The Center for Wellness and Health Promotion at University Health Services cultivates individual and collective growth through educational experiences that develop and enhance holistic health. Innovative programs, services, and initiatives are for everyone in the Harvard community. A list of courses and events is posted on the website. Call to schedule a massage, chair massage, or acupuncture appointment or register online for a movement, meditation, or yoga class. The Center is located on the 7th floor, 114 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge. 617-495-9629 - cw@huhs.harvard.edu - https://wellness.huhs.harvard.edu/
Harvard’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides free and confidential assessment, referral, and short-term counseling services for staff and retirees to help work through many of life’s challenges. Harvard faculty, staff, retirees, members of their households and immediate family members – wherever they live – can access a range of services through KGA, Inc., Harvard’s employee assistance provider. Help is available throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The EAP can help to navigate questions about tax issues, inheritances, or estate planning, or to find short and long-term care arrangements for adults or children. The EAP offers free legal consultations by telephone and makes referrals to attorneys who offer a 25 percent discount in fees. Support during personal crises, serious illnesses, and death is offered by experienced and caring professionals. Harvard’s EAP can help with conflicts, personal and family relationships, eldercare planning, credit and debt management, domestic violence, alcohol and drug use, and other issues of a sensitive nature. Crisis intervention is just a phone call away.
Counselors are available to answer non-urgent calls Mondays-Thursdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., and on Fridays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Urgent calls are answered by crisis clinicians 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Consultation is provided in more than a dozen languages. Bilingual and bicultural counselors are available, and the hearing impaired can arrange to meet with counselors fluent in American Sign Language.
Whether you or a family member wants to meet with a consultant or other provider in Harvard Square, another community, or another part of the country, the EAP can tap into a broad network of resources.
To access articles, self-assessments, and tips on Harvard’s EAP website, go to http://kgreer.com/members/login/ The username is Harvard. No password is needed.
To speak with a consultant, call 877-327-4278 or TTY 800-828-6025, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, toll free.
For further information, contact Harvard University, Office of Work/Life.
Nancy Costikyan, Director - 114 Mt. Auburn St., 4th floor, Cambridge - 617-495-4100 worklife@harvard.edu
Other Resources:
AARP Health Encyclopedia This is a new AARP service that provides reliable, easy-to-use information designed to help you take charge of your health. You can Search for Conditions, Treatment options, Medications, Medical tests, Support groups. You will also find answers about Medicare rights, options, and benefits at the federal and state level. http://healthtools.aarp.org/health-encyclopedia
AARP Health Tools addresses questions about Medicare, drug interactions, and where to find cheaper medicines. The "Pill Identifier" tool helps visitors avoid medication mix-ups, by allowing for searches by "imprint", "shape", or "color" of the medicine. Each feature is streamlined and easy to follow. The "Drug Interaction Checker" allows visitors to choose from a list of common drugs by their severity, such as minor, moderate, or severe. The information given for each interaction is in easy to understand language, devoid of medical jargon, and intended for a general audience. http://www.aarp.org/health/health_tools/
Alzheimer’s Association The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. Their mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. http://www.alz.org/
Massachusetts Chapter provides more local education and support for people diagnosed with the condition, their families, and caregivers. http://www.alz.org/manh/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recognized as the lead federal agency for protecting the health and safety of people - at home and abroad, providing credible information to enhance health decisions and promoting health through strong partnerships. http://www.cdc.gov/ Find information of special interest to travelers at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/.
Department of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans’ Health Administration The VA’s goal is to provide excellence in patient care, veterans' benefits and customer satisfaction. They have recently reformed their department internally and are striving for high quality, prompt and seamless service to veterans. Their commitment is to help veterans get the services they have earned. http://www.va.gov/ This site also includes the Veterans’ Health Administration at http://www1.va.gov/health/ .
Doctor Profiles provides information from the Board of Registration about physicians who are registered in Massachusetts. The site contains information about education, awards, publications, disciplinary records, including malpractice suits, hospitals affiliations, and insurance plans accepted.
http://profiles.ehs.state.ma.us/Profiles/Pages/FindAPhysician.aspx
Eldercare Services: 800 AgeInfo A joint partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Elder Affairs and Mass Home Care Association. The site is designed to assist consumers and families as well as professionals seeking information and resources on eldercare services. The Fifty-Plus Advocate Bi-weekly newspaper for people age 50-plus, and the largest mature market publication in the Northeast. http://www.800ageinfo.com/ Dial 1-800-243-4636
End-of-Life Issues (a USA.gov web portal) Living wills and advance directives, estate planning, hospice, consumer guide to funerals, family caregivers support programs... http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors/EndofLife.shtml
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has been committed to providing the general public with a number of high-quality print and online resources in recent years
Select a Topic Collection category listed on this site to view articles published in JAMA and its Archives journals.
At the bottom of the Topic Collection list you will also find “JAMA Patient Page.” With nearly 400 entries, each Patient Page contains a basic overview of such topics as Lyme disease, dementia, lymphoma, and dozens of other conditions, medical procedures, and practices. Along with succinct and accessible summaries for each entry, visitors will also find illustrations, graphs, and diagrams that help explain each topic. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/collections.aspx
You can sign up to receive a Collection E-Mail Alert when new articles on specific topics are published. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/account/myalerts.aspx#myEmail
The JAMA home page is located at http://jama.jamanetwork.com/journal.aspx A link to the latest Patient Page is provided here.
Health Care for All A nonprofit advocacy group of people and organizations in Massachusetts dedicated to making adequate and affordable health care accessible to everyone, regardless of income, social or economic status. http://www.hcfama.org/
Health for Seniors (a USA.gov web portal) This portal to government information on Health includes resources on disease, injury and abuse; health care facilities; nutrition, doctors and health care facilities, Medicare and Medicaid, wellness and staying healthy... http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors/Health.shtml
Housing for Seniors (a USA.gov web portal) This portal to government information on housing includes reverse mortgages, eldercare at home, nursing home comparisons, advocates for nursing home residents by state, housing information for seniors... http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors/Housing.shtml
Intelihealth Aetna’s Intelihealth is a comprehensive website for information on health-related topics, including Diseases and Conditions, Healthy Lifestyle, Your Health, and Look It Up, a collection of online health reference works. This site features the Harvard Medical School’s Consumer Health Information. Aetna InteliHealth says that its mission is “to empower people with trusted solutions for healthier lives. We accomplish this by providing credible information from the most trusted sources.” You may also sign up for their online weekly newsletter: This Week in Health. http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/408/408.html
Mayo Clinic: Find it fast: More than 3,300 physicians, scientists and researchers from Mayo Clinic share their expertise to empower you to manage your health. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health-information/
Medications and Drugs For information about drugs for both the consumer and the medical professional, click on the RxList site at http://www.rxlist.com/ Other useful sites may also be found on Yahoo’s Drugs and Medications list at http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/Pharmacy/Drugs_and_Medications/
MedLinePlus is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. It includes: over 700 Health Topics on conditions, diseases, and wellness; Drugs & Supplements, about prescription and OTC medicines, herbs, and supplements; Medical Encyclopedia, includes pictures and diagrams; Dictionary, spellings and definitions of medical words, Health News from the past 30 days; Directories, find doctors, dentists, and hospitals; and Other Resources, including local health services, libraries, organizations, international sites, and more. Includes a link to NIH’s “Senior Health” website, as well as videos of surgical procedures and over 165 tutorial slideshows. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/
MedlinePlus: Mental Health offers a wealth of information of use to seniors.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealth.html
National Council on Aging Founded in 1950, The National Council on the Aging is a national network of organizations and individuals dedicated to improving the health and independence of older persons; increasing their continuing contributions to communities, society and future generations; and building caring communities. http://www.ncoa.org/
National Family Caregivers Association The National Family Caregivers Association educates, supports, empowers and speaks up for the more than 50 million Americans who care for loved ones with a chronic illness or disability or the frailties of old age. NFCA reaches across the boundaries of diagnoses, relationships and life stages to address the common needs and concerns of all family caregivers. http://www.nfcacares.org/
WebMD Health, Inc. This site requires a free registration, and can be a bit overwhelming to navigate, but it is considered a leading authority reference resource for all things related to Health. It is a primary portal for consumers to help them take an active role in managing their health by providing objective healthcare and lifestyle information. Consumers can locate physicians, store individual healthcare information, receive periodic e-newsletters on topics of individual interest, enroll in interactive courses and participate in online communities with peers. http://www.webmd.com/
Yahoo’s Senior Health Website A mega-site of health information for seniors. http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/Senior_Health/