"Notes of Interest - Home Loving Senior Care"

- Almost Valentine’s Day -

At a meeting today in Greensboro the speaker explained there would not be a meeting on February 14th, so the fellows would have time to pick up a gift for their special valentine.  Now I really think that was a great way to give the guys a hint to add it to their calendar.  Do you think any of them will forget? 

As I thought about valentine’s day, I also thought about another word…..heart.  Of course, all of us ladies like the candy, jewelry, and cards.  The men could care less because their minds are on football, basketball, and racing.  It is not that they don’t care because they do and yes some do bring flowers and candy and all of us ladies really enjoy the attention, right?  Okay, let’s look at being a valentine in a different way this year.  Valentine Day is a day for the “heart”, so would you give a different gift this year to the one you love!!!  Instead of giving; what about taking away?

• Salt
• Sugar
• Tobacco products
• Couch
• Recliner
• White breads

Oh yea, I could go on and on about what we could take away as a gift, but you got the hint.  I know because I am just as guilty as everyone else and so is my husband.  The best valentine we could give each other is to take away all that “stuff” that will one day take me from him or him from me.  I am trying to improve, will you?

Happy Valentine’s Day to each of you and remember …..  TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEART!!!!

Talking To Your Parents

Have you had “the talk” with your parents yet about what they have planned for their future?  If not, now is the time.  Yes, it will be a difficult discussion for you and them.  You know, we didn’t want to have discussions with them when we were teenagers because we knew it all, so fifty plus year’s later things have not changed.  We still think we know it all and so do they, right? 

Wow, the excitement builds each month with the Wii Bowling Senior League located at Graham Recreation Department. The excitement builds each month with the guys trying to get in all the practice they can before the next scheduled time.  The competition between the men and women become more exciting as the months pass, but with only one month left for this year ..... who will be the "top team"!!?  Oh yes, we have some great Wii bowlers and not only do they challenge each other; they challenge themselves!!  For example, let's look at what took place yesterday with the high games for the afternoon:

Patsy - 252, Bill - 245, Louise - 233, Jim - 233, Charles - 232, Peggy - 200, Glenda J - 218, Barbara - 218, and Roy - 200. 

Now these are not just scores they are a challenge because those who did not make the 252 will not stop until they bowl a perfect game.  We don't want to mention names, but Charles, Bill, Louise, and Peggy will not rest until they achieve all strikes and NO open frames.  This group is unbelievable!!!   So much fun and so much fellowship!!!  If you're reading this, you need to come and visit the bowling at Graham, because you don't have a clue until you experience what a wonderful time is shared by all!!!

Bill and I started with what we thought was just bringing Bingo and Wii Bowling for the seniors to enjoy every month at Graham Rec and Kernodle Sr. Center, but were we ever fooled!!!  As a business owner, I just wanted to see more seniors out enjoying themselves and not having to spend a life savings to do it.  Home Loving makes simple little bags of goodies just to give as gifts, but these are not just gifts, it's the time we spend sharing ourselves with each of them.  Yes, Bill and I have grown to love each and every one of them and they have made us feel as a part of their family also.  Of course, there are days at Kernodle (bingo) that I try to give Bill away, but they keep sending him home with me!  Both of these groups have shared good times and bad times with us, so thanks to each of you who join us each month and invite those that have not visited these wonderful Senior Centers to join us for the fun and fellowship!!!

  - Caring For Someone With Alzheimer's At Home -

The National Private Duty Association (NPDA) will be presenting a free web conference for caregivers and relatives of those diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The program is entitled "Caring For Someone With Alzheimer's At Home." It takes place November 16th at 8pm EST.

"The web conference topics will address issues relating to patient assessment, care plans, caregiver education, safety, and other care issues related specifically to Alzheimer's patients and the disease itself."

