Get your shots at ACC
The Visiting Nursing Association of Western New York will be administering flu and pneumonia shots from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, in the Fellowship Hall. This is the regular seasonal flu vaccine, not the H1N1 vaccine. Cost for the uninsured is $30 for the flu shot, $45 for the pneumonia shot, but these insurance plans cover the vaccinations: Medicare Part B, Univera, Independent Health and Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
A second look at prescriptions
From the United Church Home Society’s Parish Nurse Ministry:
Americans spend over $220 billion per year on prescription medications. They then spend an additional $177 billion on medications to address problems caused by the first medications. Safe and educated use of medications is a key element of our health care.
Patients and doctors are not discussing medications enough. Whether medications are for tension headaches, cluster headaches, migraine disease and other head pain disorders, or for unrelated conditions, there more questions than ever regarding medications. Often people misuse medications, either by not following proper use instructions or not taking them as directed. This misuse often leads to other health problems.
That’s why the National Council on Patient Information and Education is launching the “3 R’s for Safe Medicine Use” program. The three R’s are:
Risk: Recognize that all medicines (prescription and nonprescription) have risks as well as benefits, and that you need to weigh these risks and benefits carefully for every medicine you take.
Respect: Respect the power of your medicine and the value of medicines properly used.
Responsibility: Take responsibility for learning about how to take each medication safely. Being responsible also means following this important rule: When in doubt, ask first. Your health care professional, especially your pharmacist, can help you get the facts you need to use medicines correctly.
Some important questions to ask:
What is the name of the medicine, and what is it supposed to do?
When do I take the medicine, and for how long?
Should I take this medicine on an empty stomach or with food?
What should I do if I forget a dose?
What foods, drinks, medicines, dietary supplements or activities should I avoid while taking this medicine?
What are the possible side effects, and what do I do if they occur?
When should I expect the medicine to begin to work, and how will I know if it is working?
Will this new prescription work safely with the other prescription and non-prescription medicines I am taking?
How should I store this medicine at home?
For more information, one Web site to check out is...
headaches.about.com/od/medsarticlesandinfo/a/tap05