J une 22, 1994 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age B2
Volunteers Wanted,
55 And Over
Live-In Care Facility
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R ESIDENT’S RIGHTS
The care facility will tell you about your rights and any care facility rules.
You will be encouraged and helped to exercise your rights.
Caregivers will treat you with respect and dignity.
Your doctor and the care facility will tell you about your medical condition.
You may consent to or refuse any medicine, treatment or care. You can choose your own
doctor.
The care facility will not open your personal mail without your permission.
Caregivers will provide your treatment and personal care in private.
You can visit with and talk privately to anyone you choose, in person or on the telephone.
The care facility will keep medical and personal information about you confidential.
You can practice your religious beliefs.
You can choose to be part of social, religious and other activities in the care facility and in the community.
You can keep and use your own clothing and personal belongings, within the space that is available.
The care facility will provide a safe environment.
The care facility will provide or arrange for the care you need.
Caregivers will not hit you or treat you roughly, and will not yell at you or embarrass you. Y ou will not be punished.
The care facility will not restrain you physically or with medicine unless your doctor orders restraints to treat
you or protect you.
You can handle your own money and finances unless someone else has been legally appointed to do that for you.
The care facility will give you written agreement about the services that will be provided and the amount of money
that will be charged.
The care facility will not ask for or take money from you except for the charges for
services.
The care facility cannot make you move unless moving is the only way to solve a
problem. Special rules require the care facility to give you a written notice. You can
also have a hearing by the state to decide if you have to move.
You will not be discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, sex, or
religion.
The care facility will not take any action against you (or your family or friends) if you
make suggestions or complaints.
The care facility cannot ask you to give up any of your rights or to sign papers giving
up your rights.
People with m edical problem s
or d isab ilities may need som e help
to take care o f them selves. This
m ay be cooking and clean in g , or
b ath in g and d re ssin g , or doing
ev ery th in g for a person who c a n
not get out o f bed. As people get
o ld er, they are m ore likely to need
som e help. If you need help, fam
ily and friends may be able to
p rovide it. O r you may be able to
hire som eone to com e to your
hom e.
Family and friends may not be
able to do everything you need, espe
cially if you need someone to stay
with you. T here are four kinds of
care facilities th at can provide these
types of help for short period or for
a longer time:
• N ursing homes offer care from li
censed nurses and nursing assis
tants during the day and the night.
People who have had a stroke or an
operation often go from a hospital
to a nursing home. Nursing homes
may care for many people at one
time.
• Adult foster homes care for no
more than five people. The person
who provides the care must have
some training, but does not require
as much training as a nurse or
nursing assistant. The caregiver
sleeps in the home at night.
• R esidential care facilities care for
six or more people. The caregivers
must have some training, but do not
require as much training as a nurse
or nursing assistant. If the care
facility is small, there may not be a
caregiver awake at night.
• Assisted living facilities are like
residential care facilities. They have
private rooms and encourage people
to do things for themselves
When you move into a nursing
home, adult foster home, residential
care facility or assisted living facility,
there will be some changes in your
life. There will be new people and
different ways of doing things. Living
in a care facility is not the same as
living in your own home.
Some things will not change.
You have the same right to make
decisions about your health care, your
money, your family and your commu
nity. Oregon also has laws that guar
antee rights to residents of care facili
ties. These rights support and help
people who need care, and remind
caregivers to treat all residents with
respect and dignity.
These Residents’ Rights laws
follow a general pattern. They are for
anyone who lives in a nursing home,
adult foster home, residential care
facility or assisted living facility.
Public Warning:
Herbal Remedies May Lead To Positive Drug Test Results
Many people who choose herbal
remedies for arthritis and other ail
ments also may be choosing instant
unemployment, according to a Chi
cago-based drug-testing expert.
Warren Cooper, president of
ACCU-Lab Medical Testing (1310
S . Wabash), is particularly concerned
with a popular pill called tung shueh
in Chinese, or “Cow Head Brand”
pills.
