Product Recalls of interest to Senior Citizens

Every Thursday we bring you the latest recalls posted. Subscribe to our blog to get these weekly notifications and other useful information.

Jonathans Sprouts Recalls Alfalfa Sprouts because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Consumers who have purchased Jonathans Sprouts products containing alfalfa sprouts with sell-by date 4/23 are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 508-763-2577. Get more info here.

Ortho-McNeil Neurologics Voluntarily Recalls Two Lots of TOPAMAX®
Ortho-McNeil Neurologics Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced it is voluntarily recalling two lots of TOPAMAX® (topiramate) 100mg Tablets. These two lots were shipped between 10/19/2010 and 12/28/2010 and distributed in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. While the recall encompasses approximately 57,000 bottles of TOPAMAX®, the company believes there are fewer than 6,000 bottles remaining in the marketplace. The recall stems from four consumer reports of an uncharacteristic odor thought to be caused by trace amounts of TBA (2,4,6 tribromoanisole).
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm251515.htm

ADP Recalls to Repair Unit Heaters Due to Fire Hazard
Sold at: ADP dealers and distributors nationwide from September 2003 through April 2011 for between $2,700 and $4,200.  Consumers should stop using these recalled heaters immediately. Consumers should contact ADP to schedule an inspection and, if necessary, repair of the heater. For additional information, contact ADP toll-free at (866) 303-8634 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website at www.adpnow.com.

Ground turmeric sold under Target's Archer Farms brand name has been recalled nationwide because of elevated levels of lead. The lot numbers and best-by dates involved in the recall are 1740901A, 6/23/11; 2180902A, 8/6/11; 2780906A, 10/5/11; 2920903A, 10/19/11; 3060903A, 11/2/11; and 0071003A, 1/7/12.

Consumers in possession of this voluntarily recalled product may return it to the store at which you purchased it. Consumers or media with questions should contact B&M, Inc. at 1-877-321-5852 (Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm CST) or contact Target Guest Relations toll-free at (800) 316-6151. 

Long-Term Care Plan for Aging Americans

A recent article in the US News titled, 5 Reasons You Need A Long-Term Care Plan, talks about aging older Americans' need for long-term care assistance. Here are my thoughts on this matter.

Past marketing efforts by insurers to get people to think about, let alone purchase, long-term insurance have failed miserably; hence, the low number of those who have coverage today. Probably lacking the research to intelligently market to a rapidly growing segment of the population (Boomers who would have been in their 30s, 40s even 50s), they instead focused too much energy on seniors nearing retirement where the payoff for agents was more immediate. But soon insurers found their payouts too often resulting in low profit margins. There are probably fewer than five long-term care companies left. Odds are more will leave the game for reasons of low returns.

Better medicine, more healthful foods and more exercise just make it all that much more urgent to come up with innovative programs and services that will help ease the pain for the next 20 years or so. As a company that deals with issues of wellness and health affecting Boomers and their parents, we at Senior Wellness Specialists have tried to reach out to a rapidly dwindling number of long-term care insurers such as Genworth to get them to consider suggestions that could save the country and individuals millions of dollars and at the same time let them profit reasonably. One such provision would have a much greater percentage of citizens carrying a policy that would allow them to maintain a healthy and engaged lifestyle in the comfort of their home. Universal Design changes are one such option.

Senior Care – Evaluating a Person’s Ability to “Safely Drive”

By Steven E. Reznick, M.D., FACP

Many of my elderly patients seem to take comfort in the fact that they “no longer drive at night,” or “only drive in the community.”  I am not certain that these self-imposed restrictions actually provide any major reduced risk or protective benefits. In Florida, with a lack of public access transportation, giving up your car is giving up your ability to get around.   It’s also perceived by most elderly as giving up their independence.

As part of a routine office visit, I’ll ask my elderly infirm patients “How did you get to the office today”? A common response is that they are still driving independently.  This same patient, who needs assistance getting up the building’s ramp and a 60 minute appointment just to get out of their clothes and into a gown for an examination, is guiding a 5,000 pound vehicle on the roads.

Unfortunately, there’s very little data available that provides guidelines as to when an elderly infirm person should stop driving.  There is even less data supplied by the State of Florida’s Department of Motor Vehicles.

It is clear that after a neurologic event such as a seizure or loss of consciousness there is a state mandated cooling off period before you are permitted back behind the wheel. It is less clear in an individual with diminished hearing, diminished  eyesight  and diminished flexibility whether they should be driving and how much?

Thus, I was pleased to learn that the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles and a local rehabilitation facility run a State supported Senior Adaptive Driving Program. Pine Crest Rehabilitation Hospital in Delray Beach runs a comprehensive driver evaluation and instruction program. It is far more individualized and comprehensive than the programs run for seniors by their auto insurance companies.

In the Program, trained professionals thoroughly evaluate the person’s abilities to safely drive and help adapt the vehicle to assist the senior. If the professionals say you are good to go then you are qualified and capable. If you are not qualified to drive, they begin the process of rescinding your license.

When patients’ children contact me with their concerns about their parents’ driving abilities I refer them for this evaluation all the time. I highly recommend it for those of you questioning your driving abilities or those of your elderly loved ones.

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Steven E. Reznick, M.D., FACP is a board certified internist, with added training in geriatrics, practicing concierge medicine in Boca Raton, Florida since 1979. He has been recognized by his peers as a “Best Doc” as published in Miami magazine and the Miami Herald.  For more info call 561.368.0191 or go to www.BocaConciergeDoc.com.  You can read Dr. Reznick’s acclaimed blog at http://bocaratonconciergedoctor.wordpress.com/.

