Insurance Update
August 2014
Issue No. 49        
In this issue
Drug guide for parents.
Be Smart. Be Well.
Food and Drug Administration.
WebMD
Long-Term Care Insurance

Drug guide for parents 

Learn the facts to keep your teen safe.  

 

 

About Us 

Insurance logo 

 A not-for-profit ministry of
Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust Inc.

Church of the Brethren Insurance Services provides ancillary coverage for ministers and other employees of congregations, districts, and camps.
 
Medical and ancillary plans are available to Brethren-affiliated employer groups.
 
Long-Term Care Insurance is available for all members of the Church of the Brethren, their family and friends, and employees of Church of the Brethren-affiliated agencies, organizations, colleges, and retirement communities.  
Contact Us 
1505 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
800-746-1505
www.bbtinsurance.org 
  


 

Greetings.

 

As we head into the last half of the summer, may we ask you a question? Did you use some kind of medication this summer? A "healing cream" for a skinned knee or elbow? Aspirin, Tylenol, or ibuprofen for pain? An ointment for sunburn? Suntan lotion to prevent sunburn? Insect repellent? An antibiotic if you were sick or had an infection? Something for an upset stomach? An antihistamine for a cold or allergy? An inhaler for asthma? If you are past 65, something for cholesterol or high blood pressure or diabetes?

 

These "medications" are not all equal, of course. Some are over-the-counter, some are prescription. Some we don't even think of as drug. The point is that we live in a world where using substances that roughly fall into this "drug" category is almost as routine as eating.

 

There is a great deal of information about drug use and abuse on the internet. This month's issue will direct you to some of these resources. It is incumbent on each of us to be informed about the drugs that are so omnipresent. We hope the following links will help you do that.

.
SignaturesScott, Tammy, and Connie 
  
Be Smart. Be Well. 

Go to www.besmartbewell.com/drug-safety/ to find links to a variety of short videos:

 

"Katie's Story: I don't remember most of my childhood"

"Julie's Story: Suburban wife, church volunteer, drug addict"

"Senior Stories: Keeping track of 10 pills a day

"What Is It: Safe use, misuse, and abuse"

"What Does It Matter: Drugs can help, drugs can harm"

"What Can I Do About It: Habits2Have"

 

You will also find links to a "Drug Safety Quiz" and to a very useful interactive "Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drug Guide: A parent's guide to the legal drugs kids are using and abusing" complete with the street names and actual photographs.

 

Besmartbewell.com is a website that delivers life-story videos, expert interviews, and in-depth articles on a variety of important health topics. This is available through their website, e-newsletter, and e-news alerts, as well as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
FDAFood and Drug Administration

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a webpage with 75 drug safety podcasts, each 3 minutes long, (www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/drugsafetypodcasts/default.htm) on a wide-ranging variety of drugs; included is a printed transcript of each podcast. The podcasts can be accessed by topic or by date. These podcasts are part of an extensive website (www.fda.gov/Drugs/default.htm) covering everything from drug research to emergency preparedness to pediatric medications to generics to drug databases to availability to shortages to recalls to regulatory information to events, conferences and more.

WebMD


Go to the Drugs and Medications Center on this website to find an A-Z listing of drugs and medications (www.webmd.com/drugs/index-drugs.aspx). There is a list of "Top Drugs" and then a more complete list. There is also a list of medical conditions, first the more common conditions and then a much more extensive list, all of which are cross-referenced to the appropriate medications. There is a "pill identifier" www.webmd.com/pill-identification/default.htm that allows you to enter the imprint on the pill, the color and shape in order to discover what an unidentified drug is or confirm what it is supposed to be. This includes a set of photos of commonly abused prescription drugs.

 LTCILong-Term Care Insurance

What is "long-term care"?

Ongoing assistance and/or supervision that you need when you are cognitively impaired or when you are unable to perform normal activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, and maintaining continence.

 

Where can you receive "long-term care"?

  • Your home
  • Adult daycare center
  • Assisted living facility
  • Nursing home
  • Hospice facility

Most long-term care (about 80 percent) is provided at home - either in your own home or in the home of a family member.

 

Why long-term care insurance?

It is your hope you will never need long-term care, but if you do because of injury or illness or aging, long-term care insurance will protect you against the mounting costs.

 

It is never too early to start. Let Randy Yoder help you consider long-term care insurance. Brethren Insurance Services offers LTCI for all members and employees of the Church of the Brethren and their family and friends; and also for employees of Church of the Brethren-affiliated agencies, organizations, colleges, and retirement communities and their families and friends.

 

Contact Brethren Insurance Services at [email protected] or 800-746-1505 for a free, no-obligation proposal or click here to request more information.