Sleep Disorders : PROBLEMS WITH FALLING AND STAYING ASLEEP

Definition

Sleep disorders involve any difficulties related to sleeping, including difficulty falling or staying asleep, falling asleep at inappropriate times, excessive total sleep time, or abnormal behaviors associated with sleep.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

More than 100 different disorders of sleeping and waking have been identified. They can be grouped in four main categories:

• Problems with falling and staying asleep (insomnia)
• Problems with staying awake (excessive daytime sleepiness)
• Problems with sticking to a regular sleep schedule (sleep rhythm problem)
• Unusual behavoirs during sleep (sleep-disruptive behaviors)

PROBLEMS WITH FALLING AND STAYING ASLEEP

What's Not: Determining the Right Medication for Your Older Patient

Regardless of pharmacy practice setting/type, it is likely safe to say that all pharmacists are seeing their patient population age. According to statistics from the Administration on Aging, the population that is 65 years and older increased from 35 million in 2000 to 40 million by 2010—a 15% increase—and it is predicted to further increase to 55 million in 2020.1 As pharmacists, patients and medical providers will continue to seek our counsel on the most appropriate medication choices. We should all be aware of the safest medication options to advise them on, whether the questions are about OTC or prescription agents.
Various tools published in the literature can help determine medication appropriateness (Medication Appropriateness Index, ACOVE Quality Indicators, Beers Criteria), but these tools are not always comprehensive and may not take into account the unique characteristics of your older patient. Pharmacists should possess the inherent knowledge and skills to treat

Health Concerns for Elderly Travelers

Travelers over the age of 60 are more susceptible to a variety of health problems, but taking precautions can help guarantee a safe, rewarding trip.Depending on the time of year, up to 30% of international travelers from the United States are 60 or older. Travel medicine specialists have unique concerns about this population for several reasons. Compared with younger adults, elders tend to have more trouble acclimatizing during travel; more difficulty in extreme temperatures, humidity, and high altitudes; increased risk for certain diseases; more underlying medical conditions; and a reduced response to new vaccinations and waning immunity from previous vaccines.

Dirty surgical instruments a problem in the OR

When John Harrison checked into a Texas hospital in 2009 for rotator cuff surgery, he thought that after a six-week recovery period, he’d be as good as new. But two weeks after the operation, the 63 year-old was experiencing severe discomfort and swelling in his shoulder and knew something was terribly wrong.
During an emergency visit to the hospital, doctors told him that he had been infected during surgery with a deadly bacteria called P. aeruginosa. And Harrison wasn’t the only one -- six other patients who had undergone surgery at the same hospital had contracted potentially lethal infections as well.

 

The hospital, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, launched an investigation and closed operating rooms for two weeks. Surgery was cancelled while they searched for clues and they found some, in something called an arthroscopic shaver. Somehow potentially deadly bacteria had survived the sterilization process and infected Harrison’s shoulder.
And the problem isn’t isolated. Other investigations in hospitals across the country have revealed the use of other dirty surgical instruments, such as endoscopes used for colonoscopies, have led to infection outbreaks.

When The Clock Got Sick

Once upon a time, in a land not too far from where you live, there was a bank whose outside clock was the talk of the town. Clocks usually don't cause people to talk about them, unless they're not working right. This clock wasn't working right at all.
The clock was a digital clock, meaning that it was the kind of clock with large neon red numbers that glowed both day and night. You could read the clock from an entire block away.