More seniors bs

Shrinks try to nix booze for seniors

I'm sick and tired of the mainstream treating seniors like children.

The latest example: A patronizing new report that claims you shouldn't have more than a sip or two of booze per night once you reach a certain age.

Ridiculous!

Researchers from Britain's Royal College of Psychiatrists are urging their government to tell seniors they shouldn't have more than 1.5 units of alcohol a day. That's only half a bottle of beer!

What are you supposed to do with the other half? Dump it, I suppose. But I say keep the beer... and dump this daffy report instead!

The logic here, if you can call it that, is astonishing: The researchers claim that some seniors might turn into heavy boozers, while others might use or abuse meds that don't mix well with alcohol.

So because some unknown (and no doubt relatively small) number of seniors might abuse drugs and alcohol, ALL seniors should be limited to sippy cups for the rest of their lives.

The only thing more nonsensical than this report is the idea that shrinks should be issuing drinking guidelines.

Who asked them anyway?

The Royal College of Quacks also moaned that some seniors might turn to booze after a spouse dies -- but that's not a problem in my book. As long as they keep it moderate, they're not hurting anyone.

And they're certainly not hurting themselves.

In addition to the proven health benefits of moderate drinking -- from protecting the heart to slashing dementia risk -- heading out to the local pub and hoisting a couple with friends is a great way for a senior who has no one at home to get out, stay active, and socialize.

That could SAVE his life, not end it -- and anyone who wants to take that away is the one with the real drinking problem.

Knocking one back,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.   

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

ten useful rules of hospital visite

Whether you are going to the hospital for an outpatient procedure or whether you will be admitted to the hospital for medical illness or surgical procedure, there are certain things you must know and certain things you must do in order to ensure that your reasonable expectations will be met.

1. You must become informed about the terms and limits of your health insurance policy. See if the fees you are being charged can be negotiated ahead of time. If you do not know the terms and limits of your policy, you will not know the financial field upon which you are playing, and the end result may be significantly displeasing to you.
2. Do not be afraid to ask questions of your doctor. By accepting you as a patient he or she has made a contract with you to provide you with the best possible care. This means that the doctor must make time to answer your questions. On the other hand, you must realize that doctors do not have much time in today's medical environment owing to the system under which they currently work. Therefore, prepare a list of questions for the doctor each day, and set a time during the course of the day that you and the doctor can meet so that these questions can be answered. If possible, e-mail the questions to your doctor before hand.
3. As communication with the doctor is critical, it is important to understand that his office staff is the gateway to the physician. Take time to get to know the office staff before the hospital admission. It wouldn't hurt to send the office staff some flowers or a note on the day your loved one is admitted to hospital thanking them for their efforts on your behalf in the preadmission process. As my grandmother said, if you want a kiss, you have to give the kiss.
4. While your physician is your best advocate during the hospital admission, in reality you are your own best advocate. If there are issues regarding the room or the floor on which you are staying, difficulty with the nursing or with the timing of medication, or with any concerns that you may have, your first step is to discuss these concerns with the attending nurse. Be firm, but polite. If your needs are not met, then your next step is to discuss the situation with the Charge Nurse. If your needs are still not attended to, you must communicate your concerns to the doctor. If the issues are still unresolved, then you should seek the offices of the hospital administrator or the hospital ombudsman, state the issues and demand to be seen. It is highly unlikely that you will have to get beyond the second step in this process. Most professionals want to meet your needs.
5. Do not feel that any of the staff or your physician will treat you in any less a manner if you raise the aforementioned issues. It is the job of the nursing staff and your physician to attend to the patient, and any lack of attention to you in the context of proper medical treatment for you or your loved one is a serious breach of professional protocol of which no physician or nurse wishes to be accused.
6. Make sure that you see the hospital social services worker or hospital Discharge Planner assigned to your case at least 48 hours before your discharge so that arrangements can be made for any equipment or durable medical goods that your loved one may require while at home.
7. It is also necessary to understand the medications that you or your loved one will be taking upon discharge from hospital, and how they are to be taken, with what frequency and what dosage. If possible, arrange to have the prescriptions written by the doctor or the P.A. a day before the discharge, so that you may arrange to have your pharmacy fill them and they can be picked up before returning home.
8. Make sure that you speak with your doctor prior to the discharge and that you go through the discharge instructions with the physician or his representative so that you understand each of them. If there are dressings to be changed, make sure that if you are the one to change those dressings, you completely understand the process to follow and have the necessary goods to perform the task (gloves, dressings, ointments, disinfectants, etc.)
9. At the time of your discharge, you should request your hospital records for the visit. You are entitled to these records and it is important that you have at least a summary of the visit, an operative note if applicable, any imaging reports, laboratory studies and a discharge summary. These records should be kept in a place that is accessible should it be necessary to refer to them in the future. Having the records may very well save redundant and unnecessary treatment going forward.
10. Make sure you understand the final hospital bill in the context of the limits of your insurance policy. If you have any doubt about the amount that you owe then you should make an appointment with a hospital representative and have them go through your bill item by item so that you understand everything. If you have any question as to whether a charge or drug or item was actually utilized or supplied, you can refer to the hospital records that you have received at the time of discharge.

Mitchell Brooks, MD is an orthopedic surgeon and the host of Health of the Nation on Talk Radio 570 KLIF in Dallas, Texas. He blogs at Health of the Nation.

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

Warning given on overuse of antibiotics

Warning given on overuse of antibiotics

NEW YORK (UPI) -- Overuse of antibiotics to eradicate dangerousbacteria presents the possibility of permanently killing offbeneficial bacteria as well, a U.S. researcher says.

Martin Blaser, chair of the department of medicine at New YorkUniversity's Langone Medical Center, warns the widespread use ofantibiotics may be having unintended consequences, causing permanentchanges to the body's protective, "friendly" bacteria and harm to thebody's natural defense system.

A child in the United States or other developed countries has had anaverage of 10 to 20 doses of antibiotics by age 18, an NYU releasesaid Wednesday.

Antibiotics have helped improve health and increase life expectancy,but are non-discriminatory and destroy even friendly bacteria,scientists say.

Some of the beneficial bacteria may never recover and such extinctionscould lead to increased susceptibility to infections and diseases suchas obesity, allergies and asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and type1 diabetes, they warn.

In a commentary published in the journal Nature, Blaser argues thatwidespread use of antibiotics should be replaced with narrow spectrum,more-targeted drugs.

"I believe that doctors of the future will be replacing "lost" membersof our normal flora in young children to diminish the risk ofdevelopment of these important and chronic diseases," Blaser said.

 

Copyright 2011 by United Press International

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations