KidStuffKidStuffHere in our office it is a daily event to see another child with the rash. It is the scourge of the wilderness, the rash of the woods. What is it and how do you get it?
Most people know what type of poison plants are in your area. Here in New England, Poison Ivy rules.
Poison Ivy (the Latin is Rhus Radicans) is a climbing vine that grows well in the central and eastern United States. The oil that it produces on its trademark three pointed-leaf clusters and under its bark has properties well known to most outdoorsmen even though the leaflet’s colors vary with the season
Now mere exposure to the oil does not mean you will always get the rash. You have a few hours to wash it off. Soap and water will do. But once the rash has started to appear, there is little value in more washing.
What happens next is very predictable. If you have waited too long, the oil will soak into the top dead layer of skin. Once below the surface, that’s it. Over time, this oil will soak through to the live, “dermis” layer, which is happy to respond by producing the itchy, weepy rash we all know and love.
Many people believe the rash will spread as day after day more skin is involved. But it is still safe to work with people who have the rash. The amount of the initial exposure of the plant’s oil determines the amount of rash. The heaver the dose, the faster and more severe of a rash appears. The rash from a more lightly exposed area may not show up for a day or more and it does not spread. The only exception involves contaminated clothing. For example, if the oil is on your garden gloves, every time you put them on, expect another case of rash.
Once the exposure has taken hold, any “treatment” only serves to sooth the itching. But never fear. The body will react and then settle down on its own.
(Dr. Marz, a board-certified pediatrician, is supervising physician for the Town of Barnstable school system. He practices with Bass River Pediatrics in South Yarmouth.)
In 1997, an entrepreneur wannabe from Connecticut named Tom Grape, still chasing that elusive rainbow, decided to enter the nursing home business. He raised some capital, hired a secretary and formed a company called Benchmark Senior Living.
Realizing that the graying demographics of Cape Cod had to be fertile ground, his first acquisition was the old Centerville Nursing Home on Route 28.
Today, Benchmark Senior Living Communities is No.1 in New England with 43 properties and some 5,000 employees.
As for the Centerville Nursing Home, after being closed for a year and a half for renovations, it’s now thriving as Harbor Point, Cape Cod’s only assisted living facility devoted solely to the care of the memory impaired and, “a model for the rest of our program,” according to Executive Director Adam Manchester.
Concentrating solely on the memory impaired has its advantages, Mr. Manchester points out. The residents feel more comfortable than if they were sharing an assisted living facility with those not mentally handicapped, and maintaining security is much easier. Also, they aren’t forced to move as their dementia worsens. “They can age in place,” he says.
With plans for expansion in the near future, Harbor Point has 65 residential units and at capacity as many as 70 residents. There is no Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement available, the only coverage coming from long-term care insurance, or veterans’ benefits. To save money, some residents choose to double up.
There are 75 employees, a high ratio, all CNAs or LPNs.
“Some patients come here from other environments, like assisted living or their homes,” Mr. Manchester says, “and we find that if their condition has been progressing rapidly at home sometimes it slows down when they get here. Here, the ‘cuffs’ come off and there’s no stigmatization. They feel more comfortable and we encourage independence.”
The average stay for residents is two years, although some have been at Harbor Point for six or seven. The youngest are in their 60s with early onset Alzheimer’s, the oldest is 101 “and she’s doing great,” according to the executive director.
Harbor Point also has a support group for families and will steer them to other organizations for assistance.
“Many families make the choice a little too late (to send a loved one to a Harbor Point),” Manchester says, “But after the initial anxiety, they feel better and they can rest a lot easier.”
Harbor Point operates under the jurisdiction of the state’s Executive Office of Elder Affairs as a certified special care/assisted living facility. Further information can be obtained at 508-778-2311.