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Aging Safely: Self-care in a Healthy Environment

Welcome to this  3-contact-hour Continuing Education  course with instant online processing and certification 24/7.  Study the course below, take the 12-question multiple-choice TEST, register and pay online. If you score 75% or above, you may print your CE certificate on your printer as soon as you finish. If you have difficulty printing your certificate, click here. You may retake the test once.

TEST

Do the following for self-study. Do not submit the answers.

Clinical psychologists can prescribe medications.

Emergency-room fees are higher that medical office visits.

Most physicians believe that the young do not need annual checkups.

Patients have a right to know what is in their medical records.

1. SAFETY

 Assess your risks to your safety and describe your preventive measures.

1.1  Avoid accidents, harassment, violence and abuse. Emergency & First Aid - HealthWorld Online   http://www.cpsc.gov 

1.2  Safety concerns risks on the road, in the home, outdoors, on the job, and in the filed of violence. Consider all areas. Specializing on one area of safety and neglecting others still increases your risk of being hurt.

• Remove things you can trip over (such as papers, books, clothes, and shoes) from stairs and places where you walk.
• Remove small throw rugs or use double-sided tape to keep the rugs from slipping.
• Keep items you use often in cabinets you can reach easily without using a step stool.
• Have grab bars put in next to your toilet and in the tub or shower.
• Use non-slip mats in the bathtub and on shower floors.
• Improve the lighting in your home. Lamp shades or frosted bulbs can reduce glare.
• Have handrails and lights put in on all staircases.
• Wear shoes that give good support and have thin non-slip soles. Avoid wearing slippers and athletic shoes with deep treads. (Source: www.cdc.gov )

In all areas of your home, check all electrical and telephone cords; rugs, runners and mats; telephone areas; smoke detectors; electrical outlets and switches; light bulbs; space heaters; wood-burning stoves; and your emergency exit plan. In the kitchen, check the range area, all electrical cords, lighting, the stool, all throw rugs and mats, and the telephone area. In the living room/family room, check all rugs and runners, electrical and telephone cords, lighting, the fireplace and chimney, the telephone area, and all passageways. In the bathroom, check bathtub and shower areas, water temperature, rugs and mats, lighting, small electrical appliances, and storage areas for medications. In the bedroom, check all rugs and runners, electrical and telephone cords, and areas around beds. In the basement, garage, workshop, and storage areas, check lighting, fuse boxes or circuit breakers, appliances and power tools, electrical cords, and flammable liquids. For all stairways, check lighting, handrails, and the condition of the steps and coverings. Source

ERIC_NO: ED215216, Safety Education in the Elementary School. Fastback 170, Wayne, Joseph E., 1982
ABSTRACT: This pamphlet deals with incorporating effective safety education programs into the elementary school curriculum. Covered in a discussion of the scope and nature of the safety problem are classes of accidents (motor vehicle, home, work, and public accidents) and causes of accidents. Various functions of safety education in elementary schools are examined, including increasing knowledge, developing attitudes of safe living, and developing skills of safe behavior. Described next are steps in planning a safety education program and articulation of the safety education curriculum. Following a brief outline of the content requirements for safety education, information is provided on a number of nonschool-jurisdiction accidents, including motor vehicle, pedestrian, pedacycle, water-related, home, recreational, and fad-related accidents. Examined next are such facets of creating a safe school environment as proper supervision of student activities, maintaining a safe school facility, emergency preparedness, school safety services, student and community involvement, pupil transportation services, accident reporting, and staff development programs. www.askeric.org 

2. AGING and DEATH

Assess your signs of aging and describe your preventive measures.

2.2  Aging affects the body systems, & physical & mental health. Welcome to The National Council on the Aging  http://www.wnet.org/archive/bid  http://www.last-rights.com/main.html 

2.3. Impact of death on the living, the sick, and the bereaved.  Funeral and Memorial Societies of America  

2.4 The 5 stages of grief are:

Denial allows the slow assimilation of the loss. At first the thought is that the report must be wrong. There is often the feeling that a mistake has been made or that the person will walk through the door at any minute. As time passes and preparation for change or for the funeral begins, reality is faced.

Bargaining and self blaming requires a greater level of acknowledgment that the loss has occurred, but resistance lingers to the extent that we attempt to make deals to reverse fate. There is a litany of "I should have's," such as, "I should have paid more attention, said something positive, been more patient."

Anger and anxiety are emotional signals that our psychological equilibrium is out of sync. A loss stirs feelings of rejection and powerlessness that lead to feeling anxious. In the first hours or days, feeling restless and unable to sleep is common. Anger at the loss, the one who is gone, the people who made the decision, all are normal reactions to loss. Anger often causes the most consternation as it is an emotion with which many are uncomfortable. Anger is a healthy indication that we are beginning to accept the facts.

