Administration facilities. There are many reasons why veterans do not seek end-of-life care. A culture of stoicism might prevent veterans from admitting to being in pain, or from asking for pain medication. Some may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with symptoms that can include social isolation, alcohol abuse, and anxieties. However, much of avoided care comes down to education. The benefits of hospice care can meet the special needs these brave men and women have at the end of life. VA and hospice programs have learned a critical lesson in caring for dying veterans: A patients military service history is highly relevant to providing the most appropriate, personalized end-of-life care. Although hospices routinely ask and record their patients age, family make-up, racial/ethnic group and religion at the time of enrollment, far too few ask about service status. But they should. There may be health coverage and benefit issues, if the veteran is enrolled at a local VAMC or would like to be, along with burial and other benefits. When seeking hospice care for a veteran, it is important to ask about services that will meet his or her specific needs based upon the timeframe of service. Some hospices have developed care programs specifically designed for the conflict the veteran served in, such as World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Some also have specially trained volunteers, many of whom are veterans themselves, to assist with care and comfort. This gives the patients a level of comfort knowing that those who are taking care of them have been through many of the same things they have. For some veterans, the effect of combat experience may remain buried for years, emerging only when they are very sick and dying. Finding the right end-of-life care can make all the difference. Hospice is a choice to live life to its fullest, empowering patients and their families to redefine hope in the last months of life. Finding a hospice that has made it its goal to care for veterans is another way to honor their sacrifice. -Devin Limb is Executive Director of United Hospice in Meridian.