Health

What’s in your medicine cabinet?

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drug disposal
khn.org

How to Dispose of Drugs Safely

by Emily Bazar for Kaiser Health News

December 2016

Take them to a collection site or even your local pharmacy

“Vicodin, percocet and other opioid painkillers often languish in medicine cabinets for years, providing easy pickings for someone with an addiction.

The consequences can be deadly.  More than 165,000 people in the U.S. died from overdoses related to prescription opioids between 1999 and 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Pop singer Prince’s death from a fentanyl overdose earlier this year put a celebrity face on the epidemic.

But flushing unwanted drugs down the toilet can taint water supplies.  Drugs tossed into the trash may also harm the environment, and they can be found by children or pets–or adults looking for a high.

The safest and most environmentally responsible option is to take unwanted medications to a drug take-back site.  twice a year, the federal government partners with state and local law enforcement to operate temporary collection sites.  The next National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day will likely take place in spring 2017.  Check www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov for details.”

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Do I really need an annual physical?

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Make the Most of Your Annual Checkup

by Nellie S. Huang for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

October, 2016

“You feel fine.  You rarely get sick.  So do you really need an annual physical?

If you’re completely healthy, a ‘well’ visit once a year won’t improve on perfection. But feeling healthy and staying healthy are two different things, says David Meyers, chief medical officer for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. That’s where a regular visit, if not a head-to-toe annual physical, comes in. Nowadays, these appointments are preventive and goal-oriented. You and your doctor will make key decisions to keep you healthy, such as whether you should take a cholesterol-lowering drug or whether you need a colonoscopy.

annual physical
reference.com

The focus is on ongoing care, and the actual exam “is the least important thing that happens,” says Jack Der-Sarkissian, a Kaiser Permanente family physician in Hollywood, Calif. Your doctor will still read your vital signs, scan for skin cancer and perform other tests you’d expect. But it’s the resulting game plan that counts most. Der-Sarkissian equates a preventive visit with a meeting with your investment adviser. You should leave your doctor’s office with a goal of where you want to be, healthwise, in 10 years and an action plan to achieve it.”

To get the most from your doctor’s visit

Retirement is a potential trigger for drug or alcohol addiction

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My late father suffered with alcohol addiction throughout his life, but it became a significant issue when he and my mom divorced after 40 years of marriage.  My mom always tried to curtail his drinking and his smoking habits. The following article was helpful to me regarding this issue of alcoholism which runs in my family.

Senior Citizens and Substance Abuse

addiction
AddictionCenter.com

by Kayla Smith, Editorial Director for the Addiction Center, February 16, 2016

Elderly Abuse Statistics

“Seventeen percent of people in the United States over 65 years old have abused prescription medications, according to the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.

Approximately 30 percent of adults over 65 are given some type of prescription medicine, according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, men and women aged 65 or older should consume no more than 1 drink daily and a maximum of 2 drinks on any occasion.

Drug and alcohol abuse among the elderly is a rapidly growing health problem in the United States.

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Do you or someone you know suffer from urinary incontinence?

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Often times when I am speaking on the phone with my Mom, age 83 and the mother of seven, she has to end the call as she must run to the restroom.  A friend of mine, also in her 80’s, had an “accident” in my car after our dinner out and now seldom goes out of her house. Incontinence can be debilitating but the article below may offer some answers.

There are a number of reasons why urinary incontinence occurs. Gender, age (the muscles in the bladder and urethra weaken during old age), obesity, and smoking are risk factors linked to urinary incontinence. Read more…

urinary incontinence
pinterest.com

Urinary Incontinence: Causes, Treatments and Symptoms

Written by Christian Nordqvist, Reviewed by University of Illinois-Chicago, School of Medicine

August 24, 2016

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine; in simple terms, it means a person urinates when they do not want to. Control over the urinary sphincter is either lost or weakened.

“Urinary incontinence is a much more common problem than most people realize.

According to the American Urological Association, one-quarter to one-third of men and women in the United States experience urinary incontinence.

Urinary incontinence is more common among women than men. An estimated 30 percent of females aged 30-60 are thought to suffer from it, compared to 1.5-5 percent of men.

