As our population ages, addressing fall risks among the elderly becomes increasingly crucial for maintaining their well-being. Falls are a prevalent concern among older adults, leading to severe consequences such as injuries, hospitalizations, and decreased quality of life. Recent studies have shed light on the correlation between fall incidents and health status among the elderly, as well as the effectiveness of wearable technology in detecting and preventing such events.

Despite advancements in technology, preventing falls entirely remains a challenge. However, wearable devices equipped with fall detection capabilities offer a proactive approach to mitigate risks. By alerting caregivers or emergency services immediately after a real fall occurs, these devices facilitate prompt medical intervention, potentially reducing injury severity and improving outcomes for the elderly population.

Not all wearables are finding success, however as comfort, privacy, practicality, and user experience affect usage rates.

Listen to this episode of Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina with special guest, Richard Hirsh, Chief Marketing Officer for UnaliWear, a wearables tech company and producer of the Kanega watch for fall prevention.

What is a "real man"? What is a "good guy"? What does our culture want for our teenage boys, and when does a boy become a man? My guest in this episode of Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina and I discuss these questions and more. 

Emotions are energy in motion. How we embody them into our current state of being determines our mood, disposition, dopamine and cortisol levels, and much more. If we find ourselves in a state of anxiety, James suggests ways to work out a path through, and closer to peace of mind, calm, confidence, and more.

In this episode of Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina, Andrew welcomes CEO and co-founder of a pioneering CBD and wellness company, Dennis Mistrioty, to discuss hemp based products and wellness mission at the Wisconsin, USA based company BATCH. We delve into the company's unique approach to wellness and their commitment to producing high quality, natural products.

As part of the NCDHHS grant funded North Carolina Community Health Worker Standardized Core Competency Training, these self-paced, online specialty training courses were launched in late August 2022. Northwest AHEC worked with Mountain AHEC to develop the course materials and the pre- and post-tests based on course content and used these to assess knowledge outcomes. The results gathered by UNC Pembroke show strong uptake of the information presented in the courses.

Women's health champion and 30-year veteran OB/GYN Bill Chun, MD sits down for a conversation about women's health, pregnancy,  obesity and the  of necessity delivering babies naturally in a time when more and more babies are scheduled C-section, induction, and less by natural birth. 

We sat down with Jayvein Greene - winner of this year’s Youth/Young Adult Voice Award at the One Community in Recovery Conference - to talk about his experience as a young, black male facing mental illness, trauma, and substance abuse. 

Amy McMichael, MD, Chair and Professor of Dermatology at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, sat down with us to talk about all things skin - from alopecia to Lupus and beyond.

Amy was recently named the 2022 recipient of the Medical Dermatology Society Lifetime Achievement Award. The annual award is given in recognition of the recipient’s lifetime of inspired patient care as a medical dermatologist, mentoring of future medical dermatologists, and research to advance medical dermatology. The Medical Dermatology Society is dedicated to improving the care of patients whose skin diseases or therapies have substantial systematic consequences, fostering research in medical dermatology, and assuring medical dermatology expertise in community and academic settings.

Listen to this episode of the Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina on our podcast host at https://soundcloud.com/nwahecwebmaster or search for "Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina in your favorite podcast player.

Listen in on a conversation with Audiologist and Health Coach Beth Knott. Beth is a veteran audiologist who became enamored with helping her clients become better versions of themselves. If you are a health care provider or someone who feels called to help others this episode of the Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina podcast will demystify the process of becoming a health and wellness coach and how coaching concepts such as motivational interviewing for lifestyle modification can help you improve your practice.

Social determinants awareness has become a consistent consideration in healthcare as we've become intentional about recognizing the environmental, social, and other factors leading to suboptimal health outcomes. Housing and the demand for safe and affordable housing is a challenge in many communities.