The session will be 30 minutes long, followed by 15 minutes for taking questions. Anyone can take part in this free learning experience by registering here:

https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/schedule/display.do?udc=r30hmzfuyfmo

- - Alamance Senior Idol - -

A packed house at Brookwood Church in Burlington, NC	Our winners from left to right: Ed Limon (2nd place), Reu Christensen (1st place), Bonnie Powell (3rd place)	Alamance County's oldest senior, at 104 years old, Mr. Nelson started the evening by singing The Lord's Prayer	Our 2010 Senior Idol contestants await the final results
Reu Christensen	Sandra Kellogg	Alamance County Line Dancers	Betty O'Haver
Darryl Peebles	Robert Shields	Ed Limon	Glenda Jenkins
Peggy Lynn Guyer	Carolyn Whitesell	Bonnie Powell	Bobby Nicholson

Senior Idol competition goes to 83-year-old - October 4, 2010

First-ever event showcases a talented group of Alamance County residents

Move over, American Idol — 12 finalists have been selected for the first-ever Alamance Senior Idol competition at 7 p.m. Saturday at Brookwood Baptist Church, 1606 W. Davis St., Burlington.

Auditions were held at Twin Lakes and Kernodle Senior Center following by a photo shoot on Sept. 8 at the Alamance County Arts Council. The event is presented by Home Loving Senior Care Inc. and sponsored by Edward Jones and Brookwood Baptist Church. The grand prize winner will receive $300, second place will receive $150 and third place will be awarded $75. (Full article - www.thetimesnews.com )

What Your Doctor Isn't Telling You: (Study: Doctors Don't Explain Rx Drugs)
Surveys and Transcripts Show Doctor-Patient Communication Is Poor

Sept. 25, 2006 -- Americans are taking more and more prescription drugs, but their doctors are doing a poor job of communicating critical information about the medications they prescribe, UCLA researchers report.

In a study that included surveys of both doctors and patients, as well as taped transcripts of actual office visits, the researchers concluded that all too often doctors did not tell their patients why they were prescribing specific medications.

They also frequently failed to tell them about the potential adverse side effects of the drugs they prescribed, or even the names of the drugs.

Poor communications between doctors and their patients can lead to easily avoidable prescription drug misuses, including drug overdoses and underuse.

"The message to patients is that they should not be afraid to ask questions about the drugs that are prescribed for them, and the message to physicians is that patients need this information," researcher Derjung M. Tarn, MD, PhD, tells WebMD.

Almost half of all Americans regularly take at least one prescription drug, and half of older patients take at least three or more, according to a report released in 2004 by the National Center on Health Statistics.

Prescription drug misuse is a growing problem in health care, which contributes to thousands of deaths each year.

What You Need to Know

According to recommendations from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) --the federal agency charged with improving health care quality -- all patients should be given basic information about the drugs that are prescribed for them, including:

The name of the medication, and whether the drug is a trade medication or generic

Why the drug is being prescribed

How, when, and how long to take the medication

The drug's possible adverse side effects and what to do if side effects occur

When to expect the medication to work, and how to tell if it is working

Foods, herbal supplements, and other medications that should be avoided while taking the drug

Doctor-Patient Interactions on Tape

In an effort to determine if this information was being conveyed, Tarn and colleagues analyzed data from a study of physician-patient interactions within two health care systems in Sacramento, Calif.

The data included audiotaped recordings from 185 patient visits to 16 family physicians, 18 internists, and 11 cardiologists between January and November of 1999.

The average age of the patients was 55, and three-quarters of them had seen the doctor who prescribed the medication more than once. Most patients were white and had some college education.

While the doctors explained the purpose of the new medication 87% of the time, they described the medication by name less often (74% of the time), and addressed possible adverse side effects even less often (35% of the time).

Patients were told how long a medication should be taken only 34% of the time, while just more than half were told how many pills they should take (55%) and how often or when to take the medication (58%).

'Okey Dokey'

One taped exchange, which the UCLA family practitioner described as an extreme example of the tendency toward "spotty communication" proceeded as follows:

Physician: "If I'm writing antibiotics, are you allergic to penicillin?"

Patient: "No, I'm not allergic to anything."

Physician: "Okey dokey."

"That was actually the complete exchange," Tarn says. "There wasn't anything said after that about the antibiotic."

Tarn and her UCLA colleagues hope to identify better ways for doctors to communicate information about the medications they prescribe.

"Efforts to promote better communication about new prescriptions should not focus solely on improving the quality of discussions without considering the tradeoffs that may occur in time-compressed office visits," they wrote.

Pharmacists can help to educate patients, but Tarn says there is currently too much variability in pharmacy care to rely on this.

"There is currently a little bit of a disconnect between doctors and pharmacists about how much information is being provided by the other," she says.