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By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Mostly Independent
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An area of great concern is teen age suicides, drugs in medicine chests left unattended and available to those who intend to do harm to themselves. Be certain of a safety program and leave the temptation without product. I would like to recommend a sure safety disposal product simple and easy to use. Mallinckrodt Medication Disposal System, a division of Verde Technologies.
I share pertinent articles to my circle of influence assuming sound minds read them ;) I have a lovely elderly neighbor who sees me as her companion and allows me to partner with her wellness and personal care so we go through hers bottles and I explain the above reasoning as we sort them. She, like most seniors is very reluctant to throw away what her money has paid for, but understands the expiry logic. My Mom has Alzheimer's so I have to go through her bottles while she's elsewhere and dispose of them discreetly or she'd be taking rancid oils, spoiled liquids, and storing them on top the fridge or in the windowsill. My goal is to respectfully support these dear ladies health while protecting their best interest.
I used to work with a company that produced biologicals which are less stable than pharmaceuticals and often of variable potency. Expiration dates were based upon stability studies. Some products probably started losing some potency even before the expiration dates while others retained it past them. I sometimes had to handle calls from clinics asking about potency a short time after the expiration date, and I had to be very careful about what I said due to liability issues, usually stating that "we cannot guarantee stability after the expiration date" although the stability obviously didn't "fall off a cliff" at midnight. In that company we had a pharmacist with whom I had a discussion on potency of pharmaceuticals, and she mentioned that most retain their potency past the expiration date (with insulin being an important exception along with a couple others). I would expect common sense to play a part--e.g., expiration date last week as opposed to 10 months ago for a product having a date a year from purchase. Often a physician can provide some insight--I remember one indicating that it "doesn't matter" for a particular item whose expiration date was almost a year earlier. Essentially all items have dates stamped on them due to FDA requirements, even if they are as stable as table salt.
For many OTC items and certain prescription items such as a topical cream, one uses only a small portion and use is discontinued after the malady has resolved. When I visited Taiwan about 35 years ago, a friend needed an antacid tablet, and he was able to purchase just one pill from the pharmacy! I thought this was a great idea that would save money and also reduce the problem of "leftover" medications. I suspect the bureaucracy involved would prevent such an option in America.
Ask your doctor - some medications never go bad - pain pills last almost forever. Some heart medications can expire - but only your doctor or pharmacist would know. The VA has told me that most often you have an extra year after the date on the bottle. Most often.
I would say yes, bundle up in a sealed plastic bag. Not sure how the Pharmacy would dispose of them but better to slowly dissolve in a landfill than our waterways. If your septic is occasionally pumped; how is the wastewater disposed of? I would think landfill is still safer for all of us.
Why take the risk? Bundle old, unwanted meds into a sealed bag, put them in a safe place and just take them with you next time you go to a pharmacy - it doesn't even have to be the one you originally obtained them from. Then the environmental question won't even arise.
If you flush ANY meds you are POISONING the environment. I don't care what the FDA says is safe to flush. If you do then you are giving all those meds eventually to the water that others will consume and aquatic life live in. We have far too many toxins in the water already!
I have scant sympathy for anyone who takes expired medication and then grumbles that it doesn't work. Be sensible. Yes, "Big Pharma" does like to maximise its profits, and erring on the side of caution helps that aim. Nevertheless, it's up to you - you can stay within the guidelines or not, as you please, just don't say they didn't tell you.
Oh, and if you still have leftover prescribed medication hanging around the medicine cabinet after it's expired… you shouldn't have (though we've all done it, haven't we?). Take it back to the pharmacy, as you should have done at the time of the relevant illness, five years ago or whatever.
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By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Expired Medications: Are They Safe?
For many OTC items and certain prescription items such as a topical cream, one uses only a small portion and use is discontinued after the malady has resolved. When I visited Taiwan about 35 years ago, a friend needed an antacid tablet, and he was able to purchase just one pill from the pharmacy! I thought this was a great idea that would save money and also reduce the problem of "leftover" medications. I suspect the bureaucracy involved would prevent such an option in America.
Some heart medications can expire - but only your doctor or pharmacist would know.
The VA has told me that most often you have an extra year after the date on the bottle. Most often.
Oh, and if you still have leftover prescribed medication hanging around the medicine cabinet after it's expired… you shouldn't have (though we've all done it, haven't we?). Take it back to the pharmacy, as you should have done at the time of the relevant illness, five years ago or whatever.