Health

High schools and universities around the state are gearing up for graduation. For some, leaving school means entering the adult world. But for people with disabilities, an independent life is less certain. Eight in 10 people with disabilities are not in the labor force, compared with three in 10 among people without a disability. 

During the first segment of Human in the Helmet - part of our UPR original series Diagnosed - reporter Paige Mendez introduced us to collegiate athletes who spoke about ways they have faced and addressed mental and emotional challenges, including anxiety and depression. In this next episode, she addresses these same issues but this time with younger athletes, including those who play for the little-leagues or compete through school athletic programs.

According the NCAA, 30% of student athletes in collegiate-level sports self-report that they have felt unmanageably overwhelmed during their sport’s season. About a quarter of them self-reported that they felt exhausted from the mental demands of their sport.

Vision loss has affected at least 9,000 Utahns, and probably many more. For people who have recently lost their eyesight, it can feel like a tragedy. Everette Bacon, president of the National Federation of the Blind in Utah, has a very different view of blindness. It’s a vision he hopes to share with the blind, their families and their service providers during an upcoming convention in Salt Lake City.

The unemployment rate for people with disabilities was 8 percent in 2018: more than twice the rate for the general population, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And getting a job is only the first step: staying employed is also a challenge. 

With technology, intensive care units have gotten better and better at saving lives, but medical professionals are realizing that they may have lost something along the way - the humane care of patients and their families. In our ongoing healthcare series Diagnosed, Andrea Smardon reports on efforts underway here in Utah to humanize critical care.  

Most of the time, Brian Zenger would identify himself as an MD-PhD student. But some nights, he’s simply a volunteer at the University of Utah Hospital. On these nights, when he’s called, his sole job is to spend 3 hours just being with someone while they’re dying. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, just under 19 percent of people with disabilities are employed, compared with 66 percent of people without disabilities. Policymakers and educators want to change that.

Preventative measures are typically best when it comes to maintaining your health, but often our abilities to stay healthy can be affected by medical costs, outdated services or even a sick co-worker. 

  One in three senior citizens dies with a dementia-causing disease - most commonly, Alzheimer’s. A diagnosis with one of these diseases can be dreadful, as there are currently no effective treatments. In this installment of our series “Diagnosed,” we talked with one Utah couple adjusting to a disease with no effective long-term treatment and no cure.

With our overly busy lives and our constant desire for distraction, the concept of being present is more important now more than ever, according to a family life specialists at Utah State University. That's why Dr. Dave Schramm wants people to learn more about flow. 

About 193,000 Americans under the age of 20 have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Modern medical technology makes the disease manageable for kids, but what does it take for kids as they navigate school while living with Type 1 Diabetes? 

A traumatic event is characterized as an incident that causes harm to an individual, resulting in an individual feeling anxious, frightened and unsafe. For a child, the traumatic experience can have a lasting impact. As the child’s brain continues to develop they require additional love and support to deal with a traumatic episode. But what if that child doesn’t have that support? 

Cancer. It’s a life-changing event for the people who are diagnosed and their families. Unless you have gone through the diagnosis, treatments and surgeries, it’s impossible to fully understand what patients go through.

It happens every day – in a hospital, in a car, at home – babies are born. Almost 4 million babies were born in 2016 in the U.S., that’s nearly 11,000 babies a day. 

Especially after a first baby, the homes of many new moms are packed with people, presents and casserole pans from well-meaning neighbors. But, when the excitement fades, and the inevitable exhaustion sets in, where do moms go for support?

While scrolling through your social media feed, you’ve probably seen a video of someone having their cochlear implants turned on for the first time. In these videos, infants, children and adults alike react emotionally to hearing sound through their new device for the first time. 

More than a child's well-being is at stake when they are abused. Society pays a price as well, and a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the economic burden of abuse is substantially higher than previously estimated.

“With stroke, we have a very short time window when we’re able to treat people,” said Dr. Marilyn McKasson , telestroke medical director for Intermountain Healthcare.