Dr. Anthony Levinson writes- do you wonder if your loved one with dementia is taking too many medications? This is a concern for many older adults, with or without cognitive impairment.

In this video recording, hear what Dr. Joanne Ho, Geriatrician, and co-founder of GeriMedRisk, has to say about how to begin the conversation with your healthcare team and what needs to be considered when trying to reducing the number of medications that a person is taking. Learn the answers to the following questions:

• How does aging impact how medications may work?
• How does smoking impact the effectiveness of a drug?
• What is ‘pill burden’? How can this be managed?

Get the information you need to confidently discuss this with your healthcare team which includes your pharmacist.

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most urgent health threats we face globally.

Why Think Twice, and Seek Advice?
Antibiotics don’t work against common cold and flu viruses and are often unnecessary for some bacterial infections. Despite these facts, inappropriate antibiotic prescription remains common in Canada–estimated at over 30% of all prescriptions, and 50% of prescriptions for respiratory infections.
As drug-resistant infections increase, it is clear that Canadians need to ‘rethink’ and learn about antibiotics. We must consider the risks alongside the benefits of antibiotics. We must ask questions to understand where we can reduce needless antibiotic use.  

What are antibiotics and antibiotic resistance?
Antibiotics are life-saving medications that we rely on to prevent and treat many infections caused by bacteria. But when bacteria are exposed to antibiotics, they adapt and develop characteristics that allow them to fend off or disable antibiotics. Greater exposure to antibiotics accelerates these changes. Bacteria that develop resistance are not killed and continue to multiply. Resistant bacteria are difficult, and sometimes impossible to treat.

What are the consequences of antibiotic resistance?
By 2050, if we continue using antibiotics as we are now, approximately 10 million people worldwide will die from resistant organisms each year--more than the number of deaths caused by cancer. 

In Canada, a growing number of infections are not responding to antibiotics. Tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and urinary tract infections are becoming harder, and sometimes impossible, to treat.  In some provinces, experts estimate that tens of thousands of illnesses per year result from resistant bacteria.
Without effective antibiotics, other treatments will also become risky. Patients requiring surgery and chemotherapy will be poorly protected from the risks of life-threatening infections.

What you can do!
One of the best ways to combat antibiotic resistance is to ask questions—will an antibiotic help? Patients, talk to your prescriber. Practitioners, consult guidelines and experts in optimal prescribing.  ​

Take the quiz below! 

Photo by Curology on Unsplash

You need soap, water and 20 seconds.The single most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick and to stop the spread of disease-causing germs is to wash your hands — often. All it takes is soap and water, 20 seconds of scrubbing hands and wrists, and then a good rinse.

​Viruses that cause colds and the flu most often are transmitted on the hands. People commonly catch colds when they rub their nose or their eyes after their hands have been contaminated with the cold virus. By washing your hands frequently, you wash away germs that you may have picked up from other people or from contaminated surfaces.

Parents can encourage their children by setting an example. Wash hands often in front of children to teach them that hand washing with soap and water is more than a chore — it's an important way to prevent colds, sore throats and other infections. Also, because dirty hands often can carry germs, teaching children to keep their hands away from their eyes, nose and mouth also will help prevent illness. Make hand washing fun for kids by singing “Happy Birthday” twice while they rub their hands together with soap and water. This way, you’ll be sure they washed for a good 20 seconds.

Hand washing takes on an especially important role during the winter months, when infectious diseases such as the flu are in season. (If you haven’t already, consider getting a flu shot.) You also can protect your health during cold and flu season by getting plenty of sleep, exercising, eating nutritious foods and drinking plenty of fluids. Also, remember to cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing and avoid rubbing your eyes and nose. Stay away from crowds when possible, and don't share food or drinks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and then wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand cleaner. This practice will help avoid spreading germs to others. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder instead of your hands.

​The bottom line is that hand washing is easy and effective. This season, with proper hand washing, you can protect your health and help prevent the spread of colds and flu to others.

Source: my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/17474-a-simple-secret-for-staying-well-wash-your-hands

Photo Credit: City of Burlington

As November 11th quickly approaches, below is a list of Ceremonies and Events happening across Hamilton & Burlington. We would like to Thank our Veterans for their Service to our Country- Lest We Forget. 

