8 August, 2015

Great initiative: Mumbai dubbawalas to promote importance of hand washing before meals

They are always on time, devoted to their duties and have a reputation for themselves derived with their sheer hard work and dedication. But we would love and respect them more because they just taught us one more important lesson in humility and humbleness. For now on they won’t just deliver your lunch box from your house to your office but will also bring with them soaps and handwash. This is an initiative they took on their own to ensure that people in Mumbai remain healthy and hearty.

With the threat of leptospirosis and other diseases looming over the city, they would be delivering handwash and soaps to around 100,000 people next week. The targeted people will receive Bacter Shield Natural Germ Guard handwash and a soap along with their lunch boxes on August 12 across the city. The drive is part of VVF India’s mission to create monsoon health awareness and advocate ’100 percent fun with 0 percent fear of falling sick’ to promote the habit of washing hands before eating.

‘Every morning, lakhs of Mumbai housewives prepare dabbas (tiffins) to protect their family members from falling ill by eating outside food. The Mumbai dabbawalas will partner with Bacter Shield to help housewives in this mission to inculcate healthy habits at home and outside,” VVF India Ltd senior vice president Ashish Potdar said. VVF, a 76-year-old MNC in chemicals and personal care products, had operations in 16 centres around the world. Last December, the 5,000-strong tribe of dabbawalas were invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to join the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ to spread the message of cleanliness among their customers.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

08.08.2015

Elderly people need more help than they think after discharge from hospital

If your father, uncle or any loved one who is above the age of 50 and qualifies as an elderly, lands up in the hospital, lend a hand to him/her during discharge to help stand upright and walk. Elderly people who visit the emergency departments need more assistance with simple tasks like walking or other physical activity than they think they do. Being overconfident on their primary skills could lead to readmission later.

This isn’t a mere opinion or hearsay, but studies have indicated that overconfident elderly end up in the hospital more after discharge. ‘Ensuring that older adults discharged from the emergency department are able to safely function in their home environment is important because those who are unable to function safely at home are at risk for falls and return ER (Emergency Room) visits,’ said lead study author Timothy Platts-Mills from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, US.

‘A patient who reports they can walk with an assistive device but actually requires human assistance to walk is likely to be bed-bound or to fall if they go home alone,’ Platts-Mills explained.

What did the study say?

In the study, only 77 percent of participating patients accurately assessed their ability to perform tasks. Of patients who said they could perform the assigned tasks without assistance, 12 percent required some assistance or were unwilling to complete the tasks. Of those who said they could perform the task with a cane or walker, 48 percent required either human assistance or were unable to perform the task. Of those who said they could perform the task with human assistance, 24 percent were unable to perform the task even with someone helping them. The tasks assigned were getting out of bed, walking 10 feet and returning to bed. The findings appeared in theAnnals of Emergency Medicine.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

08.08.2015

If you can't make it good, at least make it look good

Bill Gates