Medication Adherence: Protect Your Health and Your Wallet!

Medication Non-Adherence is a rising problem in the United States and is continuously resulting in the loss of lives and money. Last year alone, 125,000 of lives lost in the United States were due to medication non-adherence. Missing or confusing medication can cause tremendous and serious consequences. Medication non-adherence resulted in 34%-69% of hospital visits in 2015 alone. Aside from the rising amount of hospitalizations in the United States, 64% of those who visited the hospital in 2015 were later re-admitted due to medication errors. These rates are staggering, and even more concerning, is the average cost of an individual hospitalization: $3,575.

Medication non-adherence has taken a toll on Americans’ health and economy. The exponential increase in hospitalizations due to medication adherence issues has created a   $300,000,000,000 problem. Though Congress must take initiative by creating policies to increase medication adherence, individuals can kick start this change on a lesser level by implementing medication adherence and safety precautions into their day to day lives. Simple changes to daily, monthly, and annual routines may include cleaning out medicine cabinets, making sure all medication is stored away from children, and helping the elderly classify and manage medications.

Healthcare Intelligence Network

Adhere For Health Organization

June: National Safety Month!

The month of June is recognized as National Safety Month, and what better way to become involved than to make sure that all of your medications are stored away safely! Over 100 children are rushed to the emergency room per day due to easily accessible medicine cabinets. Regardless of whether the child ingests medication purposefully or not, these accidents are easily avoidable. Keep yourself and your child safe by following these easy tips!

1. Clean out your medicine cabinet at the beginning of each month. This will help to ensure that expired medications or those that are no longer part of a daily regimen are fully unavailable to all.

2. If you have young children, make sure medicine cabinets are far out of reach. Children who are left alone or unsupervised for only a moment in bathroom should not be able to access the medicine cabinet.

3. Consider a lock on your medicine cabinet. This will ensure that no one but yourself will have access to medication.

4. Consider a locked medication dispenser. In 2012, 5% of visits to the emergency room were the result of a caretaker providing the wrong medication dosage to their child.

Mistakes do happen, but medication errors are avoidable! Celebrate the beginning of National Safety Month by cleaning and reinforcing your medicine cabinets!

Resources:

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/20/skyrocketing-child-deaths-by-meds-poisoning/

10 Tips on Caring for an Aging Parent

Reversing the roles and caring for an aging parent is a substantial responsibility and is not to be acknowledged as a simple task. Below are some tips to consider if you or someone you know has been designated the primary caregiver for an aging parent.

1. Inform yourself. If you are designated the primary caregiver of your aging parent, you have a road of immense responsibility ahead of you. To give yourself a head start, educate yourself on your parent’s condition and needs.

2. Trust your instincts. You know your parent better than most. This does not mean to reject or distrust specialists who provide advice, but to trust your gut feeling when proceeding with your parent’s care.

3. Consider Public benefits that may alleviate some of your day to day responsibilities. Associations such as the  National Council on Aging provide many resources that may aid you in your care giving responsibilities.

4. Join a Support Group. Not only will this help alleviate your stress as a caregiver, but you may be able to find great resources and friendships through these groups. Having someone to talk to about shared daily and long term struggles will promote a positive mindset.

5. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Reversing the roles in a parent-child relationship is a significant and drastic change in ones life. Whether it be a sibling, neighbor, partner, or friend, asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Utilize all possible resources to ensure that you are providing the best quality of care for your parent.

6. Be realistic about your ability to help. If you are not able to provide the quality of care that is necessary to keep your parent healthy and happy, it may be time to consider other options such as assisted living or a visiting nurse.

7. Consider home safety. Make sure you take precautions such as installing railings around trouble areas like stairs, and ledges to prevent falls.

8. Consider technology that could alleviate stress of an accident happening when you are not around. There are a wide variety of products that can alert you of missed medications, falls, etc.

9. If you are considering assistance in caring for your parent, it may be practical to speak to a financial adviser. Many of the available services may be covered by medical insurance and may be able to help you save money.

10/ Taking care of an aging parent is an immense responsibility. It will take a toll on your body in a physical and mental manner. During this process, it is essential to take time for yourself as well. Your own physical and mental health should not be overlooked.

Stroke Awareness: Symptoms and Tips!

In the United States alone, 795,000 people suffer a stroke every year, and though these strokes may not be caused only by bad health, taking care of yourself and staying healthy is pivotal in avoiding a stroke. Consequently, after suffering a first time stroke, recurrence is probable in 25% of these individuals.

It is important to become educated on the symptoms of a stroke as fast acting, and quick medical assistance is key in preventing debilitating after effects. The most common symptoms of an oncoming stroke are:

            - Sudden confusion

            - Trouble understanding speech

            - Sudden trouble with vision

            - A sudden severe headache.

