Safe Drug Disposal in Frederick

Q. My 89-year-old mother has a cabinet full of medications, many of which she doesn't take anymore or have expired. What should we do with them all?

Cleaning out your aging loved one's medicine cabinet and disposing of old or unused medications is important to do periodically. The average senior takes four to six different prescriptions a day and refills prescriptions 12 to 17 times per year, according to Arcadia Healthcare, so its not uncommon for seniors to accumulate a large number of medications. Arcadia Healthcare attributes 28 percent of geriatric hospitalizations to adverse drug reactions -- many of which may be caused by taking expired or wrong medications. Properly disposing of those unneeded pills can help prevent drug mix-ups from happening.

However, it's important that you don't dispose of medications by throwing them in the trash or flushing them down the toilet. Unused medications disposed of improperly create health and environmental hazards when introduced into landfills or the water supply.

Instead, look for hazardous waste collection services in your area and dispose of unwanted medications that way. On Saturday April 30, Frederick residents have the quick and easy option of bringing any unwanted medications to the Drug Disposal Event sponsored by Whitesell Pharmacy in conjunction with the Frederick Police Department. The event will take place at Harry Grove Stadium (21 Stadium Drive, Frederick) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Simply drop off your unused medications, which will be placed in a secure container. All personal information will be kept confidential. You may also remove all personally identifiable information from medicine containers.

Acceptable items include prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, medical samples, pet medications, and medicated ointments or lotions. Non-acceptable items include thermometers, IV bags, blood or infections waste, business waste, syringes, and oxygen tanks. For more information, contact Whitesell Pharmacy at 301-662-4848.

More Seniors Surviving Cancer, Study Reveals

Q. I have just survived my second bout with breast cancer and I am thrilled to have beaten this again. Although, at age 82, the treatments took a toll on me and I am very weak and unable to do what I once did. Yet I am encouraged that I am disease free.

You should take heart in your prognosis. Congratulations. You are in good company, according to a recent research study. The number of cancer survivors in the United States increased to 11.7 million in 2007 and seven million of those were senior citizens, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). It appears about one of five seniors is a cancer survivor.

The largest numbers of survivors with female breast cancer were ages 65-84 years (1.2 million) and 40-64 years (just over 1 million), according to the research results. Approximately 1.1 million of the 11.7 million cancer survivors had lived with a diagnosis of cancer for at least 25 years; of those survivors, 75.4 percent were females.

Other highlights of the study:

• Among cancer survivors on January 1, 2007, an estimated 64.8 percent had lived with a diagnosis of cancer for at least five years; of those survivors, 57.2 percent were females.

• Among all cancer survivors, 54.3 percent were female, and 45.7 percent were male.

The authors note that the increase in number of cancer survivors is due to many factors, including a growing aging population, early detection, improved diagnostic methods, more effective treatment, and improved clinical follow-up after treatment.

It may not be unusual for cancer treatments to weaken individuals. Talk to your doctor about whether this is normal for you and ask what you could do about it. Then consider getting more help around your home until you are stronger. Home Instead Senior Care® hires CAREGivers who go into the homes of seniors to assist them with such tasks as companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, errands and shopping.

CAREGivers are often called to assist seniors while they are recovering from illness, injury or surgery; they are screened, trained, bonded and insured.

For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Frederick County, go to www.homeinstead.com/627. For more about the study, visit http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/2011/survivorshipMMWR2011.

Prevent Blindness...Eat More Fish, Study Says

Q. My mother suffers from macular degeneration – which has left her nearly blind – and her quality of life has slipped considerably. She can rarely do anything around the house anymore. What can I do to prevent getting this terrible disease and help her?

Macular degeneration is a big problem in the U.S. and is the leading cause of vision loss in senior citizens. An estimated nine million U.S. adults ages 40 years and older show signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to research that appeared in an issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

An additional 7.3 million persons have early age-related macular degeneration, which does increase the risk of progression to advanced age-related macular degeneration. That’s why this new study is particularly important, not just for you and your mother, but millions of others at risk for this disease.

The regular consumption of fish and omega-3 fatty acids found in fish is associated with a significantly reduced risk for women of developing age-related macular degeneration, according to the study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston.

Results for fish intake showed that consumption of one or more servings of fish per week, when compared to less than one per month, was associated with a 42 percent lower risk of age-related macular degeneration. Researchers say the lower risk appeared to be due primarily to consumption of canned tuna fish and dark-meat fish.

Regular eye exams for you and your mother could help you learn how to reduce the risks for this disease and ensure that your mom is getting the proper care for her condition.

Also, please encourage your mother to get assistance around the house. She could be putting her health at risk. Seniors who suffer from eye conditions such as macular degeneration sometimes can’t see their medications or perform the activities that are important to daily life such as meal preparation and housekeeping. She likely would be unable to drive so errands and shopping also could be needs.

These are all functions that a professional caregiver could assist your mother with as well as take some of the load off of you. CAREGivers from Home Instead Senior Care are screened, trained, bonded and insured. Contact the Frederick office today to learn more. 301.846.9922
For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Frederick County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627. For more about the study, go to http://www.maculardegenerationassociation.org/resources/information.aspx?post=a1ce1651-348c-46e0-92e1-9dfae30cf0a3.

Life Expectancy in the U.S. Increasing, According to Research

Q. I am a healthy 70-year-old woman who is wondering what the latest research says about how much longer I may live? I’m retired, but I look forward to doing some other things with my life.

The latest news on life expectancy is good. In fact, the average life expectancy for a 70-year-old woman increased by one-tenth of a percent between 2008 and 2009, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. A woman who was 70 years old in 2009 may have another 16.1 years of life left, according to the statistics.

Additional positive news that comes out of this same report reveals that the age-adjusted death rate for the U.S. fell to an all-time low of 741 deaths per 100,000 people in 2009. That’s 2.3 percent lower than the 2008 rate. Here are more statistics that might be of interest to you:

• Life expectancy for the U.S. white population increased by two-tenths of a year.

• Life expectancy was up two-tenths of a year for males (75.7 years) and up one-tenth of a year for females (80.6 years).

• Age-adjusted death rates declined significantly for 10 of the 15 leading causes of death in 2009:

heart disease (declined by 3.7 percent),

cancer (1.1 percent),

chronic lower respiratory diseases (4.1 percent),

stroke (4.2 percent),

accidents/unintentional injuries (4.1 percent),

Alzheimer's disease (4.1 percent),

diabetes (4.1 percent),

influenza and pneumonia (4.7 percent),

septicemia (1.8 percent), and

homicide (6.8 percent).

• Overall, there were 2.4 million deaths in the United States in 2009 – 36,336 fewer than in 2008 (a 1.5 percent decrease).

Regular visits to your doctor may help ensure that you are doing all you can to care for yourself. Routine examinations can help you prevent illness and increase the opportunity for your doctor to diagnose diseases at their earliest stages.

Staying both physically and socially active also is an important part of healthy aging. Why not consider part-time employment as a CAREGiver for Home Instead Senior Care®. Older adults make great CAREGivers because they share many of the same interests as the senior clients they serve. Non-medical care includes companionship and assistance with meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, errands and shopping.

For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Frederick County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627. For more about the study, visit http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p0316_deathrate.html.