Acceptance occurs with time. The realization sets in that the situation is not going to be the same as before, or that the person is not going to return and there is nothing that could have been done to change the outcome. There will be moments when a return to any or all of the stages occurs, yet accepting the loss allows us to move forward in the grief process. (Source: www.umich.edu )

Emerging from the accumulating BLSA data are two major conclusions. One is that aging - "normal" aging - can be differentiated from disease. Bodily functions do change and some decline with age, but health problems do not inevitably follow, according to BLSA data. Many of the disorders of old age, including some of the most common and debilitating, have been traced to pathological processes rather than normal aging.

The second key BLSA finding is that no single, chronological timetable of human aging exists. In fact, in terms of change and development, there are more differences among older people than among younger people. Even within one individual, organs can age at different rates. This suggests that genetic, life - style, and disease processes all affect the rate of aging and that several distinct processes are involved. BLSA

3. YOUR HEATH CARE SERVICES and SELFCARE  

Assess your health-care provider and describe your likely future needs.

3.1. The relationship between self-care and health-care.  http://www.healthfinder.gov | Dental Remedies-Choosing a Dentist-HealthWorld OnLine | 

3.2. Some recent development in HMOs.  American Health Consultants

Questions to ask about your health service provider.

Access to care

• Choice of doctor. Will I have my own doctor? Can I see him or her at each visit?
• Other providers. Does the plan use primary care providers that are not doctors such as nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and physician assistants to give routine care?
• Convenience. Are the plan's doctor offices and other services such as physical therapy nearby?
• Appointments. How soon can I get an appointment if I am sick? For routine care?
• Admissions. What do I have to do for admission to a hospital?
• Hospital. Does the plan use a hospital nearby?
• Emergency. How quickly will I get care in an emergency? Who decides if my problem is an emergency or not?

Benefits

• Existing conditions. Will I be covered for any medical condition? How long will I have to wait?
• Limitations. Are there limits on how long I can get services or the cost of services? What services are not covered?
• Specialized care. Will the plan cover the full range of specialized care for me and provide highly advanced treatments for all conditions?
• Routine exams. Are there restrictions on who can perform routine examinations? For example, if I am a woman, whose primary care physician is not an obstetrician/gynecologist, can I see a gynecologist for routine gynecological services or must I see a primary care physician for those services, or get permission to see a gynecologist?
• Maximum benefit. Is there a maximum lifetime benefit or a dollar limit on any specific type of care?
• Type of care. Does the HMO make its doctors give the least expensive treatment first and, only if needed later, give other treatments or stronger drugs that may cost more?

Quality of care

• Report card. Does the plan have an up-to-date "report card" describing its indicators of quality and rating its performance? Can I have a copy?
• Certified physicians. What percentage of primary care doctors and medical specialists in the plan's network are board-certified?
• Satisfaction. How many members left the plan last year and why? Can I see the patient satisfaction reports for the plan?
• Complaints. How many members in the plan filed formal complaints last year? How does this compare with the year before? What were the complaints about? What was done about them?

Choice of physicians, hospitals

• Point-of-service. Does the plan include a point-of-service feature? Cost?
• Eligible doctors. Is my current doctor on the plan's list of doctors? Can my doctor get on the list? Is my hospital on the list?
• Excluded care. Is there any care I get now that I could not get if I was in the plan?
• Referral. Can the doctors in this plan refer me to a specialist? Can I go to specialists without the permission of my plan's doctor?
• Incentives to physicians. How is my doctor paid by the plan? Do doctors get paid in any way to cut back on tests, referrals to specialists, and hospital admissions? Do primary care doctors working for this plan make more money if they reduce referrals to specialists?
• Filing a complaint. What can I do if I don't like my care, or if my primary care doctor refuses to send me to a specialist when I think I need it?
  Out-of-state. What happens if I need care when I am out-of-state or out of the plan's area of coverage? How much of the cost of my care will be paid by the plan?

Cost

• Premiums. How much is the premium (the monthly cost you pay to be a member of the plan)?
• Copayments. How much is the copayment (the amount of money you pay for physician office visits, prescriptions, or hospital services)?
• Deductibles. How much is the deductible (the share of the health care expenses you pay out-of-pocket before any insurance coverage applies)?
• Extra costs. Are there extra costs to pay for emergency care or services I receive from out-of-plan doctors? Questions to ask about your health service provider.

4. YOUR SELF-CARE and the ENVIRONMENT

4.1. How to protect the environment. Welcome to the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Homepage 

4.2 What you can do on a daily basis to protect the environment

1. Keep water in the fridge instead of letting the tap run to let it get cold.
2. Use both sides of paper before taking it to be recycled.
3. Repair or purchase used items instead of buying new ones.
4. Learn about the nature by visiting parks and historic sites.
5. Take short showers and use a low-flow showerhead.
6. Use a compost pile.
7. Walk, ride, carpool or use public transit, when available.
8. Dispose of leftover cleaners, solvents and used transmission oil properly.
9. Stay informed about the environment.
10. Let your elected representatives know how I feel about environmental issues. 
(Source: Environment Canada www.ns.ec.gc.ca )

Library 

 

CNN Food and Health News  Health Standards (MCREL) 

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