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This is a class produced by the National Council on Aging.

What does the gift of time mean to you? What are your biggest obstacles in changing your behavior? Do you think that setting your own goals will help you keep more accountable?

If you want to make your post-retirement years another Great Chapter in your life, come join us for 8 weeks as we look at 6 dimensions of aging that we need to address to improve our quality of life, make great memories and leave a legacy of our time, talents and means to our loved ones.

On average, in our culture, seniors sleep 8-9 hrs. in a 24-hr. period, they spend 8 hrs. on leisure activities a day (4.5 hrs. spent on television or social media) and typically give only an hour to bettering themselves or others in a 24-hr. period.

Help us change those statistics!

Let’s set some goals, work on self-improvement and see what happens as we walk through this journey together!

If you have never taken a class like this, we challenge you to try it! You will be inspired to try new things, make new habits and most of all be encouraged to – GET OUT OF THAT RECLINER!

Register today! Deadline for registering is : April 9^th
Class Dates: Wednesdays, April 16^th – June 4^th
Time: 2-3:30 p.m.
Classes held at St. Elizabeths Hospital (Sister Gerina Room)
Cost: $60 (This includes the AMP materials)
Call: 507-285-5272

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Family care partners are providing around 45 percent of complex medical care for care receivers in the home setting. Caregiving responsibilities can be demanding such as medication management, wound care management and managing special medical diets. Education is helpful to reduce anxiety regarding providing complex care, such as medication management. The more knowledge the care partner has about performing a task, the better the task can be performed leading to better outcomes for the care receiver. Care partners should feel empowered to ask questions regarding medications and what resources are available to them to better take care of the care receiver.

When a person is discharged from the hospital or nursing home it is likely medications have changed. There may be new medications, medications that have had a dose change or medications that have been stopped all together. Knowing what medications have changed is important for the care partner to know. Comparing a previous medication list from prior to hospitalization to a list provided at the time discharge can be helpful in knowing the difference. When the patient leaves the hospital or skilled nursing facility a nurse will review the discharge medication list with the patient and the care partner. This is an opportune time to review each medication in detail and ask questions. Simple organizational methods such as a pill box or more advanced technologies have proven effective resources for medication management.

New medications, at the time of discharge, will need to be sent to the pharmacy. The pharmacist is an excellent resource for any questions regarding how medication works, when it should be given, how it should be given and what negative side effects to look for. The pharmacist is an exceptional resource for concerns regarding cost of medications. The pharmacist and ordering prescriber should work collaboratively to address concerns about the cost of medication. Many times, alternative medications at lower cost are an option.

Enlisting a home health care nurse can provide ease of medication management. Having a nurse come into the home to review medications and set up a pill box can alleviate much stress from family care partners. This is also an opportune time to be able to ask questions about the medications.

Any time the patient is discharged from the hospital or skilled nursing facility, a follow-up appointment with their primary care provider should be arranged. Between the time of discharge and follow-up appointment with the primary care provider, often, questions arise. If the question is considered urgent, contacting the primary care provider’s office via phone call or by utilizing an online patient portal, are both good options. Creating a list of questions to discuss with the primary care provider at the time of appointment, is helpful to ensure nothing is forgotten.

Family care partners should feel empowered to:

• Ask questions about what medications have been stopped, are new or are changed at the time of discharge.
• Use an organizational method for medication management.
• Engage with the local pharmacist to ask questions about medications.
• Use home health care services to help ease care partner duties.
• Ensure follow-up with the care receiver’s primary care provider to ask questions.

Briefly, a care partner is vital to the ongoing health of a care receiver. The more knowledge the care partner has, the more effective they will be at providing care. The care partner is an important part of the care team, and as such, should feel empowered to ask questions and engage with their healthcare team.

-Abby LeVasseur, Nurse Practitioner- Geriatric Specialty Certified

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