The regional nonprofit Four Seasons Compassion for Life is transforming its workplace into a healthier environment — which its leaders believe benefits both employees and the organization.
Caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients face challenges in caring for themselves
The Alzheimer’s Association — Western Carolina Chapter connects caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients with a variety of resources through its Direct Connect Referral Program. In Asheville, Memory Care also offers support services for people who have dementia and their families. Both organizations advise caregivers to seek help rather than go it alone.
Future transit efforts, concerns mirror Asheville’s past
Asheville as we know it today was built upon the back of its electric streetcar system, one of the largest networks of its time. As the city finds itself in a growth spurt once again, could its defunct trolley system provide some clues to Asheville’s transit future?
Conscious Party: Conscious Brews
The annual fundraiser for the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina takes place March 4 at Highland Brewing Co.
Parental leave policies can assist parents in caring for newborns
Although the U.S. is the only industrialized country in the world that doesn’t have a paid parental leave policy, two local companies are leading the way in ensuring that working families get the support they need to take care of their newest family member.
Conscious Party: NEDAwareness Week
The music-filled benefit for T.H.E. Center for Disordered Eating takes place Feb. 26 at Oskar Blues Brewery.
Urgent care growing in WNC
Urgent care centers are a hot health care trend nationwide and in Western North Carolina. With the recent arrival of new urgent care facilities and more in the works, Xpress looks at where these facilities are and what needs they serve.
Local experts laud hidden power of the kiss
This Valentine’s Day, don’t blow off the kiss — it’s more important than you think. Jeanne and Hal Butts of Black Mountain shared their first kisses in July 1957 during a “supervised” weekend on a friend’s ranch. “She was going to Stanford for her graduate degree, and I was a Navy pilot,” Hal Butts says. They […]
Health care documentary in Flat Rock looks to heal a broken system
Dr. Marsha Fretwell addressed a crowd of 25 in blunt terms Monday in Flat Rock: “We need to get for-profit health insurance out of the marketplace.” Fretwell, a former geriatric physician and a member of Healthcare for All Western North Carolina, crystallized the thesis of the documentary Fix It: Health Care at the Tipping Point, which had […]
How the Paleo diet changed the way some Ashevilleans eat
The paleo diet — with its focus on eating as our Paleolithic ancestors did — has its share of Asheville-area fans. But not everyone is on board with the regimen.
How much is too much?
Salt can be good for you, even necessary for health, in certain quantities. But how do you decide whether and how much salt to shake on your food?
Asheville’s ambivalent relationship with sweeteners
Asheville professionals grapple with the sugar question every day: whether to cut its consumption a lot, a little or not at all. Experts are all over the map on this controversial issue.
Ideas differ on how to eat right for your body type
Eating according to one’s ayurvedic dosha and blood type are among the approaches through which people achieve individualized health.
Area health and wellness experts weigh in on raw foods diets
Going raw can offer health benefits, but the diet also presents challenges.
Navigating WNC’s long-term care options
Few words have the ability to inspire more fear, frustration and trepidation among older Americans across the country than “nursing home.” But for those confronting the prospect of needing long-term care, a variety of care options and support services across Western North Carolina provides information to help residents find the best care available.
VA program supports caregivers
The VA has undergone a paradigm shift in offering support for caregivers of veterans, whether they be family members, friends or neighbors. The caregiver support program takes aim at both the logistical and soulful aspects of the task.
WNC nurses work hard to take care of themselves as well as others
High levels of burnout occur in the nursing profession because of long hours coupled with physical and emotional distress. Workplace wellness programs help to prevent and diminish burnout.
Medical society addresses physician burnout
Medical caregiving brings with it a high risk of burnout. More than half of U.S. physicians experience substantial symptoms of burnout, according to a 2017 paper. The Western Carolina Medical Society has made physician burnout a priority in its strategic plan and is taking steps to prevent and treat it.
Caregivers confront huge risks but reap rewards, say Asheville experts
Life can change in an instant, when accidents or illnesses occur, often thrusting family members into a caregiving role. Although the stresses and problems are many, caregivers report the rewards can be great as well.
Global ‘Me Too’ movement hits close to home
WNC experts and those who have experienced sexual harassment discuss the local effects of the #MeToo movement.
Mission, Blue Cross dispute left patients searching for alternatives
The contract dispute between Blue Cross Blue Shield and Mission Health put many locals in an awkward position: risk out-of-network rates at Mission or find a more Blue Cross-friendly alternative.