Protecting children
At this time, many families are sheltering in multigenerational “bubbles.” Kids and grandparents alike are spending more time at home. Parents may be juggling telecommuting with childcare, leaving inquisitive little ones with more time to get their hands on medications. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently noted that poison centers receive 400,000 calls each year when young children ingest medications adults have left lying around. The most common prescription drugs involved were opioid pain medications as well as cardiac medications and diabetes medications. Even over-the-counter drugs, herbals and vitamins can be dangerous.
The CDC warns that while medications come in child-resistant packaging, grandparents might take the pills out of those packages for convenience and ease. Often, they’ve put the pills in pill organizers that are easy for kids to open. Or maybe a visiting grandparent arrived with a baggie of pills in their carry-on. Many seniors are in the habit of lining up loose pills on the countertop so they’ll remember to take them. And occasionally, they might drop pills on the floor without noticing.
The CDC recommends leaving medications in the original child-resistant packaging. If you do transfer pills to a different container, take these precautions to keep kids safe:
Keep the Poison Help number in your phone – (800) 222-1222. Call right away if you think a child might have gotten into a medicine, even if you are not sure.
Untried remedies can be dangerous.
As the pandemic went on, unscrupulous companies manufactured and sold products that claimed to prevent or cure COVID-19. Most of these products are merely useless, but some have been found to be dangerous if ingested. Never take a medication without checking with your doctor first.
Cleaning supplies can be dangerous, as well
Experts also report an increase in accidental poisoning from cleaning and sanitizing products, as well. These include hand sanitizers, cleaning products with bleach, and other disinfectants. Today we’re using more of those products, but we’re not necessarily taking care to use them properly. Here are tips to keep us hygienic—and safe: