As we age and our metabolisms slow, it’s easy to pack on a few pounds without realizing it. But a new study has found that making consistent changes to your eating habits can lead to big weight-loss results over time.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, followed the dietary habits of over 120,000 people for 16 years and found that those who ate foods that had a high glycemic load (which includes refined grains, starches, and sugars) gained more weight than those who ate foods with a low glycemic load (foods such as nuts, dairy, and certain fruits and vegetables). This isn’t surprising or new; other research has shown that going lower on the glycemic index (GI) scale will help you lose weight. 

What is interesting in the new study, however, is that other key habits can mean the difference between pounds on the scale. Check out what else the researchers found about weight gain and loss:

•Those who ate more yogurt, seafood, skinless chicken, and nuts lost the most weight; in fact, the more people ate of these foods, the less weight they gained.

•The researchers found, however, no difference in weight gain in those who ate low-fat vs. full-fat dairy.

•Diets with more red and processed meat intake were associated with weight gain, especially when meat was paired with refined grains or starches.

•Eating meat paired with low-GI foods, however, (like vegetables) helped reduce weight gain.

•Eating foods like eggs and cheese along with high-GI foods was linked to weight gain, while eating these foods with low-GI foods led to weight loss.

In general, the researchers found that the best diets for weight loss were high in protein-rich foods like fish, nuts, and yogurt, which helped prevent weight gain. Avoiding refined grains, starches, and sugars further helped, as did replacing red meat consumption with other protein-rich foods like eggs and cheese. It may seem like common sense, but taking the time to fill your plate with lean proteins and vegetables and other low-GI foods will help you lose or maintain weight throughout the years.


By Leta Shy, POPSUGAR Fitness

Accessed on May 20, 2015 from https://www.yahoo.com/health/these-small-changes-to-your-eating-habits-can-lead-118318254638.html

Do you feel as good now as you did at age 40? At age 50?
If the answer is no, read on. You might be able to feel as good as you used to (or even better) by picking up a few new healthy habits. It may seem like more trouble than it's worth to start doing something new. However, even small changes can improve your health. One small change you can make is to add some activity to your daily life. Another is to add more fiber to your diet.

What if I've never been very active? Will starting now really make a difference?
Yes! Physical activity is good for people at any age. Among older adults, falls are a common cause of injury and disability. Physical activity makes your bones and muscles stronger. When your muscles are strong, you're less likely to fall. If you do fall, strong bones are less likely to break.

Regular physical activity is also good for your brain. Studies have shown that people who do simple exercises (for example, walking briskly) on a regular basis are better able to make decisions than people who aren't physically active.

I haven't been physically active in a long time. I'm afraid I'll get hurt when I start.
From diabetes to heart disease, many chronic (ongoing) health problems are improved by even moderate amounts of physical activity. For people who have these conditions, a lack of exercise is a bigger risk than an exercise-related injury.

Talk with your doctor about your plans before you get started. Your muscles will very likely be sore when you first increase your physical activity, but don't consider that a reason to stop. Mild soreness will go away in a few days as you become more used to exercise.

What's the best way to get physically active now?
For most people, walking is one of the easiest activities to do. Experts recommend at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week, but you don't have to do all 30 minutes at once. Try walking for 15 minutes twice each day or for 10 minutes 3 times each day.

People who have started being physically active later in life say that exercising with a partner is motivation to stick with it. Some suggest starting or joining a walking group with friends or neighbors. Others suggest getting a dog that needs to be walked.

If walking isn't your idea of a good time, try gardening or dancing. Go fishing or swimming. The activity can be both enjoyable and good for you.

What about strength training?
When your muscles are strong, activities like getting out of a chair or holding a door open are much easier. If you decide to lift weights, start with a 1-pound or 5-pound weight. If you don't have weights, you can use a can of soup, a book or a full bottle of water. Keep your weights in the same room as your television and do a few exercises while you watch.

Another way to build muscle is to use a resistance band (also called an exercise band). Resistance bands are flexible and come in different lengths. They are commonly used to strengthen upper arm and leg muscles.

Why should I eat more fiber?
Fiber can improve your health in 3 ways:

1. It helps your colon work better
2. It reduces the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer
3. It may help lower your cholesterol level

Men over 50 years of age should get 30 grams of fiber per day; women over 50 should get 21 grams per day.

I don't want to start eating healthy food. How can I get more fiber without changing my diet completely?
You don't have to change your diet all at once. Try making 1 small change at a time. For example, if you eat 2 slices of white toast for breakfast, replace 1 of them with a slice of whole grain bread. If you drink orange juice every day, eat an orange instead for 3 days of the week. If you prefer salty snacks, try low-fat popcorn instead of potato chips.

Some people find it helpful to focus on adding a single high-fiber food (see the box below) at each meal or snack time.

Foods rich in fiber

• Unprocessed wheat bran
• Unrefined breakfast cereals
• Whole wheat and rye flours
• Grainy breads, such as whole wheat, rye or pumpernickel
• Fresh fruits, such as apples, berries and pears
• Dried fruits, such as prunes, apricots and figs
• Vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots and green peas
• Legumes, such as chickpeas, baked beans and navy beans

Fruits and vegetables are a great healthy addition to your diet. Not only are they high in fiber, but they are also high in other vitamins and minerals.

I often have a hard time sticking with something, even when I know it's a good thing to do.
How active you are and what you eat are habits. Adopting healthy habits can be tough at first. But by starting small and rewarding yourself for each step you take, you can make a difference in how good you feel. You may find it easier to be more physically active and eat more fiber if you think of every day and every meal as a chance to do something good for yourself.


Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff
Reviewed/Updated: 01/12
Created: 09/04

Source: http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/seniors/staying-healthy/good-health-habits-at-age-60-and-beyond.html

by Tim Ingram

All cells need nutrients to grow. So including brain foods in your diet gives your brain the building blocks it needs. More neurons and connections in your brain equals a stronger memory and a mind that simply works better.

1. Healthy Fats: Build Your Brain
The most important of the fats to supplement are the Omega-3 fatty acids. As your brain repairs itself and grows new neurons, it needs an abundant supply of Omega-3s.

The best sources of Omega-3 fats include cold-water fish such as salmon and albacore tuna. Other foods high in Omega-3 are flax seed, canola and olive oils, walnuts, almonds and wheat germ.

 2. Antioxidants: Protect Your Brain
Antioxidants help counteract the effects of free radicals which attack and break down our brain cells.

Good sources of antioxidants include tea (especially green tea), blueberries and other berries, red grapes, tomatoes, broccoli, garlic, spinach, carrots, whole grains, and soy.

 3. High-Tyrosine Proteins: Spark Your Brain
Your brain includes important chemicals called "neurotransmitters." Neurotransmitters are the messengers that carry brain signals from one neuron to the next. Some components of neurotransmitters, such as tryptophan, can't be made within the body but must be consumed directly from your diet. Others, such as tyrosine, can be made by the body but require the right foods in your diet.

The best neurotransmitter-building foods for boosting alertness, energy, and concentration include seafood, meat, eggs, soy and dairy products. Eat the low-fat, low salt varieties.

 4. Water: Hydrate Your Brain
As you probably know, most of your body is water. Being even slightly dehydrated decreases your mental energy and can impair your memory.

The minimum recommended water intake is 8 glasses a day.

 5. Vitamins & Minerals: Brain Building Blocks
Certain vitamins and minerals are also important building blocks for your brain. The most important for brain function are Vitamins C, B12, and B6. Some important minerals for brain building include Iron (especially for women) and Calcium. Deficiencies of either of these have been shown to impair learning.

An easy way to get your most important vitamins and minerals is to simply take a multivitamin each day.

Make sure you always take your vitamins with food and not on an empty stomach. Not only will you avoid a stomach ache, but vitamins and minerals need to combine with food in your digestive system or they will be to a large degree wasted. It is also recommended that you purchase high quality supplements; they have much better absorption than the  typical “grocery store” supplements.

6. Fiber: Regulate Your Fuel Supply
Fiber is a surprising brain aid, but an important one. That is because fiber helps slow the absorption of sugar from your diet. Your brain operates 100% on sugar. But sugar must be delivered in a very steady stream and in the proper amount or your brain gets overwhelmed. Eating enough fiber slows your digestion and results in the sugar in your food being delivered into your bloodstream gradually.

Foods containing healthy amounts of fiber include dried fruits (such as raisins, dates, prunes, and apricots), vegetables (such as green peas, broccoli, and spinach), peas and beans (such as black-eyed peas, lima beans, and kidney beans), nuts and seeds (such as flaxseed and almonds), whole fruit (such as apples with the skin, oranges, avocados, kiwi, and pears), and whole wheat grains (such as barley, brown rice, and the various whole wheat pastas and cereals).

