Category Archives: News

Mosquitoes now spreading Zika virus in the U.S.

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Source: Mosquitoes now spreading Zika virus in US, officials warn – National | Globalnews.ca

According to US health officials, mosquitoes have begun spreading the Zika virus in the U.S.  Thus far, four individuals have been infected in the Miami area.  Although no mosquitoes have actually been found in Florida that carry the virus, other means of transmitting the virus have been ruled out in these four cases.  Therefore, as Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, “Zika is now here.”  Click here to read more about Zika virus in the U.S.

Could Painkillers be Reducing More Than Our Pain?

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tylenol

Have you noticed that you have become less empathetic? Are you feeling less compassion and sympathy towards others? While some might attribute this to societal issues such as our fast-paced world, and our way of being which may be seen as self-centered and self-focused, there may be another factor that needs to be considered; namely, the common pain medication we might be taking.

According to researchers at Ohio State University, acetaminophen, the main ingredient found in Tylenol, can reduce one’s empathy. As explained by Dominik Mischkowski, the author of the study,

Ultimately, these effects will need to be studied in patients who are actively experiencing pain, but they suggest that a patient taking acetaminophen may have less empathy for the sufferings and troubles of his or her child, spouse or coworker

Click here to continue reading.

Curbside Consultations – Learning From and With Each Other

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curbside consultationThe following was written and submitted by the Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics (AUA) project team.

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Long-term care (LTC) sites often wait months for expert consultation on very challenging responsive behaviours (or send the person to hospital). Last November we experimented by throwing out an open invitation to our LTC contacts to help out with a case study from North zone. There were many insightful suggestions from more than 30 callers (and no one said, “Have you thought of adding more drugs?”) We wrote the case study and ideas into a report and shared with the sites. Curbside consultations have grown in popularity with 30 – 50 callers (some representing groups of up to 10 staff members) at noon and 2 pm on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. This is helping residents and staff get more timely help, is educating and empowering staff to try new ideas, and has the potential to take some pressure off the very stretched mental health consultants.

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Click here to learn about the AUA team and their initiatives.

Does morphine make chronic nerve pain worse?

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When a person takes a painkiller, the assumption is that the pain will decrease in intensity. This is particularly true when the medicine taken is morphine. However, a recent study indicates that morphine may actually make chronic nerve pain worse. Why might this be the case? According to Dr. Peter Grace, an Australian neuroscientist at the University of Colorado and co-author of the study, “It seems morphine works quite well initially, but as the immune system ramps up, this starts to oppose the pain-relieving properties of morphine and morphine starts to induce pain in its own right.” Click here to read more.

Can A Hospital Tell A Doctor To Stop Talking About Abortion?

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Diane Horvath-Cosper, an obstetrician and gynecologist, filed a complaint against a Washington, D.C., hospital after being instructed that she must stop saying that she does abortions. The hospital cites safety as the reason for their request but might other factors be involved? Read the article to find out.

Primary Health Care in Canada – Indicator Results

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Released in April 2016, this free CIHI document may be of interest to you. “Based on the 2012 Pan-Canadian Primary Health Care Indicator Update Report, this chartbook profiles the results from a selected group of primary health care (PHC) indicators, using a range of data sources, with the aim of providing an integrated view of PHC information in Canada.” Download the document here

Continuing Care & Community Living Expo 2016

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On Thursday, April 21st, the Continuing Care & Community Living – Expo 2016 was held in Calgary. This event, sponsored by Alberta Health Services and Covenant Heath, focused on introducing individuals and their families to new initiatives, opportunities and technologies relating to independence and aging.

Below are some tweets that @aircalgary sent while attending Expo 2016.

If you were unable to attend the Continuing Care & Community Living – Expo 2016 in Calgary, you have a chance to do so on Friday, May 6th in Edmonton, Alberta. As was the case in Calgary, admission and parking are FREE. To learn more about the event, including the topics that will be addressed, click on the image below.

Expo2016