In 2005 the U.S. Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities described the particular challenges to health and wellbeing faced by persons of all ages with disabilities. It placed their health squarely among the public health issues at the forefront of research, service delivery, financing, training and education and health care policy today. (National Library of Medicine).
On September 26, 2023 The Nation Institutes of Health (NIH) designated people with disabilities as a population with health disparities. I recently had the honor of being the project leader for the DAWN Center for Independent Living “Expanding the Public health Workforce” initiative. We provided training and CEUs for public health employees, and human services professionals engaged with us to build a bridge in the community that ensures people with disabilities are included in public health activities. We created a Health and Wellness Guide that is intended to create an awareness of health and wellness principles and to engage individuals with disabilities and functional access needs to resources to public health and healthy living initiatives in their communities. In your community, business and personal life, please make sure to be inclusive of those with special needs. As we strive for optimal health outcomes, learn ways to be inclusive and support all people in achieving best health! Visit www.DAWNCIL.org for resources on how to be ADA (American s with Disabilities Act) compliant, improve communications and physical access, and accommodate individuals with intellectual disabilities needs and functional limitations. As the founder of a NJ Non Profit, Be Well & Thrive, I work with agencies and community organizations to improve the lives of people with disabilities through advocacy, education and Health Promotion activities. If you are interested in collaborating please reach out! www.bewell-thrive.com A few years ago while assisting my dad with his medication management, I came across multiple medications that were expired and no longer needed. I swear one may have been from the 1990’s! He said he was saving them in case he ever needed them again. He gave me permission to clean out the medicine cabinet and dispose of the medications. (There is more on medication disposal below.)
Medications should only be used as directed and as prescribed. A prescription drug should be taken, reduced or increased, or discontinued only under the direction of a professional healthcare provider. You should not share prescription drugs with others, for whom the medication is not prescribed. It is important to communicate with your healthcare provider about all medications you take, whether prescribed (by them or a different provider) or over the counter (OTC), as well as vitamins and supplements. Your healthcare provider can advise how much of a supplement you need (you may be taking too much or not enough), or whether is safe for you to take, or could cause an interaction with another drug. Below I share valuable information about discarding medications, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines) Is your medicine cabinet full of expired drugs or medications you no longer use? Your medicine is for you. What’s safe for you might be harmful for someone else. The best way to dispose of your expired, unwanted, or unused medicines is through a drug take back program — or you can do it at home. Drug Take Back Programs The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sponsors National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in communities nationwide. Many communities also have their own drug take back programs. Check with your local law enforcement officials to find a location near you or with the DEA to find a DEA-authorized collector in your community. You can also check with your pharmacist. Some pharmacies offer on-site medicine drop-off boxes, mail-back programs, and other ways to help you safely dispose your unused medicines. How to Dispose of Medicines at Home When a take back option is not easily available, there are two ways to dispose of medicines at home, depending on the drug. Flushing medicines: Because some medicines could be especially harmful to others, they have specific directions to immediately flush them down the sink or toilet when they are no longer needed, and a take-back option is not readily available. How will you know? Check the label or the patient information leaflet with your medicine. Or consult the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s list of medicines recommended for disposal by flushing when a take back option is not readily available. Remember, don’t flush your medicine unless it is on the flush list. Disposing medicines in household trash: If a take back program is not available, almost all medicines, except those on the FDA flush list (see below), can be thrown into your household trash. These include prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs in pills, liquids, drops, patches, and creams. Follow these steps:
Disposing Fentanyl Patches The fentanyl patch is an example of a product that contains a powerful opioid medicine that can be dangerous to people it’s not prescribed for. This adhesive patch delivers a strong pain medicine through the skin. Even after a patch is used, a lot of the medicine remains. That’s why the drug comes with instructions to flush used or leftover patches. Disposing Inhaler Products One environmental concern involves inhalers used by people who have asthma or other breathing problems, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Read handling instructions on the labeling of inhalers and aerosol products. These products could be dangerous if punctured or thrown into a fire or incinerator. To properly dispose of these products and follow local regulations and laws, contact your trash and recycling facility. Flushing Drugs and the Water Supply Some people wonder if it’s okay to flush certain medicines when a take back option is not easily available. There are concerns about the small levels of drugs that may be found in surface water, such as rivers and lakes, and in drinking water supplies. “The main way drug residues enter water systems is by people taking medicines and then naturally passing them through their bodies,” says Raanan Bloom, Ph.D., an environmental assessment expert at the FDA. “Many drugs are not completely absorbed or metabolized by the body and can enter the environment after passing through wastewater treatment plants.” The FDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency take the concerns of flushing certain medicines in the environment seriously. Still, there has been no sign of environmental effects caused by flushing recommended drugs. In fact, the FDA published a paper to assess this concern, finding negligible risk of environmental effects caused by flushing recommended drugs. For more information on what to do when you no longer need your medicines, visit this FDA page. Aging contributes to an increase in poor balance, inclination to injuries, reduced flexibility, and reduced tolerance to heat and humidity. Whether we have been exercising for a lifetime or are just getting started, sports related injuries are a risk for all of us. The benefits of exercise far outweigh the risks associated with increased physical activity. Keeping fit is among the most important things we can do to stay healthy as we age. There are specific exercises that are designed to improve body mechanics and enhance our ability to perform activities of daily living. Functional exercises benefit aging adults, athletes and everyone in between.
