Hi All!
We will be officially starting the Your Balance For Life Method on Monday, 2/15/21, but I wanted to send some 'early' information.
You should have approval from your Primary Care Doctor to participate in the program.
The progression will be slow and we will talk about modifying if needed, but it is important that your doctor gives you any absolute restrictions, concerns, or recommendations.
And I am including with this e-mail, information about medicaiton management and how medications and not managing them well, can cause problems, as well as why it is important to your fall prevention program.
When you talk to your doctor about the program, it is a good time to talk about your medications.
I recommend you follow the information about setting up a Medication List and such provided with this e-mail.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns now or at any point in the program!
Barbara
Medication Management
The medical field refers to it as Med Management, but what you need to know is why it is important and how does it relate to preventing falls.
Once you have your list, take it with you to your Primary Care doctor every time you go, and update the list with even minor changes after every doctor visit.
You can discuss how it may cause you problems with your balance. There are many medications that cause dizziness at any dose and some only at higher doses. It is important to share your concerns with your doctor.
It is good to check your list of medications with your doctor to make sure you and the PCP are on the same page about what you are taking, especially if you have other doctors (specialists) prescribing you medications.
And if you were in the hospital, some medications may have been changed and you need to review all changes with your PCP to determine if you still need the changes or do you go back to what you were taking. Do not make this decision on your own. You were in the hospital for a reason and your diagnoses may have changed.
Medications help manage your chronic medical diagnoses, which is so important to maintain a healthy level vs the huge jumps in your signs, so what you are taking and how much is important to be reviewed regularly.
If you are not being consistent with your medications, it can lead to serious problems by:
-not controlling your medical conditions appropriately
-overdosing
It is recommended that you set up a pillbox, since it is so easy to be distracted and not remember if you took your medications. It is not recommended that you take them directly from the bottles.
It is best to have a box with the needed times you take your medications (am, afternoon, pm, bedtime). There are many different sizes and combinations of boxes available.
Another advantage of setting up a weekly pill box is that you will know at least a week ahead if you are running out and need a refill, to take care of that in plenty of time.
It is important to keep an updated list at all times (update after each doctor visit).
1) at home for reference to fill your pill box (highly recommended to set up at least a weekly box with the times you need (am, afternoon, pm)
2) with you at all times, in case something happens the doctor at the hospital will know what you are already on
What should be on your list of medications form:
Your name
Your date of birth
Your primary care doctor (and if you have specialists you regularly work with is a bonus)
and phone number(s) for the doctor(s)
Your pharmacy and its phone number
Any medication allergies or reactions
Your emergency contact(s) and phone number(s)
Each medication should then be listed with:
Name & generic name
Strength
How taken (oral, injection, patch,…)
Quantity taken
When taken
Any qualifiers (with food, on an empty stomach, what foods to avoid while taking,…)
Why is the medicine taken (what diagnosis and what does it do)
Additional information that is very helpful:
Who prescribed each medicine
When did you start taking each medicine
Any storage requirements
When completed, if a short term prescription
What are all your diagnoses
Be sure to include:
all OTC (Over the counter) medicines you take (a prescription isn’t required)
all vitamins & supplements
Click on the colored link/words below for a fairly comprehensive form from the FDA (or you can make your own or even handwrite one or there are other forms online). What is important is to keep it up-to-date.
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-you-drugs/my-medicine-record
You can even fill this out on your computer and then print or print and fill it out.
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