Home Health Care - Medication Safety - Important Helpful Information You Need to Know
Home health care is an important part of aging in place or living in your own home environment all of your life.
Medication safety and compliance is the number one concern with an aging loved one and home health care. We all have trouble remembering to take our pills. For the aging, they take multiple medications simultaneously. Aging individuals are prone to forgetfulness, so non-compliance is major concern.
The caregiver can help
If you are a caregiver, there are some steps you can take to improve your loved one’s medication safety. Home health care and medication safety requires education of your aging loved one. It is important to stress taking medications at the proper time to treat their medical condition and avoid complications.
- It is important to make your loved one aware that taking over the counter medications, such as sleeping aids or allergy medicine may be dangerous. It is important to stress that these medications may cause an adverse reaction with their present medication regime.
- It is also important to advise your aging loved one to call the doctor or the pharmacist if they missed a dose or two of a medication. Do not assume that you should return to your original schedule.
- Always talk to your doctor before making any change in your medication routine. It is important that your loved one understand that just because they feel better or they are not experiencing the results they want as quickly as anticipated, they should not increase or decrease a medication.
More Home Health Care and Medication Safety …
The next step is to put a medication system in place. There are multiple medication reminder systems out there to investigate. Depending on your aging loved one’s function and medication regime there are simple written charts to more advanced technologies.
Simple methods are to use a pill box and place it where your loved one can see it. Some need cues or reminders, such as post it notes or pills strategically placed in the bathroom next to a toothbrush. This will be a gentle reminder to your aging loved one to take your pills.
- If there is more than one caregiver dispensing medications for your loved one, it is important to provide a chart that has the name of the medication, time of day that it is to be taken and any special instructions. Provide a sign off or check list for everyone that provides the medications.
- Some of the advanced technologies are so user friendly, from watches that will beep to remind you to take you pills to more advanced systems that will alert you to take your pills, dispense the correct pills, at the right time to your loved one. Some of these systems even notify the caregiver if a dose is missed.
- These advanced medication reminder systems offer peace of mind and comfort for the caregiver even from a long distance.
Home health care and medication safety is an ongoing concern for our aging loved one. Review of the medication system and its effectiveness is an ongoing process. Be aware of any signs of unusual symptoms so that your loved one can be assessed before the problem advances. Make home health care and medication safety a priority for the aging adult you are caring for.
Diane Carbo Registered Nurse has more than thirty five years in the nursing field. Her experience as a geriatric care manager, makes her uniquely qualified to help those who want to live out their lives in their own homes. Diane understands the importance of proper medication management to the health and safety of aging adults. Please visit http://www.aginghomehealthcare.com/managing-medication.html to learn more and sign up for Aging Home Health Care Newlsetter a continuing free resource and receive a complimentary copy of the Home Health Care Planning Guide.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_Carbo
Food Matters A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes
Food Matters A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes

From the award-winning champion of culinary simplicity who gave us the bestselling How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian comes Food Matters, a plan for responsible eating that’s as good for the planet as it is for your weight and your health.
We are finally starting to acknowledge the threat carbon emissions pose to our ozone layer, but few people have focused on the extent to which our consumption of meat contributes to global warming. Think about it this way: In terms of energy consumption, serving a typical family-of-four steak dinner is the rough equivalent of driving around in an SUV for three hours while leaving all the lights on at home.
Bittman offers a no-nonsense rundown on how government policy, big business marketing, and global economics influence what we choose to put on the table each evening. He demystifies buzzwords like “organic,” “sustainable,” and “local” and offers straightforward, budget-conscious advice that will help you make small changes that will shrink your carbon footprint — and your waistline.
Flexible, simple, and non-doctrinaire, the plan is based on hard science but gives you plenty of leeway to tailor your food choices to your lifestyle, schedule, and level of commitment. Bittman, a food writer who loves to eat and eats out frequently, lost thirty-five pounds and saw marked improvement in his blood levels by simply cutting meat and processed foods out of two of his three daily meals. But the simple truth, as he points out, is that as long as you eat more vegetables and whole grains, the result will be better health for you and for the world in which we live.
Unlike most things that are virtuous and healthful, Bittman’s plan doesn’t involve sacrifice. From Spinach and Sweet Potato Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing to Breakfast Bread Pudding, the recipes in Food Matters are flavorful and sophisticated. A month’s worth of meal plans shows you how Bittman chooses to eat and offers proof of how satisfying a mindful and responsible diet can be. Cheaper, healthier, and socially sound, Food Matters represents the future of American eating.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Informative, Sensible, Practical
Already a fan of Bittman and the Minimalist series, I enjoy the practicality of his recipes — few specialized ingredients, easy to be modified for smaller amounts, and they don’t require hours in the kitchen. His book “Food Matters” is an example of this minimalist approach to food, but with some additional insight into what we’re eating and the consequences to ourselves and our environment. It’s the non-dieters diet, that doesn’t require elimination of anything, doesn’t leave us guilty over having a Big Mac occasionally, and doesn’t chain us to a hard and fast meal plan (although he does include that as example). It’s pure common sense with the research and facts to back it up. A good read with some great recipes.
4 Stars An eye-opener
Wow! What an interesting read this was. I got a whole new appreciation for the planet and how everything we do (including what we eat) affects every other thing on the planet. It’s not a diet book. It’s more about being conscious of the choices we make and shockingly, for me, how the cattle industry affects the planet (just one example but the most surprising for me). And it’s not just being conscious of food but conscious of the way we live - for example how running an SUV for a few hours is equal to a steak dinner for a family of four while leaving all of the lights on in the house. It will definitely make me think about my own lifestyle going forward. I’m not saying I’ll change everything immediately, but over time, I will continue to reduce my own footprints in anyway I can. The author, Mark Bittman, also provides recipes that look really delicious (including recipes with meat like Thai Beef Salad). Overall, a very informative, interesting read even if you don’t cook. I’ve already recommended this to a few friends.
5 Stars Another winner for Bittman, and us!
What a great follow up book to read after Michael Pollan’s Eater’s Manifesto. Bittman has rethought our diets with a world view: think globally, eat locally. The recipes I’ve tried are great–fast and infinitely flexible–Bittman’s forte. The book’s so good, I’m already revamping my eating style–he makes it pretty easy.
5 Stars Food Matters
I loved this book. Coincidentally I had decided to go on a Vegan diet for a while in order to loose weight. 2 days later watched Mark Bittman on NBC and was convinced to get the book. You don’t have to go vegan but his way of eating makes so much sense. After 3 wks I was much more alert and had more energy. This is NOT another diet book , just a better way of eating. Mix it up , eat meat, do whatever but his book is very good.
rl
4 Stars Good book for dieters…
If you like Michael Pollan’s books on the politics on food (”Omnivore’s Dilemma”, you will like this one too. Great way to start a diet. There are recipes too, but a bit unusual… D.Syme
Natrol Acai Berry 1000mg per daily serving 60 caps
Natrol Acai Berry 1000mg per daily serving 60 caps

Acai, a dark purple berry indigenous to the Amazon rainforest, is a nutritious and powerful fruit, valued for its rich nutrients. With a high ORAC (oxygen-radical absorbance capacity) value - twice that of blueberries - Acai could be considered the berry of choice for good health. Natrol Acai is available in vegetarian capsules.
Stunning Canon 5D2 Time-Lapse Video
Having great equipment helps, but both of these examples show that equipment is only part of the equation.img src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/trarticles/~4/59ETKGhmshk height=1 width=1/Home Health
Walnut Creek, CA (PRWEB) January 19, 2010 -- Professional HealthCare, a leading provider of home nursing,...
Home Nutrition
Twitter goes big business as services go after big businesses on Twitter. What does that mean? CoTweet...
After originally being suspended for a year, Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount was reinstated.img...
Why does the stock market go up when the highest unemployment in a generation is announced?img src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/trarticles/~4/Z34sfF9nPa0...
Main Content
Home Health Care - Medication Safety - Important Helpful Information You Need to KnowHome health care is an important part of aging in place or living in your own home environment all of your life. Medication safety...
Eat This Not That Supermarket Survival Guide The No Diet Weight Loss SolutionEat This Not That Supermarket Survival Guide The No Diet Weight Loss Solution Features of the Eat This Not That!...
Eat This Not That Thousands of Simple Food Swaps that Can Save You 10 20 30 Pounds or MoreEat This Not That Thousands of Simple Food Swaps that Can Save You 10 20 30 Pounds or More ...
Eat This Not That for Kids Be the Leanest Fittest Family on the BlockEat This Not That for Kids Be the Leanest Fittest Family on the Block Product Description...