While some attention has been
given to this over-the-counter access
to Valium (an addictive prescription
tranquilizer) Cooper feels the most
important aspect is being overlooked:
the fact that people who do not have
apropensity for using illegal narcot
ics are testing positive and being
fired or not hired because of it. Coo
per was alerted after three people
referred to his lab almost lost their
jobs, testing positive for drug use. To
validate his suspicions, Cooper also
took the pills, as recommended, and
tested positive for Valium use in less
than 24 hours.
Users look to the product to
address hypertension, arthritis, heart
problems and poor blood circula
tion. According to Cooper, this is
particularly prevalent in urban areas
and the African American commu
nity, where a $10 trip to the store for
one product is more feasible than
$200 for comparable prescriptions.
And many people swear by its vir
tues.
Mary Allen, for example, is a 59-
y ear-o ld d ia b e tic , who also is
hypertensive. She says she has arthri
tis, back problems, and a pinched
nerve. She attributes the Cow Head
pills for increasing her mobility, as
well as relieving her from pain and
the use of three different neck collars
from a local hospital.
“The debate is not just about
whether or not this drug should be on
the market,” Cooper explains. “The
bigger issue is that people should
know the ramifications of using a
product whose ingredients are writ
ten in Chinese. Valium and the other
anti-inflammatory drugs found in this
pill, for example, also could cause a
blood disorder when used with other
substances. Herbal remedies are a
bil 1 ion -dollar market, they have merit.
But people always should know what
they are putting into their systems.”
A C C U -Lab M edical T esting,
Inc. is ce rtified by the C ollege of
A m erican P ath o lo g ists, the State
o f Illin o is and C .L .I.A . the c o m
pany provides forensic drug te s t
ing, hair an aly sis and blood te s t
ing for em ployers (pre-em ploy
m ent and random em ploym ent)
and individuals.
Except from FDA import alert
#66-10 (February 21, 1991)
Currently herbal pills are being
marketed containing a combination
of
four
drugs:
D iazep am ,
indomcthacin, hydrochlorothiazide,
and mefenamic acid. These pills are
marketed under a variety of names
and in a variety o f packaging. They
are spherically shaped, approxi
mately 3/8" in diameter, and have a
shiny black exterior. When the pills
are cracked open, white crystalline
material is observed to be imbedded
in the brown interior.
None of the products list the
drug substances as ingredients. In
vestigation has shown that the pills
originate from several sources, and
usually enter the country via air mail
shipments to health food stores, ori
ental food stores, novelty shops, and
individual consumers...
Please inform your local U.S.
Customs and Postal Service offi
cials of our interest in these types of
products, especially mail entries.
#66-10 April 16, 1993 Revi
sion
Examination of a sample by
FDA Seattle District Laboratory re
vealed
the
p resen ce
of
Hydrochlorothiazide and mefenamic
Acid. Neither ingredient is identi
fied in the ingredient statement on
the product label.
Medical claims lists for uses of
the product include in part: “Heal
the diseases of Liver and Viseria,
preventing the Blood-vessel to
s o lid ifie d ...c irc u la tio n
of
blood...prevent Hypertension and re
move congestion from Brain...clean
blood, strengthen heart...”
Hospital To O ffer Cooking Course
When it comes to healthy eating
does your heart scream “yes” while
your mouth crises “no!” Great taste
and healthy eating join forces in a
cooking course called “The Culinary
Hearts Kitchen.” Developed by the
American Heart Assoc lation, this pro
gram is being offered by St. Vincent
Hospital beginning Thursday, July 7,
and continuing through July 28.
The four-w eek course w ill be held
from 7 p.m . to 8:30 p.m . at the St.
V in c e n t H o s p ita l T a n a s b o rn e
M edical P laza. T he re g istra tio n
fee is $65. P re-reg istratio n is re
quired. For m ore inform ation or
to re g ister, call 645-4864.
Participants will learn to: Create
new lowfat culinary delights, taste
meatless dishes and baked goods with
less fat, prepare quick meals with
creative seasonings, vegetables and
grains, and evaluate food products at
the grocery store.
