Substance Abuse

Education about substance abuse is an important part of helping individuals

understand the many aspects of this topic. This information can include factual data
about what substance abuse is; warning signs of addiction; information about how
alcohol and specific drugs affect the mind and body; the consequences that addiction
can have on one’s physical and mental health, family, relationships, and other areas
of functioning; and how and why substances are abused.

Education may also include information on how to deal with a family member or
friend who is struggling with a substance use disorder, and how to be supportive
during the detoxification and rehabilitation process.

This could also include counseling education, which helps everyone involved—from
the person abusing substances to family and friends. It is important that people who
abuse substances are aware of how a drug can affect their minds, bodies, relationships,
and functioning. This awareness can help them realize the potential damage that could
occur, or the damage that has already occurred. Substance abuse education may also
include information about what treatment entails to prepare everyone involved for the
potential outcomes.

Substance Abuse Education and Kids

The main focus of substance abuse education is teaching individuals about drug
and alcohol abuse and how to avoid, stop, or get help for substance use disorders—
and this can begin at a young age. Education can start with parents educating their
children, and in primary school programming designed to increase knowledge about
substance abuse and the associated risks. For teenagers, substance abuse education is
generally incorporated into school curriculum as well. Adults who want to learn more
about substance abuse (that they can then share with their kids) can attend classes,
group meetings, and research information online in order to learn more about the

topic.

Substance abuse education is important for children, teenagers, and adults alike; there
are many misconceptions about commonly used legal and illegal substances, such
as alcohol and marijuana. Ensuring that children are educated about drugs can help
prevent them from using them, especially ones that are made to sound harmless, but
are in reality very addictive or dangerous to the body. Helping adults understand the
repercussions of drug use can prevent a problem from forming and can provide
information they can share with their children to prevent future issues.

Knowledge is power, and with accurate information about the topic, a person will be
more likely to make a fact-based and informed decision. When educating people, all
drugs should be covered, regardless of the strength or perceived risk of harm. While
opioids, cocaine, and methamphetamine are viewed as “hard drugs,” and therefore
have serious consequences, “minor drugs,” such as marijuana and alcohol can still be
addictive and are frequently abused. People of all ages should be aware of the damage
that all drugs and alcohol have the potential to do to the body, mind, and relationships.

With the availability of internet resources, there is unlimited access to knowledge

about drugs and alcohol, but not every site provides reliable information. If you are
preparing to teach a substance abuse education course to adults or deliver a school
presentation for children or teenagers, make sure that you know your information
well, and verify it as accurate. This website has a number of excellent, reliable, and
well-researched resources that can be used to educate yourself about drugs, so read
them thoroughly. Having accurate and reliable information is the best way to identify
yourself as a knowledgeable teacher who students will listen to, regardless of their
age.

For more information about treatment for substance abuse, please call our toll-
free, confidential helpline at 1-888-287-0471 for more information. Treatment
placement advisors are available to answer any questions you may have and help
link you to the treatment resources you need to help yourself or a loved one.
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The Importance of Being Prepared for a Natural Disaster

Retiring
By CONSTANCE GUSTKE JAN. 8, 2016
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Photo
Darlene Simmons on the lot where her house stood before it burned to the ground.CreditJim
Wilson/The New York Times

AS hot, wind-fed wildfires swirled around her town in early September, Darlene
Simmons, 76, was busy cooking spaghetti in her kitchen. As a resident of
Middletown, a small town in Northern California, she had been through
wildfires before. But her home, where she had lived for 45 years, had never
been harmed.

So Ms. Simmons was staying put — until a police officer knocked on the door.
He told her that she must leave immediately. She grabbed her medications and
an address book, but was forced, reluctantly, to leave everything else behind,
including her cane and family photos.

“I’m glad that I was forced to leave,” said Ms. Simmons, who was near tears as
she recalled the day. “I could hear propane tanks exploding as I drove away.”
 That night, Ms. Simmons’s house burned down. The wildfire, one of the worst
in California history, bent her refrigerator in half and melted metal. Her entire
block was reduced to ashes.

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Natural disasters, which appear to be on the rise in part because of climate
change, are especially hard for older adults. They are particularly vulnerable
because many have chronic illnesses that are worsened during the heat of a fire
or the high water of a flood. And many are understandably reluctant to leave
homes that hold so much history.

Studies show that over half the people who died in Katrina, the hurricane that
hit New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast 10 years ago, were 65 or older.
Many were trapped in their homes; some died of health complications caused
by flooding.

Older adults also died in the Middletown fire, including one 72-year-old woman
who had advanced multiple sclerosis.

“They can’t get out of harm’s way fast enough,” said Jenny Campbell, a
nonprofit consultant in the Philadelphia suburb of Ardmore who deals with
age-related issues. “And sometimes they may not even have a way to flee. Or
they may lack a larger social system, and so they may not be warned in time.”

But thorough disaster preparation can, literally, save lives.

Since Katrina, more tools have emerged to help. The Red Cross offers
emergency preparation plans for older people on its website, including a
checklist for creating a disaster supply kit that includes a seven-day medication
supply, flashlights, emergency contacts and vital records. They can be stored in
a duffel bag or backpack.

Communities are also forming coalitions to help. After devastating floods hit
Colorado in 2013, shelters didn’t have oxygen tanks for older adults who landed
there. So the state set up the Home Health Emergency Preparedness Committee
to strengthen preparations.

“As more disasters occur, seniors will want to build emergency preparedness,”
said Tiffany Turner, owner of Nurse Next Door in Fort Collins, Colo. “But
seniors think they can take care of themselves.”

Having a strong social network is imperative, said experts, who encourage older
people to notify family members, neighbors and caregivers in advance that they
might need help in emergencies.

Think about “who will come get you,” said Sharon Roth Maguire, chief clinical
quality officer for BrightStar Care, a senior home care franchise. “Who knows
you’re here? Even if you have a checklist, you may not be known.”

Signing up for local special needs registries, which help locate and evacuate
people, is also useful. These registries must be regularly updated, said Ms.
Campbell, the Pennsylvania consultant, along with any disaster plans. Older
 adults should also notify sheriffs, police departments and neighborhood
emergency teams.

Photo

Burned-out remains of vehicles and homes destroyed by a wildfire in Middletown, Calif., in

September. CreditNoah Berger/Reuters

“The more connections you have, the better,” she added, “during the rush of the
disaster.”

There are many smartphone apps designed to help those caught in a disaster.
Apps like iUDAME and ManDown, developed by firefighters, can alert friend,
family or local authorities. ManDown has an SOS button that issues a safety
alert; it also has a built-in a GPS tracker.

Gary Lospaluto, 60, also from the Middletown, Calif., area, was heading to his
volunteer work when he saw cars streaming down the mountain away from the
fires. He credits a friend’s smartphone app, which can turn into a radio scanner
and tap into emergency messages, with keeping him updated during the crisis.
“People weren’t warned about the fire,” said Mr. Lospaluto, who currently lives
in his van after being in an evacuation center. “It was by word of mouth. But
access to accurate information is the most critical thing you need.”

Protecting important paperwork is also a necessity.

Health insurance cards, medical records, living wills or medical powers of

attorneys should be kept in waterproof files, Ms. Maguire said. The free kit Vial
of Life lets people store vital information in a baggie that can be attached to the
refrigerator door or put in the freezer. “If you’re sheltering in place, you should
have a kit,” she said.

Documents can also be put in a safe deposit box or stored electronically in the
cloud. Ms. Campbell recommends that older people send themselves emails
with all their documents, including medical records, attached. During Katrina,
she said, patients were frequently transferred to nursing homes that had no
medical records for them.

People with dementia, who can become disoriented during disasters, should
also have special identity tags, Ms. Maguire said. GPS-enabled devices can be
put in a shoe, she said, or people can wear a medical alert necklace. “But there
also needs to be a backup plan.”

Caregivers can offer valuable help for handicapped people. Lenny Verkhoglaz,
chief executive of Executive Care, a home health care franchise, uses the
company’s four-wheel-drive vehicles to pick up caregivers and transport them
to homes during disasters.

Helene Dressendofer, 82, wishes she had been better prepared forHurricane
Sandy, which hit the East Coast in 2012. Ms. Dressendofer’s waterfront home in
Point Pleasant, N.J., was flooded when a wave washed over it.

“Nothing in the house was salvageable,” said Ms. Dressendofer, who now lives
in an apartment and is still waiting for insurancereimbursements for her ruined
home.

Her documents, which were stored in cardboard folders, were destroyed. “Don’t
do it that way,” she said. Instead, she recommends putting documents in “nicely
sealed plastic boxes and scanning photos.” Also, log everything that you own,
she added, and put the logs in a secure place.

Then there are the invisible scars. After a disaster, older adults may be even
more prone than younger people to suffer from depression, sleeplessness and
confusion. Ms. Dressendofer said she still had nightmares about the hurricane’s
effects.

“You lose the past,” she said. “And it’s hard to rebuild your life. It hurts and will
hurt for many years.”
 Most older people soldier on, which can prolong psychological trauma, said
Gregory Hall, associate professor of psychology at Bentley University in
Waltham, Mass. Talking and writing about the trauma can speed healing, he
said. And even being in an evacuation center can make communicating feelings
easier because older people are around other survivors.

“Get back into a routine,” Mr. Hall advised. “Establish normal eating and
sleeping patterns. And begin looking forward and creating new memories.”

Easier said than done. Ms. Simmons, the wildfire victim, said she coped by
reminding herself that change was part of life. She already has plans to put a
manufactured home on the burned-out lot where her house once stood.

“I’m starting over,” she said.

Invocation - Opening Prayer for A Seminar...

Let us bow our head and put ourselves in the holiness of God the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit.

Dear Almighty and ever loving God, we glorify and thank thee your Name. You have showered
us with so much blessings and your presence continuously remind us of your faithfulness and
guidance.

We this may we humbly ask you to shower our speakers today of your greatest inspiration so
that they may share the most of their knowledge, heart and soul to their respective topics. May
we also absorb the invaluable knowledge experiences and put it into practice what we may
learn today.
We pray that you bless all the committees in charge that they may be able to fulfill their task
responsibly, that the objectives they have set may all be achieved. Your infinite blessing would
mean the success of this seminar, may we be a living witnesses of your genuine love, through
the enactment of the knowledge acquired through this activity.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and saviour.

Amen…