_ How You Can Help a Spouse With Cancer By article By Nurse Practitioner Jamie Kabat, BSN, MSN, CNP and Clinical Nurse Specialist Josette Snyder, RN, MSN, AOCN One of the most frequent – and touching – questions we get on the Cleveland Clinic’s Cancer Answer Line is from people whose spouses or partners have been newly diagnosed with cancer. They want to know how they can help and support their spouses through this life-changing diagnosis and the ensuing treatment.
_ Curbing Antibiotic Rx for UTIs in Hospitals By article A simple change in how the hospital laboratory reports urine culture results may help improve antibiotic prescribing practices and patient safety, according to a proof-of-concept study conducted in 2013 at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and published online in March 2014 in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Managing Your Medications By Jane Farrell article Editor’s Note: A crucial part of looking after yourself is managing the medicines you’re taking – by, among other things, understanding how and when you’re taking them; being consistent; storing them properly; and noting when you should ask for a refill. Here, the best tips for being an efficient medication manager, from the SeniorHealth division of the National Institutes of Health:
A Crucial FDA Warning By Jane Farrell article Citing the danger of liver disease, the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked doctors to stop prescribing medicines with a high dose of acetaminophen. The agency said that there are no statistics to indicate the taking more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per dosage unit “provides additional benefit that outweighs the added risks for liver injury. Further, limiting the amount of acetaminophen per dosage unit will reduce the risk of severe liver injury from inadvertent acetaminophen overdose, which can lead to liver failure, liver transplant, and death.”
_ ICE Your Cell Phone for Cold Weather Safety By article As frigid temperatures continue to affect every state in the union, Visiting Angels -- one of the nation’s largest in-home senior care agencies -- has launched the ICE a Cell Phone Safety Campaign to help people in case of emergency. ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. To ICE your cell phone or the phone a loved one in your care, load emergency contacts with the word ICE in front of the names so that if you’re ever in trouble, people will know who to call.
_ 5 Treatments Older Adults May Not Need By article By Anne-Marie Botek, Editor-in-Chief of AgingCare.com Overtreatment is a persistent problem among the aging population. Research shows that the more doctors an individual has, the more likely a patient is to be prescribed conflicting medications. Indeed doctors may over treat elderly patients unintentionally.
Manopause & Low Testosterone: What Every Man and Woman Should Know By blog When I first began research for my book on the “male change of life,” I wasn’t sure what I should call it. I assumed that what men went through was totally different than what women experienced. But the more I talked to men and women, the more it became clear that there were more similarities than differences. Andropause is the more technically correct term, but Male Menopause has come to be commonly used.
Addiction & Substance Overuse Drug Abuse Among Seniors By Jane Farrell article By Judy Kirkwood The problem of older adults abusing prescription and illicit drugs hasn’t gotten enough attention says Dr. Gaya Dowling, acting chief of science policy branch at NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse). “When we think of drug abuse, we think of young people,” says Dowling. But there has been an undeniable rise in the number of patients over 50 who require intervention and treatment. Many more remain in the shadows, undiagnosed.