 
So there you have it. To keep your brain healthy and your memory at its best, simply start eating foods from all of these groups on a regular basis.

Slowly replace the high-sugar, high-fat foods in your diet with these healthy brain foods. Drink plenty of fresh, clean water. Consider supplements of vitamins, fish oil and perhaps a fiber supplement as well. Not only will your brain and memory benefit, but your body will, too. I guarantee you will notice a difference!

Cite: http://www.familieschoicehomecare.com/brain-foods-and-memory/

By Gina Garippo

Some people with overactive bladder try treatment after treatment, but nothing seems to work. Others find certain treatments difficult to tolerate. Don't lose hope! A new treatment, called neurostimulation, may be worth considering.

Neurostimulation is a way of controlling urinary incontinence, frequency, and problems emptying the bladder. It works by sending mild electrical pulses to the sacral nerves—the nerves in the lower back that help control bladder function. The treatment requires only an outpatient procedure, and results can be seen quickly.

The Bladder "Pacemaker"The therapy, provided by FDA-approved Medtronic InterStim® Therapy for Urinary Control, works similarly to how a pacemaker helps regulate the heart. A small device is surgically implanted under the skin close to the tailbone. It's programmed to emit electrical pulses that interrupt poor communication between the brain and sacral nerves. Without clear communication, the body is unable to store and void urine correctly.

By regulating communication between the brain and bladder, neurostimulation can reduce urinary leaking and urgency feelings. In clinical trials, the therapy has been shown to eliminate or greatly decrease bladder-control symptoms in people who couldn't tolerate or failed to improve with other, more conservative treatments, such as lifestyle changes or medication.

Reversible TreatmentNeurostimulation isn't permanent. In fact, doctors can remove or simply turn off the system at any time. And it does not cause harm to the nerves. A hand-held programming device allows the patient to adjust the strength of stimulation. This device sends radio signals through the skin to the neurostimulator.

A Pre-Surgery TestWhat if you're interested in the device but leery of committing to surgery? You can test its effectiveness before having the surgical procedure. During this trial period, the doctor numbs your lower back and inserts a thin wire near the sacral nerves. The wire leads to a stimulator, which is worn on your waistband during the trial. The stimulator sends mild pulses through the wire to the sacral nerves.

The trial period lasts three to seven days. During this time, patients keep a diary of urinary symptoms. If there is a significant improvement, they may consider having the device implanted for ongoing use.

Talk with Your DoctorNeurostimulation isn't right for everyone. Some people with the device have experienced negative side effects. These include:

• Pain at the implant site
  
  
• Infection or skin irritation
  
  
• Wire movement
  
  
• Changes in bowel or urinary function
  
  
• Unpleasant feeling of stimulation
  
  

If you'd like to explore neurostimulation, discuss it with your doctor. 

By Sabrina Tavernise

MEMPHIS — When it came time to have the baby, Shirita Corley was alone. Her mother was at the casino, her sister was not answering her cellphone, her boyfriend had disappeared months earlier, and her father she had not seen in years.

So she got in her green Chevy TrailBlazer and drove herself to the hospital.

“I feel so down,” she texted from her hospital bed. “I’m sick of these deadbeats. I’m sick of having to be so strong.”

The message went not to a friend or family member, but to a nurse, Beth Pletz. Ms. Pletz has counseled Ms. Corley at her home through the Nurse-Family Partnership, which helps poor, first-time mothers learn to be parents.

Such home visiting programs, paid for through the Affordable Care Act, are at the heart of a sweeping federal effort aimed at one of the nation’s most entrenched social problems: the persistently high rates of infant mortality. The programs have spread to some 800 cities and towns in recent years, and are testing whether successful small-scale efforts to improve children’s health by educating mothers can work on a broad national canvas.

Ms. Pletz plays with Jamarley, 2. CreditAndrea Morales for The New York TimesHome visiting is an attempt to counter the damaging effects of poverty by changing habits and behaviors that have developed over generations. It gained popularity in the United States in the late 1800s when nurses like S. Josephine Baker and Lillian Wald helped poor mothers and their babies on the teeming, impoverished Lower East Side of Manhattan. At its best, the program gives poor women the confidence to take charge of their lives, a tall order that Ms. Pletz says can be achieved only if the visits are sustained. In her program, operated here by Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, the visits continue for two years.