Quick reaction time to these symptoms is imperative in diminishing after effects of a stroke.

The after effects of a stroke are arduous and often render individuals helpless, and in need of a care taker. A stroke has the ability to induce memory loss, impaired vision, trouble with speech and language, and many more bodily dysfunctions. Impotence is almost inevitable after suffering a stroke and it is impossible to reverse after effects of a stroke. Strokes are debilitating and their after effects only highlight the importance of stroke prevention.

A healthy diet is fundamental in stroke prevention. Elimination of fatty foods and alcohol goes without saying, but these simple additions are sure to cut your chances of having a stroke:

            - Increase your intake of plant based foods.

            - Substitute red meat with seafood or poultry.

            - Limit your intake of sodium.

            - Increase your daily fiber.

To maintain a healthy lifestyle, diet and daily exercise are recommended. Though a stroke can be brought on by a multitude of other issues, bad health is the leading cause. Stay educated and stay healthy to prevent stroke in your life!

Information derived from: 

www.strokeassociation.org

www.medscape.com

www.stroke.org

www.strokecenter.org

Picture

10 Simple Exercise Tips for Parkinson's Patients

An integral aspect to maintaining a healthy body and mind while suffering from Parkinson's Disease is exercising. Follow the simple tips below to ensure that your weekly exercise routine is working to actively alleviate possible symptoms.

1. Make sure to ALWAYS warm up and cool down before and after exercising.

2. If you have trouble balancing, do not let this stop you from being active. Exercise near a pole or railing to reduce probability of falling.

3. To improve balance and stability, try practicing yoga.

4. Try practicing sports that require hand-eye coordination but do not require excess physical movement, like ping pong!

5. Like those who do not have Parkinson's Disease, Parkinson's patients should exercise 4-5 times per week for 30-40 minutes.

6. Make sure to know your body's limits. If an activity is too strenuous, or is painful, you will need to modify your exercise regime.

7. Remember to exercise both physically AND mentally. Try incorporating puzzles, crosswords, and brain games into your daily routine.

8. If possible, incorporate the three major types of exercise, cardiovascular activity, strength training, and stretching, into your weekly routine.

9. Exercise with a partner to stay motivated.

      10. Have Fun! The more you enjoy your exercise routines the easier it will be to stay                      consistently active and feeling your best.

Information taken from: 

www.davisphinneyfoundation.org

www.parkinson.org

www.healthline.com

Caring for Seniors with Parkinson's Disease

Caring for seniors with Parkinson's can be intimidating and often times can cause extreme stress for the caregiver. Below, find some helpful tips to alleviate Parkinson's symptoms.

1. Exercise is very important in helping a Parkinson's patient improve flexibility and decrease joint pain. Focus on exercises that do not require excellent balance, such as Aerobic exercises. Also remember to encourage facial exercises such as exaggerated chewing, or making faces in front of a mirror.

2. Healthy Eating is a key ingredient in keeping a Parkinson's patient feeling their best. High protein diets can help keep the digestive tract working at its prime. Staying hydrated is also an important part of a Parkinson's diet in which 8-10 glasses of water a day should be consumed.

3. Rest cannot and should not be overlooked. Resting before and after exercises or activities is key to helping a Parkinson's patient feel their best.

4. Lukewarm water is the best option for bathing, as hot water can cause fatigue.

5. Sleep, like for anyone, is an extremely important part of a Parkinson's patient's daily routine. Make sure to stay away from stimulants such as caffeine in the afternoon, and limit nighttime television time. 

Overcoming Addiction with ProsperSafe

As our country is amid a heroin epidemic, the number of lives being taken by addiction and overdose is at an all time high. Far too little caution is being taken when prescribing opioids to those attempting to overcome addiction. The morphine like relief that opioids provide an individual in recovery are generating a new craving. Medication adherence is essential to safely overcoming an addiction and remaining sober, yet this is where we face our biggest struggle in ending the war on addiction.

ProsperSafe is e-pill Medication Reminder's new line of addiction recovery products that are   specifically designed to increase medication adherence and help individuals to become, and remain, sober. The line features a wide range of products from tamperproof automatic pill dispensers, to self locked pill boxes. The products featured on the new website, www.addictionrecoveryproducts.com, are devised for the different steps of recovery, ultimately growing with the patient throughout their journey.

Products range from the tamperproof MedTime SAFE, a locked, tamperproof automatic pill dispenser, to the Kitchen Safe, a locked pillbox that preaches self regulation. e-pill is dedicated to help in the fight against the heroin and opioid addiction epidemic. Visit our ProsperSafe website, addictionrecoveryproducts.com, to learn more about the extensive products that we offer.