Florida Injury Prevention Programs for Seniors (FLIPS)

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Florida Injury Prevention Programs for Seniors
(FLIPS)

• Senior Poison, Medication, and Food Safety

Professional Module
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Overview of FLIPS

• Professionalsphysical therapists, health
  educators, nurses, practitioners, researchers,
  etc.
• Focusfall prevention fire safety and poison
  prevention - medication and food safety
• Satellite groups
• Janet LehmanFLIPS coordinator in DOEA. Email
  lehmanji_at_elderaffairs.org

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The Facts Are Seniors Beyond The Risk of a
Poisoning Incident?

• Poison gets in the body through inhalation or
  contact with the mouth, skin, and/or eyes
• Annually in America, 80,000 seniors are poisoned
  by

• organisms in food
• bites and stings
• medications
• substances of abuse

• chemicals
• plants
• home and personal products

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Poison Trivia

• Which is the most dangerous product for a child
  to swallow?
• Calamine lotion
• Laundry bleach (5 chlorine)
• Arthritis pain relief ointment (with oil of
  wintergreen)
• Answer?

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Poison Trivia contd

• Which is the most dangerous for a child to
  swallow?
• 1 prescription pill for diabetes
• pencil lead
• 1 cigarette butt
• Answer?

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Poison Trivia contd

• Which is the most dangerous for a child to
  swallow?
• 10 childrens Tylenol
• 1 Verapamil tablet
• A gulp of hydrogen peroxide
• Answer?

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Prevention Education

• Why do seniors need to know about poison safety?
• To protect themselves.
• The most common poisons for Florida seniors are
  medications, household poisons, and organisms in
  food.
• To protect their loved ones.

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Causes of Medication Poisoning

• Interaction from multiple prescription drugs
• Over-the-counter or herbal interactions
• Taking another persons drugs
• Vision or reading difficulties

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Causes of Medication Poisoning contd

• Sensitivity to drugs (allergies)
• Poor liver and/or kidney function
• No reminder system for taking medications
• Self-adjusting drug dosages

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Lack of Dosing Schedule

• 60 of seniors on anti-hypertensives have no
  system for remembering their doses.
• Results
• missed doses
• doubled doses
• erratic drug levels
• side effects

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Teaching Medication Safety

• Create a designated place for seniors to take
  medications such as
• well-lighted areas
• child-proof caps and cabinets
• check-off schedules
• note pads and pens to record problems or side
  effects

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Poison Resources

• Who provides reliable information about
  medications?
• Physicians
• Pharmacists
• The Poison Control Center

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Causes of Household Poisonings

• Look-alikes
• Storing non-food items next to food
• Storing chemicals in drink bottles
• Mixing cleaners

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Causes of Household Poisonings

• Using cleaners without gloves or ventilation
• Leaving poisons in easy to reach places
• Child-resistant containers or latches not in use
• Storing water in containers other than water
  containers

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Safe Product Storage

• Store in original container
• Store in a secured location
• Store poisons away from food
• Use child resistant containers or cabinet latches
• Follow directions when using products
• Rinse and dry when adding a second cleaner

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Who To Call For Help?

• For non-emergencies, call the companys toll-free
  number on the label.
• For exposure to a product (fumes inhaled, spilled
  on skin, sprayed in eyes, swallowed) call the
  Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.
• For life-threatening emergencies, call 911.

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Causes of Food Poisoning

• Germs carried on dirty hands
• Certain plants, fruits, seeds, and roots

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Causes of Food Borne Illness

• Cross-contamination during food preparation
• Improper cooking or storage of food
• Eating spoiled food or contaminated meats and fish

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Food Safety

• Wash hands using lots of friction
• Wwarm
• Aand
• Ssoapy
• Hhappy birthday
• Wash dishes and utensils after contact with raw
  meat or eggs.
• Sanitize food preparation surfaces monthly with
  bleach water let air-dry.
• Keep hot food hot and cold food cold.

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Types of Food Borne Illness

• Gastrointestinal symptoms
• Campylobacter, Salmonella, Staphylococcus,
  Escherichia coli, Clostridium botulism
• mild nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and cramps
• Neurological symptoms
• botulism or fish poisonings
• paralysis, tremors, paresthesias, dysphagia, and
  headache
• Flu-like symptoms
• Streptococcus, Listeria
• fever, rash, sore throat, and headache

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Food Borne Illness Resources

• For treatment advice, call the Poison Center at
  1-800-222-1222.
• To report a restaurant or grocery store with bad
  food, call your county health department.
• For instructions about safe food preparation or
  healthy cooking, call your county cooperative
  extension program.

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First AidEyes

• For imbedded objects or glue stuck to eyes
• do not remove, go to the emergency room.
• For liquids, sprays, or splashes in the eye
• rinse affected eye with saline or tap water for
  15 minutes.
• rest closed eye and apply cool compress for
  15 minutes.
• if still symptomatic, seek medical attention.

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First AidInhaled Poisons

• Call 9-1-1 for severe symptoms.
• Separate the person from the poison.
• move him or her into fresh air.
• if unable to move him or her, increase
  ventilation and remove toxins from the area, if
  possible.
• call the Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 for
  further instructions.

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First AidPoisons On The Skin

• Separate the person from the poison.
• While protecting yourself, remove the affected
  clothing.
• Rinse affected area with water.
• Wash with soap and water if necessary.
• Call the Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 for
  further instructions.

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First AidSwallowed Poisons

• Brush solid particles off the mouth.
• As possible, rinse the mouth to dilute
  corrosives.
• If the person is alert, offer sips of water.
• If no respiratory difficulty or vomiting,
  continue to offer sips of water.
• Call the Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 for
  further instructions.

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First AidMisconceptions

• Milk is the preferred antidote.
• Butter should be applied to chemical
  burns.
• All victims must be made to vomit.
• Stick your fingers in the back of persons throat
  to induce vomiting.
• Mix up the universal antidote burned toast, tea,
  Maalox.
• Walk the person and give him or her coffee.

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Syrup of Ipecac

• Contraindications
• child less than1 year of age
• non-toxic product was ingested
• ingestion occurred more than 1 hour ago
• the ingested product was corrosive, an alcohol,
  or hydrocarbon
• a rapid-acting poison was ingested
• the person is going to the hospital for treatment
• Call the Poison Center before use.

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The Poison Center Hotline[phone]

• Provides advice after poisoning occurs.
• Answers question to help prevent poisonings.
• Most poisonings can be managed at home with help
  from the Poison Control Center.
• It is a free and confidential service.
• Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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Additional Resources

• For food safety information, call
• Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555
• For poison information, go to these websites
• Florida Poison Information Center in Jacksonville
• Florida Poison Information Center in Tampa
• American Association of Poison Control Centers