It is Ms. Pletz’s knack for listening and talking to women — about misbehaving men, broken cars, unreliable families — that forms the bones of her bond with them.

She zips around Memphis in her aging Toyota S.U.V. with a stethoscope dangling from the rearview mirror. Her cracked iPhone perpetually pings with texts from her 25 clients. Most of them are young, black, poor and single. Few had fathers in their lives as children, and their children are often repeating the same broken pattern.

“I was lost, going from house to house,” recalled Onie Hayslett, 22, who was homeless and pregnant when she first met Ms. Pletz two years ago. Her only shoes were slippers. “She brought me food. That’s not her job description, but she did it anyway. She really cares about what’s going on. I don’t have many people in my life like that.”

Infant mortality rates in the United States are about the same as those in Europe in the first month of life, a recent study found, but then become higher in the months after babies come home from the hospital — a period when abuse and neglect can set in. (The study adjusted for premature births, which are also higher in the United States partly because of poverty. They were kept out of the study, researchers said, because the policies to reduce them are different.)

In Memphis, where close to half of children live in poverty, according to census data, the infant mortality rate has long been among the country’s highest. Sleep deaths — in which babies suffocate because of too much soft bedding or because an adult rolls over onto them — accounted for a fifth of infant deaths in the state, according to a 2013 analysis of death certificates by the Tennessee Department of Health.

Beth Pletz leaves Ms. Corley after a home visit. CreditAndrea Morales for The New York TimesWhen Ms. Pletz recently visited Darrisha Onry, 21, she saw Ms. Onry’s week-old child, Cedveon, lying beside her on a dark blue couch. The room was warm, small and crowded with a large living room set, a glass table, porcelain statues of dogs and an oversize cage holding two tiny, napping puppies.

“Where is he sleeping?” Ms. Pletz asked.

Cedveon started to cry, and Ms. Onry walked out of the room to make his bottle.

“The safest place for him is alone by himself on his back in his crib,” Ms. Pletz said, scooping up Cedveon, who had launched into a full-throated squall.

A little later, Ms. Pletz said, "You know never to shake the baby, right?”

Ms. Onry nodded.

Darrisha Onry holding her infant son, Cedveon. CreditAndrea Morales for The New York TimesMs. Pletz continued: “Nerves get shot and sometimes people lose their cool. If that happens, just put him on his back on a bed and close the door, and take a little rest away from him.”

The program is unusual because it is based on a series of clinical trialsmuch like those used to test drugs. In the 1970s, a child development expert, Dr. David Olds, began sending nurses into the homes of poor mothers in Elmira, N.Y., and later into Memphis and Denver. The nurses taught mothers not to fall asleep on the couch with their infants, not to give them Coca-Cola, to pick them up when they cried and to praise them when they behaved. The outcomes were compared with those from a similar group of women who did not get the help.

The results were startling. Death rates in the visited families dropped not just for children, but for mothers, too, when compared with families who did not get the services. Child abuse and neglect declined by half. Mothers stayed in the work force longer, and their use of welfare, food stamps andMedicaid declined. Children of the most vulnerable mothers had higher grade-point averages and were less likely to be arrested than their counterparts.

The program caught the attention of President Obama, who cited it in his first presidential campaign. His administration funded the program on a national scale in 2010. So far, the home visits have reached more than 115,000 mothers and children. States apply for grants and are required to collect data on how the families fare on measures of health, education and economic self-sufficiency. Early results are expected this year.

“The big question is, can the principle of evidence be implemented in a large federal program?” said Jon Baron, president of the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, a nonprofit group in Washington whose aim is to increase government effectiveness in areas including education, poverty reduction and crime prevention. “And if so, will it actually improve health?”

Experts say federal standards are too loose and have allowed some groups with weak home visiting programs to participate, even if they show effects on only trivial outcomes that have no practical importance for a child’s life. Congress should fix the problem, Mr. Baron said, warning that the program in its current state is “a leaky bucket.”

Beth Pletz catches up on email after her visit with Ms. Onry. CreditAndrea Morales for The New York Times“If left unchanged, essentially anyone will figure out how to qualify,” he said.

Its future is not assured. Funding for the home visiting initiative runs out as early as September for some states, and if Congress does not reauthorize it this month, programs may stop enrolling families and the $500 million the Obama administration has requested for 2016 will not be granted. Last week, its supporters urged Congress to extend it.