Caregivers must be able to com
municate with you in order to provide
care and respect your rights. A care
facility that accepts someone whodoes
not speak English should provide an
interpreter or some other way to com
municate.
Care can be expensive. Oregon
has a Medicaid program to help people
pay for care in nursing homes, adult
foster homes, residential care facili
ties, assisted living facilities and in
their own homes. You can get infor
mation about Medicaid assistance and
the eligibility requirements from your
local Senior and Disabled Services
Division (SDSD) office or Area
Agency on Aging (AAA) office. Or
you can call the SDSD central office
in Salem at 1-800-232-3020.
If you have a complaint about a
care facility, call the local SDSD or
AAA office, or 1-800-232-3020. The
state must investigate all complaints.
The name of the person who made the
complaint is kept confidential.
The OMBUDSMAN office was
set up to help residents o f care facili
ties solve problems and resolve com
plaints. The name and number of the
ombudsman assigned to the care fa
cility should be posted in the care
facility. You can also contact the cen
tral Ombudsman office in Salem at 1 -
800-522-2602.
If you have a legal problem or
question about a care facility, you
may be able to obtain legal advice or
representation at no charge. Contact
the local Legal Aid or Oregon Legal
Services office for information.
The Multnomah County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program is
inviting persons 55 and over to volunteer in a variety of ways to benefit over
180 non-profit organizations. RSVP offers free supplemental accidentand
liability insurance and limited mileage reimbursement. Some cu rren t
volunteer needs are:
• Registration aide: Needed immediately by local Girl Scout Council to
help process membership registrations.
• Van D rivers: Provide transportation for older adults for day trips and
short outings. Neighborhood House, 7780 S.W. Capitol Highway.
• G rocery Shoppers: Help Elderway’s Store to Door program at Stadium
Fred Meyer on Thursday mornings. This is a non-profit grocery service
for the elderly and/or disabled.
• Family Advocates: Help prevent child abuse by working on the Child
Abuse Hotline through Waverly Childrens Home.
• Hosts and Hostesses: Greet visitors and answer telephones for Berry
Botanic Garden located near Lewis and Clark College.
• Visitor Inform ation Provider: Conduct daily visitor information ser
vices activities at Portland/Oregon Visitors Association at 26 S.W.
Salmon.
• Social A ssistant: Help serve tea and snacks to small groups of frail elderly
at Providence ElderPlace on Thursday afternoons.
If you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities or if you
wish more information about RSVP, please call Helen Wahl at 229-7787.
RSVP is sponsored by Legacy Health System at Good Samaritan
Hospital and Medical Center.
Asthma Illnesses Are Increasing
For reasons the experts do
not fully understand, asthma*
related illnesses are increas
ing rapidly in the United States
with the number of asthma
deaths having doubled during
the 1980s. And according to
the National Center for Health
statistics, the problem is espe
cially severe among African
Americans living in urban a r
eas. One study shows 38 young
people living in certain urban
areas died from asthma in 1991
while only 15 whites living in
suburban areas of the same
size died from asthma. Howard
University College of Medicine
professor Floyd Malveaux says
there’s some protection from
the chronic respiratory disor
der from using vacuum clean
ers, dehumidifiers and mat
tress covers.
SISTERS OF PR O VIDENC E H E A LTH SYSTEM
We make
it easy
to choose
good health.
When you choose your health insurance, choose the
Good Health Plan. It's a simple choice that provides
convenient access to the health care you need:
• affordable health insurance
• choose your own doctor
• convenient access to services
• Sisters of Providence hospitals: St. Vincent,
Providence, Providence Milwaukie, Providence
Seaside and Newberg Community Hospital.
Call us today for more information. Because good
health is a good choice.
GOOD HEALTH PLAN
Our mission: your health.
(503) 280-7500
1-800-878-4445
k
■ SISTERS OF
" PROVIDENCE
H EA LTH SYSTEM