A website to help identify pills

The safest way to identify a pill is to take it to your pharmacist.  But there is a new website from the National Library of Medicine that can help identify a pill yourself. If you’d like to give it a try, click on the link or the picture.

The website will let you choose the color, shape, size, and markings, and then it will try to identify the pill.

May 27 Program: The Good, bad and Ugly

NO LUNCHEON MEETING IN MAY AT HARRIS

INSTEAD JOIN US MAY 27, 8:30 A.M. AT THE STATE CAPITOL

Room 325

Cost: Free

HARA (Hawaii Association of Retired Americans) /Kokua Council Legislative Review Forum for 2010

“THE GOOD, BAD AND UGLY”

HARA and Kokua Council are hosting a fourth Legislative Review on Thursday, May 27 from 8:30 to 12 noon at the Hawaii State Capitol, Room 325. We are meeting to a sum up activities of the 2009 legislative session to help us to evaluate its successes and failures. More than ever, we believe it is important for like-minded organizations to work together toward common goals. Last year’s Forum was attended by over 80 people, representing 30 organizations and members of the community.

We invite you to come early and join us for a continental breakfast. Then at the end of the program, about 11:30 a.m., we will host a light lunch to give us all an opportunity to engage in more informal conversation

8:30 to 9:00 -- Registration and continental breakfast

Key legislators will offer their view of the session and ideas for the next session. After their presentation, any member of the audience can suggest issues of concern for their consideration for the 2011 session.

All senior advocacy groups, senior service providers and State Administrators are being invited to encourage combining our forces in order to be more effective.

To reserve a space, please RSVP Laura Manis at 597-8838 or manis@lava.net

THE ABOVE EVENT REPLACES OUR REGULAR LUNCHEON MEETING
AT HARRIS METHODIST CHURCH.

April 26 Meeting: Rob Perez-- "Are We Ready for the Silver Tsunami?"

Click here to listen. Or try this audio player:

Download this Media File - (Right Click)

Rob Perez, Staff Reporter for the Honolulu Advertiser, "Are We Ready for the Silver Tsunami?"

Perez is the author of the amazing special report series on problems facing elders needing services published in the Honolulu Advertiser, March 28-31. Click to read Who's watching our kupuna? on the Honolulu Advertiser website.

Perez actually started research for his series in 2008 when he did an article on nursing homes. His editor encouraged him to broaden his scope to all of long term care. Realizing the extent of the problems, he decided to focus on out-of-home care and leave in-home care for later. To prepare he looked at 3000 pages of documents, conducted about 500 interviews and found problems everywhere. He emphasized that there is good care to be had if you look. And that is one of the problems—how to look. For that reason, he said it is important to post the results of care home inspections on the web.

The public response to his series has been overwhelmingly favorable with people calling and emailing their own stories of their experiences in trying to get good placements and services for family members. He was shocked to learn that care home operators are not required to carry liability insurance.

In response to a question, he thought the most flagrant practice lies with hospital discharge planners. Some practices he mentioned included recommending care home operators who are friends but not qualified to care for the needs of the patient. Some get kickbacks. This results in bad placements and shuffling of the patient back to the hospital. In some cases, care home operators personally solicit clients who are still hospital patients raising the issue of invasion of privacy.
An appreciative audience told him they were anxiously awaiting his research on in-home care and wishing him luck in surviving the purchase of the Honolulu Advertiser by the Honolulu Star Bulletin.