Through a chance meeting at a Borders bookstore, I was invited to attend a Family Services of Metro Orlando Community Connection Tour meeting. This was a get acquainted networking meeting for an assortment of attendees from the community. We learned about the various services the agency provides and their needs for assistance to make their efforts reach further.
This is a non-profit agency of dedicated social workers, who are working with kids and families in crisis. They provide the whole gamut - everything from finding foster homes and adoptive parents to enlisting the skills of a lady who enjoys scrapbooking to help them tell their story. Those who attend these monthly meetings are asked to help Family Services spread the word about the agency and possibly find others who can also contribute time, talent, and resources. This was an excellent example of the value of "viral marketing".
We also learned that FSMO exists because every year in Florida:
* more than 58,000 children are abused or neglected.
* nearly 30,000 children receive out-of-home care.
* more than 23,000 teenage girls give birth.
* nearly 40 percent of children live in households headed by single parents.
* child abuse rates exceed national averages and federal standards.
There are so many ways to get involved and you can help in very small ways as well. Even a little bit of involvement can make a major difference. You may not be able to bring peace to the world or solve the problems in health care, but everyone has what it takes to make a difference in a child's life - and who knows what a difference that could make...??!!
I DARE YOU TO CONTACT this group! You will be impressed, and you will want to do what you can to make positive things happen. Guaranteed!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Truth - or Consequences?
If you don't tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" about your symptoms or your condition, it's extremely difficult for your doctor to treat you properly.
I'm sure we have all slanted our answers to medical questions from time to time, but the consequences of doing that can be quite serious in some cases. So why would any sane person do it?
I knew one 60-yr old female cardiac patient who was otherwise very honest and trustworthy, but she nearly died because she was not being truthful with her doctors. She had very high blood pressure, which was seemingly uncontrollable. Because she only weighed about 90 lbs soaking wet, she ALWAYS took half the dose of any new prescription, but she never told anyone what she was doing. (For some reason, she thought she knew more about proper dosing than her doctors!)
This practice caught up with her one day! Her pressure was dangerously high, so the doctor DOUBLED her dose... thinking the previous dose wasn't high enough to be effective. In fact she had only been taking a half-dose. She felt a little guilty about her deception and became concerned about a possible stroke; so for once, she took the dose just as he prescribed. Well, I'll help you do the math.
From 1/2 a dose to a double dose was really about 4 times what she had been taking. Needless to say, her B/P dropped dramatically and she passed out. Luckily, she was a receptionist in a nursing home and her co-workers were right there to save her from herself. If this had happened at home, the lady would probably not have survived.
Here's an interesting blog piece about patients who lie to their doctors. These are mainly bipolar patients, but this misinformation problem can affect nearly everyone.
Most patients will swear that they are taking their medications exactly as the doctor prescribed, but they know better. Have you ever done that? It is a known fact that we are only about 50% compliant. Sometimes it's because we think we're more adherent than we really are, or sometimes it's because we just don't want the doctor to know we've been "naughty"! In either instance, it's not good for the doctor or the patient to work with the wrong information. It can have disastrous results.
But who or what are we trying to protect? Our self esteem? Not likely when we know we're being dishonest! Or is this some parent/child need to avoid punishment - such as a stop-smoking treatment plan that we don't want to follow, or a diet or exercise regimen, or whatever...???
In any case, honesty is the best policy when your health is concerned. Even if you have to come clean and admit to the doctor you have no intentions of doing what he just ordered. You've always had trouble cutting down on salt, have never been able to diet, and can't afford the time or money to go to a gym. At least he'll know what he's up against, and there may be other options, which you can both agree on... honestly!.
Plus you won't have the added guilt of knowing you're lying on top of everything, which could possibly do yourself more harm.
I'm a health care professional, and I can "honestly" say that I have not been totally honest at times. There - I've admitted it and I feel much better now. ; D
I'm sure we have all slanted our answers to medical questions from time to time, but the consequences of doing that can be quite serious in some cases. So why would any sane person do it?
I knew one 60-yr old female cardiac patient who was otherwise very honest and trustworthy, but she nearly died because she was not being truthful with her doctors. She had very high blood pressure, which was seemingly uncontrollable. Because she only weighed about 90 lbs soaking wet, she ALWAYS took half the dose of any new prescription, but she never told anyone what she was doing. (For some reason, she thought she knew more about proper dosing than her doctors!)
This practice caught up with her one day! Her pressure was dangerously high, so the doctor DOUBLED her dose... thinking the previous dose wasn't high enough to be effective. In fact she had only been taking a half-dose. She felt a little guilty about her deception and became concerned about a possible stroke; so for once, she took the dose just as he prescribed. Well, I'll help you do the math.
From 1/2 a dose to a double dose was really about 4 times what she had been taking. Needless to say, her B/P dropped dramatically and she passed out. Luckily, she was a receptionist in a nursing home and her co-workers were right there to save her from herself. If this had happened at home, the lady would probably not have survived.
Here's an interesting blog piece about patients who lie to their doctors. These are mainly bipolar patients, but this misinformation problem can affect nearly everyone.
Most patients will swear that they are taking their medications exactly as the doctor prescribed, but they know better. Have you ever done that? It is a known fact that we are only about 50% compliant. Sometimes it's because we think we're more adherent than we really are, or sometimes it's because we just don't want the doctor to know we've been "naughty"! In either instance, it's not good for the doctor or the patient to work with the wrong information. It can have disastrous results.
But who or what are we trying to protect? Our self esteem? Not likely when we know we're being dishonest! Or is this some parent/child need to avoid punishment - such as a stop-smoking treatment plan that we don't want to follow, or a diet or exercise regimen, or whatever...???
In any case, honesty is the best policy when your health is concerned. Even if you have to come clean and admit to the doctor you have no intentions of doing what he just ordered. You've always had trouble cutting down on salt, have never been able to diet, and can't afford the time or money to go to a gym. At least he'll know what he's up against, and there may be other options, which you can both agree on... honestly!.
Plus you won't have the added guilt of knowing you're lying on top of everything, which could possibly do yourself more harm.
I'm a health care professional, and I can "honestly" say that I have not been totally honest at times. There - I've admitted it and I feel much better now. ; D
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