Executive Mental Health

In a world which asks us to monitor our productivity and progress both in and out of the office – from calories ingested, steps taken, songs played, or workouts done – the idea of dolce far niente sounds sweeter than ever. Gabe Hiatt says there is an art to doing nothing “No one would argue that a desk job is hard on the body. But your brain is another story. When your mental RPMs are close to the redline, you need to get away, ideally to a place where very few decisions are required. That’s why I practice the do-nothing vacation.” See here for suggestions on how to embrace a mental reset. https://lnkd.in/gkpNTZ9y

Thank you to the Los Angeles Business Journal for bringing together such a stellar group of industry leaders at the 2024 Women's Leadership Symposium and Awards, including Michelle Feng, PhD. Always an inspiring event!

Summer travel planning took on a whole new level of meaning for Francesca Mari: To bring back life to her 72 year-old father’s fading memory. “When I was growing up, my dad, who has left the country only a few times, told me about the trip to Europe he took with his parents when he was 14, in 1966. …As an adult, I spent years telling him that he and I should repeat the trip together — or at least a short version in which we went to Switzerland and Italy, Lugano and Naples, so he could show me where his family was from." "But now that his Alzheimer’s was progressing, that proposal had taken on new significance. Revisiting the past would, I hoped, help him live better in the present.” Read more here. https://lnkd.in/dg4eA8y3 #geropsychology #mentalhealth #dementia #memorycare #healthcare #geriatrics

Leaving an academic legacy for older adult care, the Biden administration has awarded $206M to geriatrics clinician training programs. Called the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program, the funds will reach 42 different universities and provider organizations across the country. The payments range from about $2.9 million to $5 million between the different educational groups. With this, programs training primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and other clinicians will be able to integrate geriatrics training—particularly related to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias—into primary care. Read more here. https://lnkd.in/di8GA8yH #mentalhealth #geropsychology #geriatrics #medicine #healthcare

Alzheimer’s drugs: Much ado about modest improvement? The geriatric medical community is abuzz with comment and expectations on the recent approval of the second #Alzheimer’s treatment drug, #Kisunla, from manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company. While #Medicare is expected to provide coverage for the drug, CMS will require physicians to collect data about how well the drugs perform in the real world, opening the door for clinicians to carry out more cognitive assessments for monitoring both the condition and the effectiveness of the new drug. Read more here. https://lnkd.in/g2UergkE #mentalhealth #geriatrics #geropsychology #healthcare

Attention weekend warriors: Can regular workouts keep dementia at bay? A new study in Alzheimer’s & Dementia reveals that seniors who engage in vigorous physical activity (VPA) just once a week can significantly reduce their risk of cognitive decline. Analyzing over 7,600 adults aged 50+ with high-risk hypertension, researchers found a 19% lower risk of mild cognitive impairment and a 20% lower risk of probable dementia in those who did VPA weekly. Lead author Richard Kazibwe, MD, MS, MD, from Wake Forest University, notes, “Exercise offers many benefits, including lowering blood pressure and potentially delaying cognitive decline.” The benefits were even more pronounced for participants under 75 and Black participants. Discover more about this study and its implications here. #CognitiveHealth #SeniorWellness #AlzheimersResearch #PhysicalActivity #HealthyAging #PublicHealth https://lnkd.in/g6ax2HtR

“It’s a scam.” Financial scams targeted to older adults are on the rise, with seniors losing billions annually. Timed to Elder Abuse Awareness Month, AARP reveals a study showing how scammers use sophisticated tactics like AI voice cloning and fake tech support to deceive even the savviest consumers. Experts from Chase and USAA share tips to safeguard against these threats. Learn more about the top scams and how to prevent them in this must-read USA TODAY article. Stay vigilant and help protect our most vulnerable. #ElderAbuseAwareness #ProtectSeniors #FinancialSafety #ElderFraud #ScamPrevention #CyberSecurity #SeniorSafety #FinancialTips #ConsumerProtection #AwarenessMonth #ElderCare #StayVigilant #FraudAwareness #ScamAlert #SeniorCitizens #USATODAY https://lnkd.in/eSuXJJy2  

Covid’s long-haul journey may be even longer, especially for hospitalized patients: A recent study in Nature Medicine, which analyzed 135,161 COVID-19 patients and 5.2 million controls from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, showed hospitalized patients have a 29% higher risk even in the third year. While long-term health issues declined for non-hospitalized patients, 25% of hospitalized individuals still faced significant effects after three years. Author ZIYAD AL-ALY, MD, highlights the lingering impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare system “I feel COVID-19 continues to teach us — and this is an important new lesson — that a brief, seemingly innocuous or benign encounter with the virus can still lead to health problems years later.” Read more here. #COVID19 #LongCOVID #HealthcareResearch #VeteransAffairs #PublicHealth https://lnkd.in/gXP_WRWv

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞?🤔 It’s time. Lengthening the time between someone thinking about suicide and acting on it. ⌛ This extra time can be crucial for seeking help—calling 988, reaching out to a friend, or doing something totally different, like pausing to watch a movie. Extending time often means making access more difficult. Adding friction to the process makes it less likely to happen. In the mental health world, we call it “limiting access to lethal means” or “means restriction” as a way to prevent suicide. Research backs this up. 📚 In the US, firearms are the most common and most lethal method of attempting suicide, accounting for 55% of all suicides. Close to 90% of suicide attempts involving firearms are fatal, compared to just 5% of other methods. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞. 💫 Making firearms less accessible during a moment of crisis forces more time to pass between when someone feels hopeless and when they might act.  **𝐘𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐒 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬.** This advisory is so important, highlighting the devastating effects of firearm violence on families and communities, including death by suicide. And it includes ways to help address this crisis (link in comments). I'm always reminded of a follow-up study on individuals who survived jumping from the Golden Gate and SF-Oakland Bay Bridges. 🌉 -- All the survivors interviewed supported constructing a suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge, with one stating, “𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔.” Awareness and education is key. Time is a crucial aspect of preventing deaths by suicide. Limiting access to lethal means is such an important step. Thank you to Dr. Murthy for highlighting this public health crisis. I hope this advisory does what his advisory on the loneliness epidemic has done, create awareness and call to action. Kaczkowski W, Kegler SR, Chen MS, Zwald ML, Stone DM, Sumner SA. Notes from the Field: Firearm Suicide Rates, by Race and Ethnicity — United States, 2019–2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:1307–1308. Rosen, D. H. (1975). Suicide survivors: a follow-up study of persons who survived jumping from the Golden Gate and San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridges. Western Journal of Medicine, 122(4), 289. #suicideprevention

Once again, EMH is honored to receive recognition for our impact the community! EMH’s Director of Business Development, Penelope Gallegos, took home last Thursday the “Woman To Watch” award at the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2024 Women’s Symposium and Leadership Awards, as a reflection of her capacity, determination, and creativity. The other finalists for the award were talented and successful women in various fields, including Nicole Lueddeke, Associate of Paul Hastings, LLP, Erin Ross, CEO of the Girls Inc. of Los Angeles, Lexi St. John, EVP of QYOU MEDIA, and Christine Weil, Director of Development of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Chief Clinical Officer, Michelle Feng, PhD, also earned this award in 2022, meaning the EMH team is one to watch! We are proud to be represented so well by them. Thank you, Josh Schimmels, MBA, Eva Juse and the team at the LABJ. As usual, you orchestrated a terrific event! #mentalhealth #labjwomensleadership #healthcare #psychology #psychiatry #skillednursing