…Ways to diagnose urinary incontinence include:

  • A bladder diary – the doctor may ask the patient to record how much they drink, when urination occurs, how much urine is produced, and the number of episodes of incontinence.
  • Physical exam – the doctor may examine the vagina and check the strength of her pelvic floor muscles. If the patient is male, the doctor may examine his rectum to determine whether the prostate gland is enlarged.
  • Urinalysis – tests for signs of infection and abnormalities.
  • Blood test – to assess kidney function.
  • PVR (postvoid residual) measurement – measures how much urine is left in the bladder after urinating.
  • Pelvic ultrasound.
  • Stress test – the patient will be asked to apply sudden pressure while the doctor looks out for loss of urine.
  • Urodynamic testing – determines how much pressure the bladder and urinary sphincter muscle can withstand.
  • Cystogram – X-ray procedure to visualize the bladder.
  • Cystoscopy – a cystoscope (a thin tube with a lens at the end) is inserted into the urethra. The doctor can view abnormalities in the urinary tract.”

Read more about the causes, treatments and symptoms of incontinence

 

Loneliness study reminds us to call home

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loneliness studyHalf a million older people spend every day alone, poll shows

Scale of loneliness among over-60s revealed as Age UK develops scheme to provide support and companionship

Haroon Siddique

January 6, 2017

“Half a million people over the age of 60 usually spend each day alone, with no interaction with others, and nearly half a million more commonly do not see or speak to anyone for five or six days a week, a poll suggests.

Age UK, which commissioned the research, said the results highlighted a growing number of chronically lonely older people, which was placing increasing demand on health services.

The charity has been running a pilot programme in eight areas where Age UK groups have been actively trying to identify lonely older people and offer them companionship.

Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s charity director, said: ‘This new analysis shows that about a million older people in our country are profoundly alone, many of whom are likely to be enduring the pain and suffering of loneliness.'”

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We are what we eat right?

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5 Tricks for Getting Enough Fruit and Veggies:  Fruit and vegetables are particularly important for older adults, but incorporating them into your diet can be difficult.

By Krisha McCoy, Medically Reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

eat right
srfm.com

August 1, 2016

“Seniors are better than younger people at making their servings of fruits and vegetables part of their diet, but that’s still not saying much. According to a review published in August 2013 in the journal Maturitas, only 21 to 37 percent of men and 29 to 45 percent of women ages 65 and older eat five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables, which is the minimum amount recommended for good nutrition.

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is especially important as you get older, because the nutrients and fiber in these foods can help reduce high blood pressure, lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers, stave off eye and digestive problems — and simply satisfy your hunger.

How Big Is One Serving of Fruit or Vegetables?

Before you try to eat an entire bunch of bananas or a bushel of apples, know this: One serving of fruit or vegetables equals half a cup, or about the amount you could hold in a cupped hand. Nutrition experts used to recommend five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, but that’s probably not enough, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Individual needs are different, so depending on age, gender, and level of physical activity, you’ll require between 5 and 13 servings of fruit and vegetables each day.”

Get simple tips for increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables you eat each day

Studies show an increase in senior drug use

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senior drug use
news.ufl.edu

Aging baby boomers increasingly embrace marijuana, heavy alcohol use

By Christopher Ingraham, The Washington Post

December 18, 2016

“…two recent studies suggest there’s another high-risk population we should be worried about: our kids’ grandparents.

The first study found that, since 2006, marijuana use has increased significantly among adults age 50 and up. A decade ago, roughly 4.5 percent of people ages 50 to 64, and 0.4 percent of seniors age 65 and up, had used marijuana in the past year. By 2013, those numbers had increased to 7.1 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively.

In percentage terms, marijuana use among 50- to 64-year-olds increased by 57.8 percent, while among seniors ages 65 and up, it ballooned by a whopping 250 percent.

The study, based on over 45,000 responses to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, isn’t the first to note that marijuana use is increasing rapidly among older adults. But it digs more deeply into the demographics of older Americans’ marijuana use, uncovering some interesting findings.

Among the 50 and older set, white (5.1 percent) and black (5.1 percent) Americans are more likely to smoke pot than Hispanics (2.6 percent). Older adults with less than a high school education (5.1 percent) or with less than $20,000 in income (5.4 percent) use marijuana more than average (4.8 percent).

Older folks who are married (4.0 percent) are much more likely to indulge in the occasional toke than those who are divorced or separated (1.6 percent). But those who are single (8.1 percent) or widowed (8.5 percent) outsmoke all the others.

One area of potential concern is the correlation between marijuana use and mental health issues among older adults. Among those 50 and older, people who have had depression (11.4 percent) or anxiety in the past year (9.0 percent) are much more likely to smoke marijuana than average. A number of studies have shown a link between marijuana use and mental disorders.”

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