November is Falls Prevention Month

In Canada, falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults.

According to Fall Prevention Month statistics, over one-third of older adults will be admitted to long-term care after being hospitalized for a fall. Falls in older adults account for $2 billion in annual direct healthcare costs.

Every year, 1 in 3 Alberta seniors will fall.

Take action to reduce your risk.

Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults. The older we get, the greater the risk of falling becomes. Our bodies naturally change with age, and these changes affect the way we feel, move, and behave. 

• Older adults with muscle weakness are 4-5 times more likely to fall.
• Try to do 30 minutes or more of physical activity at least 5 days each week.
• Walking, dancing, Tai Chi, and cross-country skiing are a few great ways to be active.
  

A fall can have a devastating and lasting impact on an individual resulting in injury, chronic pain and reduced quality of life. Even without an injury, a fall can cause a loss of confidence and a reduction in activities for older adults.

• Older adults with low vision are 2.5 times more likely to fall.
  
• A comprehensive eye exam will test your vision and look for issues like glaucoma and cataracts.
  
• Alberta Health Care covers the cost of eye exams for adults 65 and older.
  

Some medications can also put you at risk of a fall.

• Seniors taking more than 3 - 4 medications are at a higher risk of falls.
  
• Some prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements can increase your risk of falling.
  

These actions can help you prevent a fall and stay independent:

• Learn more about how to lower your fall risk to prevent yourself from falling or falling again.
• Talk with a physiotherapist to get the best walking aid for your needs.
• Exercise to improve your strength and balance.
• Talk with a physiotherapist or our PCN Exercise Specialist about exercise to improve your balance.
• Talk to your health care provider if you are worried about falling, especially if it stops you from being active.
• Do 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week strengthening your muscles can reduce your risk of falling - our PCN Exercise Specialist can provide guidance and exercise routines.
• Keep active to improve strength and balance. 
• Talk with your doctor or health care provider about managing the need to rush to the toilet. Rushing could increase your risk of a fall. 
• Talk to your podiatrist or doctor if you have numbness in your feet; numbness can cause a fall.
• Review your medications, vitamins, and supplements with your pharmacist or doctor yearly or if your prescription changes or new medications are added. 
• Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about medication side effects or causes of light-headedness. Sometimes an adjustment of dosage or type of medication can help.
• Are you sad or have concerns about anxiety or depression? Talk to your health care provider or doctor about how you are feeling.
• Visit an eye doctor yearly to check your eye health. Poor vision or a change in vision can increase the risk of a fall.
• Wear proper shoes, especially outside. Take extra care when walking on snow or ice-covered sidewalks or parking lots. Learn the "Penguin Walk".

Take this online assessment quiz to see if you are at risk of a fall.

Health care providers can print paper copies of this quiz, here.

Learn more at https://www.fallpreventionmonth.ca/

November is Fall Prevention Month

Every year, 1 in 3 Alberta seniors will fall.

Take action to reduce your risk.

Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults. The older we get, the greater the risk of falling becomes. Our bodies naturally change with age, and these changes affect the way we feel, move, and behave. 

• Older adults with muscle weakness are 4-5 times more likely to fall.
• Try to do 30 minutes or more of physical activity at least 5 days each week.
• Walking, dancing, Tai Chi, and cross-country skiing are a few great ways to be active.
  

A fall can have a devastating and lasting impact on an individual resulting in injury, chronic pain and a reduced quality of life. Even without an injury, a fall can cause a loss in confidence and a reduction in activities for older adults.

• Older adults with low vision are 2.5 times more likely to fall.
  
• A comprehensive eye exam will test your vision and look for issues like glaucoma and cataracts.
  
• Alberta Health Care covers the cost of eye exams for adults 65 and older.
  

Some medications can also put you at risk of a fall.

• Seniors taking more than 3 - 4 medications are at a higher risk of falls.
  
• Some prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements can increase your risk of falling.
  