Health Insurance Can Keep Seniors from Receiving Optimal Care

Consider yourself fortunate if you have Medicare or other non-HMO as your primary insurer. A leading cause of hospitalization of seniors, congestive heart failure (CHF) patients are being discharged before they have fully recovered from the illness. Medicare wants to make sure you stay healthy. It pays for treatments that get you up and functioning as independently as possible. Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO's) usually have provisions in their plans that limit hospital stays.

Sometimes it's more than just the heart and lungs that are affected, other organs like the kidneys are often compromised as well. That's why you have to know what your plan covers and for how long. The course of treatment and its duration are predetermined by an HMO. Statistics and other formulas are used; and very little or no consideration is given to you as an individual with specific needs. So if you don't get better in that time frame, you go home too soon and have to fend for yourself as best you can. Often, the results are tragic.

Many patients soon develop symptoms that got them hospitalized in the first place: water retention and subsequent swelling of body parts, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, etc. The regimen of pills that are prescribed for CHF often have side effects that can put a senior at risk, as in the case of a fall. For example, Coumadin, given to thin the blood and which has to be monitored regularly, could cause a person to bleed to death. 

The take away is simple: Read your policy and get advice from reputable professionals that work with seniors.  If you have family and friends to check up on you daily, consider yourself blessed.

Senior Citizen Alert: Product Recalls

Pierre Foods’ Jamwich
Pierre Foods announced a company initiated product recall for 320 cases of its Jamwich product. The reason for the recall is the possible contamination of the products by Listeria monocytogenes.

The different types of Jamwich products include peanut butter (crustless), strawberry jam and PB Jamwich. These are packaged in red cartons with the UPC code 7599921368, and Lot number 0068035. The cartons are stamped with a date of sale of March 11, 2011 which can be found on the lower right part of the carton. The products are displayed inside grocery freezers.

The affected Jamwich products were distributed and sold in Giant-Carlisle retail stores in the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia.

Consumers who were able to buy the affected product can return it to the store and ask for a refund. For concerns and questions related to the recall, customers may also call the company at 800-982-7091. The company’s operating hours start at 8 AM and until 5 PM, Eastern Standard Time.

Voluntary Recall Of Limited 6.5-Ounce Chopped Clams
The product is mislabeled and may contain tiny shrimp. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to shellfish run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product. http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm250479.htm

Cub Cadet Riding Motors
Cub cadet has recalled 4,300 riding mowers that can develop a fuel leak and pose a fire hazard. The recall includes 10 models of zero-turn-radius mowers sold in February and March for between $3,600 and $7,000. see the recall notice for a full list of model numbers. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11733.html

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Seniors and Family Need An Advocate When Hospitalized!

Have you or a loved one been admitted to a hospital recently? Chances are that your experience has been anything but pleasant. Our clients increasingly report a lack of communication between doctors and patients when it comes to getting quick and complete information on health issues.  Patients describe their experience as a maze of constant frustration. Sometimes hours pass before medical staff gets back to them. The time constraints placed on physicians between seeing patients at the office and checking on those in the hospital are great. Family members who have flown in to take care of and check on a parent have limited time to navigate the system before heading back to their lives, often in another state.  Those in a hospital without family or kids are especially hit hard. After all, their focus should be on getting better and discharged; unfortunately, their current health status precludes them from advocating effectively for themselves.

There are steps you can take to help you through the process.

The solutions include having a doctor who is immediately available at the first sign of a health issue, services that can be quickly provided, such as an MRI, X-Ray, Lab tests, etc., that can significantly shorten the time it takes to get back to you. We'd like to hear from you. Email your comments on the experience you've had with a hospital--good or bad.

There are many things that consume families with worry and angst while in the hospital. Next we'll address how the type of insurance you have can affect the care you receive from a doctor or hospital and how quickly you get back on your feet.

Caring for Our Aging Parents and Ourselves

A recent article in the New York Times blog talks about long-distance, low-maintenance arrangements between children and aging parents. It is quite common for someone to live in New York, for example, and worry about their parents who are retired and living in Florida. Here is a link to the article and my comments below.

Time for a reality check: The sheer numbers are enough to make all of us anxious--tens of millions, and growing, aging parents and aging Boomers are putting tremendous strain on families and society, and we have only just begun to try to cope with this Tsunami of sorts. And don't look for government to step in with any meaningful solutions--family and friends will, like it or not, be called on to step up and shoulder most of the responsibility.

Starting now and for the next 20 years or so all of us will be put to the test, as your comments have revealed. Do you have what it takes to be an effective caregiver? You'll soul-search about how much or how little you care for your parents. How's your judgment? Will it be clouded by irrational/emotional decisions? Do you have the time, the money and support of family and friends? Do you have the good sense to consult an attorney or expert on aging to prevent panic and chaos? Unfortunately, many problems arise over money and in-fighting among siblings. Issues tend to be about feeling burdened or taken advantage of when it comes to caring for parents. Families squabble over inheritance; how much money mom or dad will go through before they die.

The time to be proactive is now. The aging train will be making many stops. Be prepared. Especially in these tumultuous times, we must keep our sanity.

Don't know where to start? Contact us for a free, no obligation consultation to see if we can help improve the quality of life for your parents and make you rest easier.