Medical Hints

Archive for the ‘Addiction’ Category

Entering an assisted living facility can be a scary experience. There are so many preconceived notions out there about assisted living facilities that when it comes time for you to enter one it can be very scary. One of the most common concerns expressed by those entering an assisted living facility is what will happen when it comes to their medical care.

Nothing is more important to an elderly person than their medical care. Unfortunately when it comes to understanding about the type of medical care that a person receives while in an assisted living facility this is where the most inaccurate type of information is.

To clear up some of the confusion behind receiving medical care while in an assisted living facility center here are two facts about assisted living centers and health care that many people do not know about.

You can chose your own doctor. Many people believe that you have to use the assisted living facilities appointed doctor. That is not true. You have the right to see whatever doctor you wish, whether they are associated with the assisted living center or not. However, if the doctor will not come to the assisted living center you might have to arrange for your own transportation to get to the doctor’s office.

You are not completely responsible for your own medical treatments. Many people worry that when they enter an assisted living facility they are still responsible for their own medical treatments such as taking pills or administering shots. Assisted living centers encourage you to take charge of this type of care but they will monitor your health care so that you don’t forget to take a pill or give yourself an important shot. The medical staff is there as a bit of a buffer in case you should forget something important.

Prescription painkillers are one of the most common addictions in modern America. These addictions often start out in entirely reasonable and honest ways. A patient will have an intense injury or surgery, and will be given a prescription for a powerful pain killer. After consistent use, however, many of the stronger opiate based painkillers will give patients withdrawal symptoms. Patients will then often turn to the drug to alleviate these symptoms or cope with other life issues. Medical practitioners are now put in a difficult position, since knowing when to prescribe medications and how much to prescribe can be difficult.

A doctor, because of their unique position of trust, must assume that patients are being honest about conditions and symptoms that they describe. While there is a risk that patients are lying in order to get medications, ignoring the complaints may lead to worsening a patient’s condition and getting involved in a sticky medical malpractice lawsuit. On the other hand, the amounts that are prescribed by doctors are often more than is necessary. They are so high that a large number of deaths occur each year due to accidental pain killer overdose.

Some state that the most appropriate method is to avoid these highly addicting drugs when at all possible. The opiate based pain killers like hydrocodone and oxycodone are closely related to heroin and other powerful opiums that are far more notorious for their addictive properties, which is something that many patients may not realize. Still, many circumstances require that a patient either suffer immense pain or risk the possibility of addiction through high powered prescription drugs.

Pain killers are not the only drug prone to abuse in this way. Tranquillizers, steroids, and sleeping pills all see overprescription and overuse, and carry with them the possibility for permanent physical damage, addiction, and even death. While responsibility should largely fall on the consumer, there is also a growing push for general practitioners to educate their patients on the risks of drugs more thoroughly, and provide less addictive alternatives, as well as lower dosages.