These actions can help you prevent a fall and stay independent:

• Learn more about how to lower your fall risk to prevent yourself from falling or falling again.
• Talk with a physiotherapist to get the best walking aid for your needs.
• Exercise to improve your strength and balance.
• Talk with a physiotherapist or our PCN Exercise Specialist about exercise to improve your balance.
• Talk to your health care provider if you are worried about falling, especially if it stops you from being active.
• Do 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week strengthening your muscles can reduce your risk of falling - our PCN Exercise Specialist can provide guidance and exercise routines.
• Keep active to improve strength and balance. 
• Talk with your doctor or health care provider about managing the need to rush to the toilet. Rushing could increase your risk of a fall. 
• Talk to your podiatrist or doctor if you have numbness in your feet; numbness can cause a fall.
• Review your medications, vitamins, and supplements with your pharmacist or doctor yearly or if  your prescription changes or new medications are added. 
• Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about medication side effects or causes of light-headedness. Sometimes an adjustment of dosage or type of medication can help.
• Are you sad or have concerns about anxiety or depression? Talk to your health care provider or doctor about how you are feeling.
• Visit an eye doctor yearly to check your eye health. Poor vision or a change in vision can increase the risk of a fall.
• Wear proper shoes, especially outside. Take extra care when walking on snow or ice-covered sidewalks or parking lots. Learn the "Penguin Walk".

Take this online assessment quiz to see if you are at risk of a fall.

Health care providers can print paper copies of this quiz, here.

Learn more at https://www.fallpreventionmonth.ca/

Heart Healthy

To register online: http://lbdpcn.com/Pages/Event-Details.aspx?EventID=33&EventSeriesID=70&

March is Pharmacist Awareness Month

Each March Pharmacist Awareness Month (PAM) celebrates the contributions that pharmacists make to our health care system and helps educate Canadians about the health care services and advice their pharmacists are now delivering. 

Pharmacists across Canada have had a widely expanded scope of practice over the past decade that has them doing more for their patients than ever before. We want to celebrate the great strides the profession has made, highlight the health care services now offered at the pharmacy, and encourage Canadians to Think Pharmacists this March.

Our PCN Pharmacist, Nandini Desai, provides a wide scope of patient care from diabetes education, medication reviews and tobacco cessation support. Ask your PCN family doctor for a referral to visit Nandini for support. 

Be a Diabetes Detective

Be a Detective to Manage your Diabetes

Managing your diabetes can often feel like trying to solve a mystery.  Questions that always arise up are:

How does my food effect my blood sugars?

Are my medications working? 

What does physical activity do to my blood sugars?

How come I don’t feel any different even though I am making changes?  

Diabetes is very individualized, so when it comes to figuring out how best to manage it you need to become your own detective.  The best way to do this is through Self-Monitoring your Blood Glucose (SMBG) or checking your own blood sugars!

Collect the Evidence

Checking your own blood sugars or SMBG helps you:

• -         Determine your blood sugars in that exact moment (after a meal, after activity, first thing in the morning).
• -         Determine if your blood sugars are high, low or within target.
• -         Show you in that exact moment what your food, activity and medications are doing for you.
• -         Work with your health care team to help put the puzzle pieces together with any adjustments needed for either lifestyle or medication.

I don’t like to poke my fingers so how often would I need to check?

-          As mentioned before, diabetes is very individualized, so SMBG is also individualized.  How frequent you test is dependent on your medications, your lab results, you current health status: sick, hospitalized, pregnant or even starting a new medication

What do I use to check my blood sugars?

-          You check your blood sugars through use of a portable blood glucose machine.  These devices are available through your community pharmacies or health teams.  Talk to your pharmacist or team members about what meter is right for you and coverage that is available for you

Interpreting the Evidence

Recommended blood glucose (sugar) targets for most people with diabetes*

(Your target may not be the same as the examples in this blood sugar levels chart. Yours should be specific to you.)

	A1C**	Fasting blood glucose/ blood glucose before meals (mmol/L)	Blood glucose two hours after eating (mmol/L)
Target for most people with diabetes	7.0% or less	4.0 to 7.0	5.0 to 10.0 (5.0 – 8.0 if A1C** targets not being met)

* This information is based on the Canadian Diabetes Association 2013 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes in Canada and is a guide.
** A1C is a measurement of your average blood glucose (sugar) control for the last two to three months and approximately 50 per cent of the value comes from the last 30 days.

- See more at: http://www.diabetes.ca/diabetes-and-you/healthy-living-resources/blood-glucose-insulin/managing-your-blood-glucose#sthash.JOnq46Ax.dpuf

Putting the Puzzle pieces together

Now that I have tested what do I do with the information?

-     Record your blood sugar readings in a log book or journal. This is a great way to start seeing trends and patterns.  Depending on how in-depth you want to go you can record your food, activity, medications and your blood sugar readings to get the whole picture.

