10 Fun Halloween Facts

Halloween has a long and colorful history! Why not share these tidbits with your residents during your facility’s celebration this year?

1.  It’s hard to imagine jack-o’-lanterns being carved out of anything but pumpkins, but the tradition actually began in Ireland with large turnips and potatoes. Irish immigrants brought the tradition to America, home of the pumpkin, where carvers found that the large orange fruit made for a perfect jack-o’-lantern.  
2. Halloween can trace its roots back 2,000 years to a Celtic celebration called Samhain, which means “summer’s end.” The Celts believed that Samhain was a time when the dead could walk among the living.
3. According to the National Retail Federation, nearly 158 million consumers will participate in Halloween activities this year. On average, they’ll spend $75.03 on decorations, costumes, candy and other Halloween-related fun.
4. Trick-or-treating originated on All Souls’ Day during the Middle Ages, when poor people in Great Britain would beg for soul cakes, a sweet-bread treat, and pray for dead relatives in return. American children began trick-or-treating in the 1800s, but the focus was more on pranks than candy. By the 1950s, the focus had switched to costumes and family fun.
5. According to an Irish legend, jack-o’-lanterns are named for a man called Jack who could not go to Heaven or Hell and was forced to walk the earth forever with only a coal from hell to light his lantern.
6. Humans aren’t the only ones getting in on the Halloween fun. The National Retail Federation reports that approximately $330 million will be spent on Halloween costumes for pets this year.
7. Black and orange are the colors most commonly associated with Halloween. Orange represents the autumn harvest, while black is tied to death and darkness.
8.  The modern-day Halloween game of bobbing for apples is thought to be derived from Roman celebrations of Pomona, the goddess of fruit trees.
9.  According to the National Confectioners Association, three-quarters of Americans say that chocolate is their favorite Halloween treat.
10. While many of us enjoy Halloween, there’s a word for people who have an extreme, intense or irrational fear of Halloween – samhainophobia.

From our team to yours, have a safe and happy Halloween!

Best Practices: Perineal Skin Care

It's crucial that your staff provide great care to your residents' delicate perineal skin to avoid potentially serious skin conditions. We recommend reviewing the following steps with your staff as a refresher course on providing quality care. Materials needed: Disposable washcloths/wipes, towels, linens, underpads, perineal cleanser, barrier cream and gloves Step 1: Wear gloves and use wipes to remove heavy soiling prior to perineal care. Then remove or discard gloves and wash your hands. Place a protective underpad under the resident's buttocks. Cover the resident with linens and raise them to only expose the perineum. Wash your hands and put on clean gloves for perineal care. Step 2: Using a washcloth or wipe, apply perineal cleanser sparingly. Gently wipe the perineal area, wiping from "clean" urethral to "dirty" rectal area to avoid contamination. Step 3: If an indwelling catheter is present, hold and support the catheter tubing to one side to avoid traction or unnecessary movement during the procedure. When cleaning the urethral area, gently spray and wipe the catheter tubing from the urethra outward for about three inches of tubing. Keep the drainage bag below the level of the bladder. Step 4: Turn the resident on his side. Spray a wipe with perineal cleanser and gently wipe the remaining area, including the rectum and buttocks, without returning to the urethral area. Appropriately and gently cleanse from clean to dirty areas, leaving the entire area clean and dry. Step 5: Apply a moisture barrier to the buttocks and peri area. Step 6: Remove the soiled linens and place them in an appropriate receptacle. Leave the resident in a position of comfort. Registered promedsupply.com customers can access and download our exclusive in-service guides at any time by clicking on Education and selecting Product In-Service Guides on the website. Not a registered user? Just give us a call at (800) 648-5190 and one of our Customer Care Professionals will be happy to get you set up.

Congratulations, Laura Kuhn!

Congratulations to ProMed copywriter Laura Kuhn! She tied the knot with Nathan Underhile on October 19.

Report: Not Taking Meds as Prescribed Leads to Increased Nursing Home Admissions

According to a new report, about 100 million Americans are not taking their medications as prescribed, leading to an uptick in unnecessary deaths, hospitalizations and nursing home admissions.

Failure to take medications as prescribed is associated with about 40 percent of nursing home admissions among residents with type 2 diabetes, according to the report. People who have multiple chronic medical conditions are of particular concern because they often take many medications.

This noncompliance will cause costs to skyrocket and health outcomes to deteriorate, the report added.

To learn more, click here.

Match Your Residents with the Right Incontinence Products

The sheer volume of incontinence management products on the market can make it a challenge to find the perfect fit for your residents. We’ve put together the following chart to help make it easier for you. Keep in mind that CMS recommends considering incontinence, gender, fit and ease of use when selecting an absorbent product.¹

Type of Product	Absorbency	Good For
Briefs	Moderate-Ultimate	·        Bedridden residents       ·        Overnight use       ·        Heavy to complete     urinary incontinence       ·        Bowel incontinence
Pull-Ups	Super-Ultimate	·        Ambulatory residents       ·        Light to severe     urinary incontinence       ·        Bowel  incontinence
Pads and male guards	Moderate-Ultimate	·        Added absorbency inside     regular undergarment     or pull-ups       ·        Used as a system with     reusable pants
Liners	Moderate-Ultimate	·        Moderate to severe     urinary output       ·        Bedridden residents       ·        Ambulatory residents
Belted undergarments	Light-Heavy	·        Occasional accidents       ·        Frequent changes
Underpads	Moderate-Ultimate	·        Open airing       ·        Bed and furniture protection

ProMed recently made a number of upgrades to our incontinence management products to benefit both the resident and the caregiver. Our Embrace™ Adult Skin Caring Underwear with Leakage Barrier now features a comfort stretch panel that hugs the body like real underwear, creating a comfortable, dignified wearing experience. Additionally, our Embrace™ Adult Skin Caring Underwear is now packaged in 100-count cases to save valuable storeroom space and reduce ordering frequency. Both of these products also have updated packaging.

We’ll soon be introducing the Embrace™ Skin Caring Stretch FlexRight Brief, which has a fully breathable stretch panel that creates a natural, discreet fit and moves with the resident. These briefs have standardized sizing that allows you to stock fewer products, freeing up valuable storage space and saving caregiver time. Be sure to watch LTC Connection for future announcements on this product!

To learn more about our complete line of incontinence management products, contact your ProMed territory manager, give us a call at (800) 648-5190 or visit us online at promedsupply.com.

Reference

1 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. State Operations Manual. Appendix PP – Guidance to Surveyors for Long Term Care Facilities (Rev. 70, 01-07-11). Available at: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/som107ap_pp_guidelines_ltcf.pdf. Accessed October 10

Buy 10 FlatMats, Get One Free!

We're having a fall management special! For a limited time, when you buy 10 or more FlatMats at $112.95 each, you'll get one FREE! To receive this deal, use promo code FMATB10G1 when you check out online or reference it when you place your order over the phone. To learn more, give us a call at (800) 648-5190. 

Happy National Consultant Pharmacist Week!

National Consultant Pharmacy Week begins tomorrow, October 15 and runs through October 18. The celebration is sponsored by the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP), the only international professional society devoted to optimal medication management and improved health outcomes for older individuals.

To learn more, click here.