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By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
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Colds are a viral infection so giving antibiotics will not prevent a bacterial infection should that occur. If you can't afford a Dr visit you can call and talk to his nurse requesting instructions. many hospitals have nurse help lines ready to give advice
No matter what you do--or don't do--there is risk. If you don't give them antibiotics a cold can easily turn into pneumonia. If you do give them antibiotics for the first signs of cold that can cause resistance and there is the possibility of getting c. diff diarrhea. I think a lot of elderly get more confused with a cold because of body aches and they can't communicate that. Maybe giving them tylenol every 8 hours may help...but even tyenol has risks but so does wandering and falling due to body aches. No..nothing you can do is safe. I get pretty bad body aches when I catch a cold so imagine how an elderly person feels.
Everyone gets colds and is at risk of the flu and have their own deeply ingrained ideas of the right treatment and preventive measures so I will leave it at that. What I will say is educate yourself and read the labels so you don't overdose on things like Tylenol, Asprin Advil etc and beware that combination narcotics such as Vicodin also contain Tylenol so be aware of the max daily dose allowed. Overuse of antibiotics is known to cause resistance so again caution is essential.
ferris1 the Z Pack has had major warnings now due to causing heart problems, please do a search on it and read them all. veronica, my Mom never had pneumonia hence the quick treatment of antibiotics if she shows any signs of a cold. So far so good!
Along with the chicken soup, TLC, gargling with salt water, and lots of fluids as mentioned above, we use saline nasal spray. Basically it is salt water which helps to dry up the nasal drip. No other medication is in the nasal spray.
Yes, my husband has a standing order for a Z-pack to take so he won't get pneumonia. And the FDA has put a warning on Tylenol which is all acetaminophen over-the-counter meds (includes Excedrin & Advil) warning of liver damage, especially in the elderly. You too can subscribe to the FDA.gov website.
Flu vaccines are not good for the elderly no matter what the doctor says, okay? If taken long enough, they can cause all kinds of permanent damage to the body. Also Tylenol causes liver failure even though the FDA refuses to put a black box warning on the label. What I have discovered is that MOST if not ALL prescribed drugs severely weaken the immune system and it is the immune system that is really responsible for improving health. Nourish the immune system with the proper foods and supplements and you will not have to depend on toxic drugs.
Call the MD, he may want to hold some medications. Antibiotics won't help the common cold. If he has high blood pressure, ask the pharmacist what cold meds are safe with the meds he is on. Remember: Feed a cold, starve a fever. Vitamin C with zinc comes in liquids or chews, give him some. Chicken soup is always good especially homemade with carrots/onion/celery.
If he is taking other medications and you want to give him something to soothe a cough or sore throat check with his pharmacist to make sure it won't react with any prescription meds he is taking. if he starts to cough up green or bloody sputum he should be seen by a Dr ASAP. If you use any herbal supliments be sure they also do not adversely interact with prescription meds. Tylenol can be given to reduce a fever. honey and lemon in hot water is very soothing to the throat. Inhaling the steam from a bowl of hot water helps with congestion. Make sure dad is up to date with his flu and pneumonia shots. he only needs the pneumonia every ten years but the flu is annual A simple cold can turn into a very serious illness in the frail elderly.
There is no medication that will cure a cold. Do not give him anything with an antihistamine in it as it blocks acetylecholine which he needs to have (it is a neurotransmitter in the brain). Lots of hot chicken soup has great research behind it, lots of sleep and wait. Seven to ten days is the typical duration. Antibiotics will not help a virus, but if he has a sinus infection that would. Talk to his doctor. Stay well and get a flu vaccine.
I agree with alot of previous answers. One point I do need to add and not to scare you, that you have to keep watch for any change of behavior. If you find you dad behavior change liked he may think his mom/dad alive etc, thats the sign of dehydration and infection such as pneumomia. He must go to hospital immediatly or speak to his doctor right away. Plently of fluids is best to treat his cold and by the end of the week, he will be good as new.
I swear by Emergencee, a high dose of various vitamins in packets when added to water fizzes. It has worked on three of us and seriously shortened the length of a cold.
My mother's blood pressure is dong a lot better than it was while she was on HBP pills (mostly beta blockers). It is much lower and more stable. Even her lab work is better now that she takes NO toxic prescription drugs. You have to remember that the US medical system is the THIRD leading cause of death (Starfield Study, JAMA, 2000) and that over 100,000 people die every year due to taking drugs as prescribed by their doctors. This is what I keep in mind at all times and this is why it is so easy for me to question and distrust all prescribed drugs.
I understand kona's view - before now I have torn my hair out in front of our family doctor and pleaded with him JUST ONCE can we have a remedy that doesn't create more problems than it solves? And we're lucky to have an excellent doctor, one who takes the time to explain and to sympathise, and who doesn't tinker lightly with my mother's fragile mechanisms.
But, kona, how's your mother's blood pressure now? What I'm getting at is: yes, the home environment is much safer when it comes to avoiding infection; yes, we know and care more about our relatives than professionals ever can; and yes we're free to disagree with professional advice - but be very careful before you act against it. Don't let the NH's lousy communication skills lead you to distrust all conventional medicine.
Most elderly people suffer from dehydration. As Eddie says above, plenty of fluids is always good for colds. Also a number of supplements like Vitamin C help. But in order for all of these natural remedies to work, you need to check to see that any drugs that your dad is taking may not be contributing to the problem. When my mom was on HBP pills, she developed a very serious sounding cough. We thought it was a cold but the nursing home that she was in (she no longer is there, we took her home) kept ignoring our concerns. We later found out that they kept ignoring our concerns because they knew that the HBP pills were the cause of her cough. Once we had our mom home and stopped all of her drugs and switched her to a number of supplements including supplements to improve her immune system, etc, the coughing cleared up and she doesn't catch colds anymore.
Homemade chicken soup, creamy soups and broths, plenty of fluids, and an extra dose of love. I'm not a doctor, but you know what they say about colds: "Treat it, it lasts 7 days. Leave it alone, it lasts a week." More pills aren't the best answer, but you can treat the symptoms with natural remedies that are right in your own home.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
veronica, my Mom never had pneumonia hence the quick treatment of antibiotics if she shows any signs of a cold. So far so good!
But, kona, how's your mother's blood pressure now? What I'm getting at is: yes, the home environment is much safer when it comes to avoiding infection; yes, we know and care more about our relatives than professionals ever can; and yes we're free to disagree with professional advice - but be very careful before you act against it. Don't let the NH's lousy communication skills lead you to distrust all conventional medicine.