-     

      Take this log book with you to your medical appointments to be able to discuss the best management options for you when it comes to managing your diabetes.

-     Look at the information you have collected. You can interpret the readings to determine whether or not it’s the food, activity or medications that needs to be reviewed.

Click on the links to see the samples of how to log your blood glucose readings:

Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Tool

Weely Blood Glucose Log sheet (printable)

Solve the Mystery!

The more you know about diabetes and how it affects your body the better able you are to start managing it! 

If you are newly diagnosed or have question about help to manage your diabetes please ask your PCN doctor for a referral to the SMILE team, where a team of detectives can also help you out!

Please visit the CDA website for more information.

Andrea Shackel is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator at the Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network.  

Create your own medication record

“Knowledge is the best medicine” (KiBM) is a program that helps you take control of your health and work with your prescriber and the rest of your healthcare team to manage your medicines safely and appropriately.

This program is supported by leading health organizations in Canada who believe that an educated patient is a healthier patient. The healthcare professionals at the Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network provide their patients with a MyMedRec booklet to help track their medications. This small booklet is a handy tool that patients carry with them, which ensures a listing of their medications is available for other members of their healthcare team to review.

KiBM products will enable you and your family to:

Keep an up to date medication list with you at all times
Communicate your medication/health related needs at each point of contact with the healthcare system
Easily access medication/health related information

Remember when it comes to your health, knowledge is the best medicine.

Who are the members of your healthcare team?

You! As well as, doctors, pharmacists, nurses and anyone else who is involved in your healthcare whether they are regulated healthcare professionals and providers or family and friends.

Know Your Health

Most Canadians have at least one risk factor for chronic disease that is within their power to change. Making healthy choices will not only reduce your risk of disease, it will also make you feel better. Here are some resources to help you better manage your health.

Easy steps for healthy living:

- Exercise regularly
- Eat a balanced diet
- Avoid smoking or second hand smoke
- Reduce stress

Create Your Own Medication Record

- Create your own personalized medication book to record your medications, allergies and other health information. Keep it up-to-date (your pharmacist, doctor, nurse or other healthcare team member can help you with this). Bring it with you to all of your medical appointments or when you go to the hospital.

Why should you record your medicines

- Keeping an up-to-date record of your medicines helps you, your loved ones and your healthcare team members have complete information about your medicines

- It is very important to record exactly how you take your medicines (including whether or not you are taking them as directed)

- Knowing how you take your medicines helps everyone involved to make correct decisions about your care

- Having a medication record can also be helpful at times when you might not be able to remember your medications, for example in an emergency

- Medication records can help you to remember to take your medicines safely each day at the scheduled times

- Accurate communication of your medicines can help to reduce the chance of errors

To create your own medication record, click here: Knowledge is the Best Medicine

To download the MyMedRec app (available for Apple, Android and Blackberry), click here: Apps 

Obesity management - root causes, factors and treatment

An Obesity Expert’s Message

Obesity affects 61% of Canadian adults and 26% of Canadian children and has recently been categorized as a chronic disease by the American Medical Association.

The public, and even healthcare professionals, often think that eating less and moving more is the simple answer to addressing obesity. We now understand that obesity is a complex, chronic disease that requires the same specialized, medical care treatment that other chronic diseases have. This includes identifying and addressing root causes and barriers to weight management.

Dr. Sharma, Professor of Medicine and Chair in Obesity Research and Management at the University of Alberta, is touring throughout Canada and recently spoke to a group of approximately  80 people in Leduc. He brings a humorous twist to discussing obesity while addressing key points to understanding the complexities of the disease. Many factors affect weight gain including:

• Nutrition
• Activity level
• Sleep issues  (lack of REM sleep, shift work, sleep apnea)
• Untreated mental health conditions (depression, ADHD, anxiety, stress, eating disorders)
• Medications
• Income, access to resources
• Other health conditions (chronic pain, PCOS, chronic disease, etc.)

In his presentation, Dr. Sharma asked the audience to start thinking differently about obesity and weight management. The success of obesity management should be measured by improvements to overall health and well being rather than the amount of weight loss. Success should not only be defined by numbers on a scale.  It was stressed that successful obesity management involves addressing all of the factors mentioned above.    The first step to success is stopping the weight gain itself.

