What’s the most widely used medication in the United States? I’ll give you a hint: it’s a pain killer for everything from headaches to arthritis, and it’s safe enough that even children take it. If you said acetaminophen, you would be correct. Acetaminophen is in many medications, the most common being Tylenol. But it can also be in prescriptions and over the counter medications alike. It is considered one of the safest ways to alleviate pain and control fevers. But it does have some risks too, especially for seniors. If a person takes too much, it can result in liver
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Archives for Medication
Listening to Your Elderly Loved Ones
Many people don’t visit their elderly loved ones as often as they’d like. Maybe it’s just every weekend or a phone call here and there. Adult children at times forget the importance of listening carefully to their elderly loved ones. When the conversation of their health comes up, sometimes seniors brush it off and avoid the subject. Families need to be cautious of their loved one’s needs and notice if there is a medical issue that is not being properly addressed. Sometimes seniors get confused with their medications and do not always understand what their doctor tells them. Sometimes important
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How to Reduce Medication Errors
Nearly a quarter of all seniors make a mistake with their medications. That mistake can be very serious if it has to do with dosage or confusion with strong medicines. Here are some tips to prevent seniors from making dangerous medication errors: 1. Make a list. Seniors are seven times more likely to make a medication error than younger people. Often the problem is the number of medications being taken leading to confusion. Make a list of all the medications and their doses. 2. List the expiration dates. Many medications can degrade over time. If it is used after the expiration date, the medication
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Electrodes Decrease Difficulty Swallowing
Have you noticed your elderly parent choking on her food a bit more than usual? Have they been having trouble eating ever since the stroke? bigger breast by hypnosis mp3 Difficulty swallowing is more common that you realize, especially among the elderly. It can be caused by several conditions, such as head trauma, strokes, and Bell’s Palsy. It could also just come with age, as the muscles decrease their strength. In fact, it has been estimated that 20% of people over 50 have some trouble with swallowing. And, luckily for them, a treatment is being used to help stimulate the
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Important information for taking generic pills
Many Americans take more than one daily prescription and when doing so, they often rely on the color of the pills to know that they are sticking to their medication schedules. It can be as easy as knowing that every morning they must take one blue pill and one white pill, for example. When switching to generic drugs, however, using a color-coded rule of thumb isn’t always that easy. And that’s because often times, generic drugs are a different color than their brand-name counterparts. According to an article published by WRAL.com, a media outlet covering the Raleigh, Durham and Fayetteville
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Cleaning out the medicine cabinet – an essential New Year’s resolution
How many times have you gone to your medicine cabinet only to be confronted with bottle upon bottle of unused or expired prescriptions? As time passes, medications quickly accumulate, making it more difficult to find space to store new prescriptions and equally hard to find what you’re looking for. According to an article posted on News-Medicine.net, “Because each season brings a host of new illnesses and conditions, it’s easy for medicine cabinets to become cluttered with unused or expired prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, vitamins and herbals that can potentially be harmful to one’s health. Hanging onto old, expired or unused medications
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Freedom Home Care presents Conney’s Pharmacy as December’s guest speaker
When it comes to personal health, knowledge equates to better physical well-being. And that is exactly why we here at Freedom Home Care have invited Conney’s Pharmacy out of Winnetka, Ill., to be our December guest speaker at our new Wellness Center at The Homestead at Morton Grove. Mark Jacobs, the owner and pharmacist at Conney’s Pharmacy, will give a comprehensive presentation on several aspects of health that affect the young and elderly alike. In his presentation, Mark will touch on several topics, including: 1. Blood Pressure 2. Heart Problems 3. Anxiety & Sleep Issues 4. Medication Costs 5. Storing
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Freedom Home Care, Conney’s Pharmacy host flu shot clinic
Some individuals might think that it’s too late to get a flu shot, but according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there’s still plenty of time. Flu shots can be beneficial even after the holiday season is over. And they’re incredibly important for those over the age of 65. Freedom Home Care understands the health benefits that come from getting flu vaccinations every year, which is why we partnered with Conney’s Pharmacy in Winnetka, Ill., to host a flu shot clinic this week at the Homestead at Morton Grove. For anyone who may have missed the clinic,
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10 questions to ask your healthcare provider about prescription medication
In a recent Freedom Home Care blog, we posted a video from the UCSF’s Memory and Aging Center that covered the importance of understanding the side effects of prescription medication. No matter the drug – be it synthetic or natural – there is always a chance that it will produce an unwanted effect. The possibility for that increases when a patient is taking more than one prescription, considering that those drugs have the potential for interacting with one another. “This does not imply that the drugs are bad, but rather that they should be used carefully in order to reap
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Understanding the side effects of medication
Prescription medications are one of the most important items for aging individuals to properly manage. Not only do aging individuals have to ensure that they are taking the proper dose, but they also have to be sure they are staying on the prescription’s schedule and for the correct length of time advised. Additionally, seniors and their caregivers need to be aware of a medication’s side effects. And so is especially the case for individuals who have been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s. In the following video, Ron Finley, RPh of UCSF’s Memory and Aging Center reviews the side effects of
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