UPMC for Life HMO/PPO Plan Caring for Life Newsletter

CARING FOR LIFE • Issue Two • 2021 6 Join our Staying in Touch events to learn about how to stay healthy, manage stress, be active, and connect with your community—all from the comfort of your home. These events are: • Hosted by experts on preventive medicine, mental health, and other topics. • 15-20 minutes long. • Available to join online or by phone. Upcoming events: July 27 | Noon ET Asking the Right Questions and Getting Help with Your Medications Aug. 10 | Noon ET Screen Out Breast Cancer Aug. 24 | Noon ET Caring for the Caregiver Sept. 7 | Noon ET Extra Benefits to Help You Stay Healthy Sept. 21 | Noon ET Medicare 101: Understanding the Basics Two easy ways to participate on the day of the event: Call 1-855-962-1209 (no PIN required) . Go to upmchealthplan.com/intouch. All events start at noon. If you can’t make it to the live event, don’t worry! You can watch any of our past events at upmchealthplan.com/ intouch. Take some time for you today! Cell phone / Call Online To stay safe with your medications, keep the following tips in mind, courtesy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 1. Find out the name of your medication. Rather than just having your doctor write the prescription for you, ask him or her to say it so you can double-check the name at the pharmacy. 2. Ask questions about how and when to take your medication, possible side effects, and any foods or drugs you should avoid when you’re taking it. 3. Know exactly what condition your medicine is for, and only take it for that condition. 4. Make sure that all of your health care providers know about all of the medicines and supplements you are taking. 5. Keep a list of your medicines with you at all times and give a copy to a family member or caregiver. 6. Take only prescription medications that are prescribed to you by your health care professional. 7. Never take larger or more frequent doses of your medicine to get faster or more powerful effects. 8. Never share your prescription drugs. 9. Keep all prescription and over-the-counter medicines in a safe place where only you or a caregiver can reach them. 10. Follow the directions on the label when you take medicines. 11. Turn on the light when you take medications at night to make sure you take the right amount of the right medicine. 12. Keep medicines in their original containers. 13. Dispose of unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs. Medication safety 13 safety tips that could save your life When we take our medications properly, they can do wonders for our health and quality of life. But if we’re not careful, our medications can injure us—or worse. When someone is harmed by a medicine, experts call this an “adverse drug event.” Statistics show that adverse drug events cause more than 700,000 emergency department visits in this country each year.