As we age physical activity improves quality of life and:
Consult with your healthcare provider about the best type of exercise for you. February is American Heart Month. American Heart Month is a federally designated event that encourages Americans to focus on their heart health and get their families, friends and communities involved. Healthy Heart Lifestyle A healthy diet and lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and stress management, are the keys to preventing and managing cardiovascular disease. What you do habitually, or on a regular basis, impacts your overall health, and gives you long-term health (and heart) benefits. Talk to your healthcare provider about ways to prevent and manage cardiovascular disease and before starting a new exercise program. Visit heart.org and learn the signs of a heart attack — the familiar and not-so-familiar ones. If you or someone you're with is experiencing symptoms, don't ignore them or take time to self-diagnose. Go to the nearest emergency room or call 911 immediately for help. Every minute counts. The sooner you get medical help, the more you reduce the risk of heart damage or death. On a (somewhat) lighter note, please enjoy this humorous video on the very serious topic of women and heart attacks with actress Elizabeth Banks from 30 Rock. Click HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JI487DlgTA to view “A Little Heart Attack”. I love a great meal with a glass of red wine.
So what are you doing on this Sunday morning to restore and revitalize yourself for a productive week of work ahead?
For me, it’s prayer, meditation, the gym, and cooking… which is another form of meditation for me. This is my newly restored “mezzaluna” (half moon) that my son repaired for me himself as a Christmas present. One of my favorite stories that I love to share, about how much Italians understand the importance of food and cooking, took place 30 years ago, as I was getting ready to board a plane back to NYC in Milan Italy, with my toddler and infant. This mezzaluna was brand new and in a box in my carry-on bag. When I went through security, a guard pulled me to the side and asked me what it was. I was a little irritated because I had my arms full with babies and luggage, and I couldn’t wait to get settled on the plane. The transaction took place in Italian and to hear it in Italian is hilarious. He asked me ‘ma’am (signora), what is this?” And I said, “eh, it’s a mezzaluna.”He asked why I had a mezzaluna and I said “eh, it’s to cook with” (subtext: what the heck do you think it is for?). He asked me in an oddly curious way what I was intending to cook/ prepare with it, because I think he was trying to get his head around a young American woman cooking. I passed his quiz when I said it was to prepare a sofrito for my Ragu Bolognese. He looked at me for a long time, and said, “va bene” and gave it back to me. And so I headed back to the States with my brand new mezzaluna, my kitchen treasure. (We know that would never happen today with airport security.) If he only knew the years and years of use I got out of this very valuable kitchen tool I’m sure he and his wife, mother, and nonna would be very happy. What we do on our downtime to enrich our lives, and re-create, brings value to the work we do in the world. One of my greatest passions in life is cooking. I learned to cook in kitchens in Italy as a young person, and love experimenting with all types of cuisine. Today I am making a vegan Thai basil curry. After eating out in many amazing Thai restaurants over the years, and many failed attempts to capture the essence in my own kitchen, I finally figured it out. I am looking forward to dinner! But what I love the most is the process of creating. (It’s about the journey, not the destination!, as authors and artists know.)
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According to a Harvard Medical School report, Chronic inflammation plays a central role in some of the most challenging diseases of our time, including rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and even Alzheimer’s. Read the report here: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-inflammation People, we need to eat better and exercise to stay healthy and be independent and mobile into older age. There are many foods that can be included in your diet that can help to reduce and manage inflammation (https://www.healthline.com/health/rheumatoid-arthritis/foods-that-reduce-inflammation). These foods contain anti oxidants which are compounds that inhibit oxidation. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals, that lead to chain reactions in the body that may damage healthy cells. There are also supplements that can be taken. Some are better than others. And of course there are medications available. But if you could manage inflammation with diet and exercise you reap the enormous benefits such as reducing inflammation, being energetic, fit and strong, managing and maintaining a healthy weight, improving blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, and looking great at your age, body type, and size. This includes older men and peri and post-menopausal women who may have some extra pounds. We can embrace ourselves at any size and be healthy. Fit people look fit, right? We need to know our blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol and other important values (“numbers”). That’s a topic for another day, but it all fits together like a beautiful puzzle designed by our creator. Please email me questions at [email protected] . I would love to address any questions in future posts. |
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