In Tennessee, where home visiting programs have bipartisan support, infant mortality is down by 14 percent since 2010, and sleep deaths dipped by 10 percent from 2012 to 2013. State officials credit a multitude of policies, including the home visits.

Ms. Pletz worries that she has helped only a handful of her clients truly improve their lives. But Ms. Corley, 28, the mother who drove herself to the hospital, said Ms. Pletz, who has been visiting her for two years, had made a difference. She “has been my counselor, my girlfriend, my nurse,” Ms. Corley said. Ms. Pletz helped her cope with the disappearances of her children’s fathers, taught her to recognize whooping cough and pushed her to set career goals, she said.

“She knows more about me than my own family does,” Ms. Corley said. “I feel like I’ve grown more wise. I feel stronger for sure.”

The morning after Ms. Corley gave birth, Ms. Pletz brought her breakfast: eggs, flapjacks and bacon. The new baby, Daniel, lay in a clear plastic crib next to Ms. Corley’s hospital bed, and the two women talked over his head like old friends.

“Can I pick him up?” Ms. Pletz asked.

Ms. Corley replied: “I think he’s waiting on it.”

Originally Found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/09/health/program-that-helps-new-mothers-learn-to-be-parents-faces-broader-test.html?ref=health&_r=0

Liberia’s last Ebola patient was discharged on Thursday after a ceremony in the capital, Monrovia, bringing to zero the number of known cases in the country and marking a milestone in West Africa’s battle against the disease.

Officials in Monrovia, the city where the raging epidemic littered the streets with bodies only five months ago, celebrated even as they warned that Liberia was at least weeks away from being officially declared free ofEbola. They also noted that the disease had flared up recently in neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea, the two other countries hardest hit by it.

“It was touching, it was pleasing,” Tolbert Nyenswah, the deputy health minister in charge of Liberia’s fight against Ebola, said in a telephone interview about the ceremony. “There was a lot of excitement because we feel that this is a victory.”

“But it’s not over yet,” he added. “We are still cautioning people. We told them they must still protect their villages, their towns. They should report any suspicion of Ebola to the health teams. We still have a response that is tight. Yeah, we made that point.”

Continue reading the main story

Graphic: Ending the Ebola Outbreak“But,” Mr. Nyenswah said, “it’s exciting, man.”

The authorities are still tracking more than 100 people for possible exposure to the virus. As of Thursday, no new cases of Ebola had been confirmed inside Liberia for the past 13 days, Mr. Nyenswah said.

If no new cases emerge, the epidemic in Liberia will be considered over officially on April 4, or 42 days after the last known infection. The 42-day marker is twice the longest incubation period for Ebola, 21 days.

Liberia has suffered the highest number of deaths during the epidemic, with 4,117 recorded victims, according to the World Health Organization. More than 9,800 people have died in total.

The health organization reported Wednesday that new cases had increased sharply — to 132 from 99 — in Sierra Leone and Guinea in the week before March 1. Transmission remains widespread in Sierra Leone, and Conakry, the capital of Guinea, suffered a marked increase, according to the organization.

On Thursday, the last patient being treated in Liberia, Beatrice Yardolo, 58, an English teacher, was released from a treatment center in Monrovia built by the Chinese government. Ms. Yardolo, who lost two sons and a daughter to the disease, was treated for Ebola at the center and tested negative on Tuesday.

Continue reading the main storyVideoPLAY VIDEO|6:50Inside the Ebola Ward
Inside the Ebola WardWorkers at the International Medical Corps treatment center in Suakoko, Liberia, use faith, hard work and caution as they face a stream of sick people in this remote hilltop east of Monrovia.

 Video by Ben C. Solomon on Publish DateOctober 23, 2014. Photo by Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times.
“I feel fine to be back home with my family after being away for almost three weeks — I feel very proud,” Ms. Yardolo said in a telephone interview. “I’m very grateful to God because he does everything.”

Music could be heard from inside her family home in Monrovia, the sound of the festivities amplified by a loud rooster.

Her husband, Steve Yardolo, said: “I think you hear the music. We are happy. The family is sitting around here, and we continue to celebrate.”

Ms. Yardolo’s case was part of a recent outbreak in a community called St. Paul’s Bridge, located in what was one of the biggest Ebola hot spots in Monrovia, New Kru Town. The outbreak was unusually violent and far-reaching, in part because it involved criminal gangs that did not cooperate with the authorities and fears that it could be spread through a knife fight with one member nicknamed Time Bomb.