Leduc Obesity Clinic

The Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network is proud to offer the area’s first weight management clinic. The Leduc Obesity Clinic (LOC) is a locally offered, medically supervised weight management clinic that offers patients, who are willing to make healthy lifestyle changes, a new treatment pathway for obesity management. Dr. Sharma’s thoughts and opinions form the foundation of the LOC. The clinic identifies underlying factors to obesity management and offers evidence-based treatment plans through our interdisciplinary team. The LOC provides patients with regular group medical appointments and classes and regular appointments with team members. The team consists of a medial physician, two registered nurses, two registered dietitians, a registered psychologist and registered pharmacist, an exercise specialist and administrative assistant.

For more information on the Leduc Obesity Clinic and to find out how to access it, please visit our website at www.lbdpcn.com

References:

Alberta Health Services 

Alberta Health Services - Obesity Initiative

Alberta Health Services - CDM Resource Centre

Canadian Obesity Network 

Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines 

Dr. Sharma

LBD PCN Registered Dietitian Andrea Shackel

LBD PCN Chronic Disease Management Coordinator Christina Vesty

Diabetes Myths and Facts - Medication

There is no such thing as "borderline diabetes" - myth or fact?

Fact - Either you have diabetes or you do not.  When you hear the word ‘borderline’, it is referring to a new term, called pre-diabetes.  This means that your blood sugars are higher than someone without diabetes but not as high as some one with diabetes.  You may not have any signs of high sugars, such as increased thirst and urination, but it is a warning sign. You can prevent the onset of diabetes by making lifestyle changes.

Starting insulin means you have failed to take care of your diabetes properly - myth or fact?

Myth - Needing insulin does not mean that you have failed to manage your diabetes.  If you have Type 2 diabetes and your blood sugars are slowly creeping up despite your best efforts, insulin may be the next step in treating your diabetes.

Since type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease, over time, your pancreas is just not able to keep up with your body's need for insulin—no matter what you've done to manage your diabetes. If you have done your best to make healthy lifestyle changes and you are taking all your medications correctly and your blood sugars continue to increase, insulin is often the next logical step for treating diabetes. Eating right and regular exercise will continue to be important, but medication needs change over time.

Many people with type 2 diabetes eventually need treatment with insulin. The longer a person has type 2 diabetes, the more likely they will have to start insulin treatment at some point.  Recent research shows that starting insulin early or in a timely manner means that you are less likely to experience some of the complications associated with uncontrolled blood sugars.

Taking herbal products from a Naturopath is okay since it is a natural product - myth or fact?

Myth - About 30% of people with diabetes will try some type of natural products to help manage their diabetes.  Natural does not mean that they are safe.  Many products have resulted in side effects and drug interactions.  This is because they have not been studied or have limited clinical trial data to support their safety.  Some that have been studied were found to contain contaminants.  If you are planning to take a herbal remedy, make sure you check with your pharmacist or your doctor to make sure it is safe for you to take in combination with your prescribed medications.

Nandini Desai is a Registered Pharmacist and Certified Diabetes Educator at the Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network.

For more information on diabetes, please visit the Canadian Diabetes Association website.

Medication Management Tips for Seniors

Seniors consume 28 to 40 per cent of all prescription medications in Canada and on average, geriatric patients have six co-existing conditions.  Of particular concern is inappropriate use of these medications and drug related problems which result in a high burden on the health care system.

Here are 10 basic tips that can help to reduce the risk of medication errors:

1. Check the label of each prescription to verify that the proper medication was received.

2. When possible, keep all medication in original containers.

3. Never double up on the next dose to make up for a missed dose. Call your pharmacists for guidance as the medication will determine the next step.

4. If possible, fill all prescriptions at the same pharmacy.

5. Do not share or take another person’s medications, even if they have the same problems as you do.

6. If you purchase an over the counter medication (non-prescription medication), always consult with the pharmacist to make sure which one is safe to take. 

7. Keep a list of all medications on hand.  Keep this list current and make sure to include any drug allergies, the name of your doctor and the name of a contact person in case of emergencies.

8. Store medications out of the reach of children. Do not store in the bathroom or where they may be exposed to light, heat or humidity.

9. The best way to get rid of expired and unused pills is to return them to the pharmacy for safe disposal.

10. Check expiry dates of over the counter (non prescription) medications.

~ Nandini Desai, Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network Pharmacist and Certified Diabetes Educator