Hamilton Remembrance Garrison Service & Parade
Sunday, November 10, 2019
10:45 am to 11:45 am
Veterans’ Place at Gore Park, 64 King Street East, Hamilton
Join us for a Remembrance Day parade at the cenotaph in Veterans’ Place at Gore Park as we honour Hamilton’s veterans and service men and women.
View event
 
Ancaster Remembrance Day Service
Monday, November 11, 2019
10:30 am to 11:15 am
Ancaster Old Town Hall, 310 Wilson Street East, Ancaster
View event
 
Dundas Remembrance Day Parade and Service
Monday, November 11, 2019
10:30 am to 11:15 am
Dundas Cenotaph at the Dundas Lions Memorial Community Centre, 10 Market Street South, Hamilton
View event
 
Lynden Remembrance Day Service
Monday, November 11, 2019
10:30 am to 11:15 am
Royal Canadian Legion - Beverly Branch 500, 206 Lynden Road, Lynden
View event
 
Mount Hope Remembrance Day Service
Monday, November 11, 2019
10:30 am to 11:15 am
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, 9280 Airport Road, Mount Hope
View event
 
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 163 Remembrance Day Service
Monday, November 11, 2019
10:30 am to 11:15 am
Royal Canadian Legion - Branch 163, 435 Limeridge Road East, Hamilton
View event
 
Stoney Creek Remembrance Day Parade and Service
Monday, November 11, 2019
10:30 am to 11:15 am
Stoney Creek Cenotaph, King Street & Highway 8, Hamilton
View event
 
Hamilton Remembrance Day Service
Monday, November 11, 2019
10:45 am to 11:30 am
Veterans’ Place at Gore Park, 64 King Street East, Hamilton
View event
 
Waterdown Remembrance Day Service
​Monday, November 11, 2019
10:45 am to 11:30 am
Royal Canadian Legion - Waterdown Branch 55, 79 Hamilton Street North, Waterdown
View event
 
For information about roads impacted by Remembrance Day services, visit
hamilton.ca/roadclosures to find the list of temporary road closures for special events.

Burlington:
9 a.m.
Sunrise Remembrance Day Service
This 30-minute ceremony takes place at the Naval Ships Memorial Monument in Spencer Smith Park. For more information, contact the Burl-Oak Veterans at 905-632-3118.
-Spencer Smith Park

10:15 a.m.
Remembrance Day Parade
-The parade starts at Central Public School.
Brant to Elgin Street, Elgin to Locust Street, Locust to Ontario Street, Ontario to Brant, returning to Central Public School after the Service.

11 a.m.
Remembrance Day Service
This 45 to 60 minute ceremony is held at the Cenotaph, on the north side of City Hall. For more information, contact the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 60 at 905-639-6400.
-Cenotaph, City Hall
(426 Brant St.)

 

Photo by Srikanta H. U on Unsplash
Article Written By Tim and Gina Murray - Aging Matters

Even in the closest families, aging parents and changes of a new life season can create discord.
For some families struggling years before a parent needs help, dysfunction escalates issues and even affects the senior’s care.

Defining dysfunction — The weight of caring for an aging loved one can bring challenging family dynamics. Some deal with power struggles around health decisions and finances, and others deal with dishonesty or fractured relationships.

When family issues affect a senior’s care — A spouse may not be ready to relinquish every day duties or may not feel their partner requires the level of care the rest of the family does. Perhaps siblings will communicate only with their parent and not each other, putting Mom in a high-pressure place when she needs to be focused on her own well-being.
These tensions can affect the day-to-day lives of seniors and their care teams, here are a few tips to combat them:

• Set rules and stick to them — Providing compassionate care for seniors is like following a sheet of music; we want everyone singing in unison. It’s important to narrow down and map out the family’s top two or three goals – not 10 or 20 – and share them with the client and their family. You won’t be able to accommodate everyone’s opinion, and sometimes family members will try to undermine what’s happening. Stand your ground; prioritize and stick to the agreed-upon plan.
• Find a spot for everyone — Bringing in help can shake up a family’s roles, and that’s often unsettling for adult children and seniors alike. We recommend finding a “job” for everyone, whether that’s playing a favourite game or music with a parent, bringing out old photographs or discussing cherished memories. When everyone feels like a part of the team, they’re more likely to cooperate and support the care plan.
• Recognize when people are doing their best — A common issue is the fight to have each child contribute equally in time, finances and support.

Whether someone truly cannot or just doesn’t want to be hands-on, encourage the family members to recognize that people can only give what they can. How else could they contribute? Twice-monthly phone calls? Increased financial support? Showing that you care is pivotal, but recognizing when others are doing the same can turn a strained situation.

If we can’t meet everyone’s goals, we step back and figure out what else we can do for a family as. often, dysfunction is a result of a new and unfamiliar situation.

Link for Original Article:
​www.urbanacitizen.com/opinion/columns/72793/when-family-dysfunction-disrupts-in-home-care?fbclid=IwAR2-VG_oXhPL392UNiMN-_lR87-_dNakI5t6kab7dA2WsP9QfKc5KJWOx1E