The recent outbreak in St. Paul’s Bridge also exposed the continuing weakness in Liberia’s health care system, as patients with Ebola were admitted to health clinics that had failed to carry out proper triage. Hundreds of health care workers at a half-dozen health clinics were placed under quarantine for possible exposure, though none of them became infected.

In Ms. Yardolo’s case, her infection was traced to her oldest son, Steve, 32, who worked as a hygienist at an Ebola treatment center. He was infected while performing his duties or interacting with a sick neighbor, Dr. Mosoka Fallah, Liberia’s chief epidemiologist, said by telephone.
“Steve was a popular member of the community and a member of a local group of intellectuals,” Dr. Fallah said. “It’s a big loss.”

The virus was transmitted to other members of his family, including a brother, Elijah, 30, and a sister, Amanda, 20, both of whom died. Believing that Amanda was suffering from appendicitis, her family took her to a clinic, where she was treated.

Dr. Fallah said the transmission inside this family was typical of how the disease had spread during the epidemic as a whole.

“It started from somebody getting it from outside the family and bringing it to the family, a caregiver who gives it to the rest,” he said.

Ms. Yardolo, who was taking care of Amanda, was eventually also infected. But unlike her family members, she reacted quickly and survived.

“The moment I started getting the signs and the symptoms, the next day I said they should send an ambulance to carry me to the center,” Ms. Yardolo said. “So because of going early, I felt that God will take care of things, and he did.”

Though her family, including three other children, could still be heard celebrating, Ms. Yardolo grew silent for several seconds at the thought of the three who had died.

“It’s so heartbreaking,” she said. “However, we have to let go somehow and celebrate my life with the rest of the children.”

WASHINGTON — President Obama signed a measure into law on Thursday to fight a wave of suicide among veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress, a problem that has won increased attention as American troops have returned from Afghanistan and Iraq.

The measure, passed by unanimous votes in the House and Senate, was designed to make it easier for veterans to find mental health resources, do more to recruit and retain professionals to help them and increase accountability for the government programs serving them.

By some estimates, 22 veterans commit suicide every day in the United States. While that includes older veterans who kill themselves years after their service, not just those who have recently come home from Iraq and Afghanistan, studies show that the rate is higher among those who do not receive mental health care. But in his remarks on Thursday, Mr. Obama stressed that fixing the Department of Veterans Affairs is only part of the solution.

“This is not just a job for government,” he said at a signing ceremony at the White House. “Every community, every American can reach out and do more with and for our veterans. This has to be a national mission. As a nation, we should not be satisfied until every man and woman in uniform, every veteran, gets the help that they need to stay strong and healthy.”

The new law was named for Clay Hunt, a Marine from Texas who served in combat only to struggle with post-traumatic stress after returning home. He took his own life four years ago at age 28, and ever since, his family and friends have lobbied Washington to focus more intently on the problem of veteran suicide.

Jake Wood, who served alongside Mr. Hunt in the Marines, said after the ceremony that 15 members of his unit in Afghanistan had killed themselves since coming home, and that he learns about a new death through Facebook every month or so.

“How can we have 22 veterans committing suicide every day in this country, and that’s not a national issue?” he asked. “This is an issue that needs to be seared into the forefront of every citizen of this country.”

Under the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ suicide prevention and mental health treatment programs will be subjected to outside evaluations; an interactive website will be set up with the department’s various resources; incentives will be offered to recruit and retain mental health professionals; and veterans will have an extra year to obtain health care through the department without first proving service-related disability.

“What this bill does is take away some barriers, some needless barriers, that shouldn’t be there and make it easier for these veterans to get the health care they’re so entitled to,” said Richard Selke, Mr. Hunt’s stepfather.

Susan Selke, Mr. Hunt’s mother, said she wanted to prevent other families from going through what hers did. “We are just so grateful for the passage of this bill today,” she said. “It’s only the beginning.”

Mr. Obama paid tribute to Mr. Hunt, saying that he had served bravely in combat and returned home determined to help his fellow veterans. Mr. Hunt recognized his own problems and sought help, the president said, but the severity of his condition was not fully recognized until too late.

“This law will not bring Clay back, as much as we wish it would,” Mr. Obama said. “But the reforms that it puts in place would’ve helped, and they’ll help others who are going through the same challenging process that he went through.”

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/13/us/politics/obama-signs-suicide-prevention-for-veterans-act-into-law.html?ref=health&_r=0