Healthpoint Pharmacy Colwall

Covid 19 / Flu Vaccination 2 of 6

Who can have a free vaccination?

It is now the season when people who are more likely to become seriously ill from flu or Covid should get a vaccination to help protect themselves. Those people that are entitled to a flu vaccination that is paid for by the NHS this year are:

· People who are over 50 before 31st March 2023
Have a respiratory condition
· like asthma or chronic obstructive airways disease (COPD)
· Diabetics
· Have a heart condition
· Are overweight - a body mass index of over 40
· Have chronic kidney disease
· Have liver disease
· Have neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease
· Have a learning disability
· Have problems with their spleen
· Have a weakened immune system from chemotherapy, HIV etc
· Are pregnant
· Anybody who is in long term care
· Anybody who is the main carer for an older or disabled person
· Anybody living with someone who is more likely to get infections
· Anybody who is a frontline health or social worker.

However, you can purchase a vaccination from your local pharmacy, if you do not fit into any of those categories. This is good value for money, because if you are too ill to work, you will probably lose 3 days’ pay which would be over £200 if you are on minimum wage and work 8 hours a day.

If you are eligible for a free flu vaccination you can get it from your GP surgery, a pharmacy that is providing this service, your midwife if you are pregnant, or through a hospital appointment. You should get your covid booster from the same place you used last time. If you need both vaccinations, it is safe to have them together.

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Covid / Flu Vaccination 1

Should I get a flu/covid vaccination?

You need a flu vaccination every year because the viruses keep mutating, so the scientists have to adjust the vaccinations to provide better immunity against the latest variants. It is particularly important to get vaccinated against flu this year because very few people got it last year, so there is much less natural immunity among the general population.
You should have a booster Covid vaccination if you are over 75 or have a health condition that makes you vulnerable. This will help to reduce the number of people that become seriously ill and then take up hospital beds so there are fewer available for routine problems. A covid vaccination is needed every 6 months because so far, the immunity it gives weakens over time.

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Asthma 6 of 6

Quiz

Q1. How many people die from asthma a day in the UK?
A1. 3.
Q2. What is asthma?
A2. It is a common long term lung condition that causes occasional breathing problems.
Q3. What are the symptoms?
A3. Whistling sound when breathing, breathlessness, a tight cough, coughing.
Q4. Why do people die from it?
A4. Asthma sometimes get worse for a short time (called an asthma attack) and if the person ignores their symptoms, they can die.
Q5. How can an asthma attack be prevented?
A5. By following their asthma plan and using their inhalers as prescribed.
Q6. What is an asthma action plan?
A6. It tells the person which medicines they take every day, what to do if their symptoms get worse and the emergency action they should take if they are having an asthma attack.
Q7. Where do you get an asthma action plan?
A7. If the person hasn’t already got one, they can download one from the Asthma UK website.
Q8. How do they get the best from an action plan?
A8. They put it somewhere easy to find, keep a photo of it on their phone, check it regularly and take it to each asthma appointment.
Q9. How is asthma treated?
A9. They use inhalers - a reliever to help symptoms when they occur and a preventer that stops symptoms developing.
Q10. What do they do if they are having an asthma attack?
A10. Sit up straight, try to keep calm, take one puff of their reliever inhaler every 30-60 seconds up to 10 puffs. If they feel no better, call 999. If the ambulance hasn’t arrived in 10 minutes, take another 10 puffs. If the symptoms are not better and the ambulance still hasn’t arrived, contact 999 again immediately.

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Asthma 5 of 6

Quiz

Q1. How many people die from asthma a day in the UK?
Q2. What is asthma?
Q3. What are the symptoms?
Q4. Why do people die from it?
Q5. How can an asthma attack be prevented?
Q6. What is an asthma action plan?
Q7. Where do you get an asthma action plan?
Q8. How do they get the best from an action plan?
Q9. How is asthma treated?
Q10. What do they do if they are having an asthma attack?

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Asthma 4 of 6

The best way to prevent an asthma attack

• Follow their personal asthma action plan and take all their medicines as prescribed
• Have regular asthma reviews with a GP or asthma nurse at least once a year
• Check with the GP or asthma nurse that they are using their inhalers correctly
• Avoid things that trigger their asthma

An asthma action plan details what medicines the person takes every day, what they should do if their symptoms get worse and what to do in an emergency. If the person hasn’t been offered one by their GP or asthma nurse, they can download one from Asthma UK website.

To get the best out of their action plan the person should keep it somewhere they see it every day like on their fridge, keep a photo of it on their phone so they can see it when they are out and about, tell their friends and family about it, check it regularly and take it to all their asthma appointments.

For more information about this or any other health issue talk to one of our trained staff

Asthma 3 of 6

What should they do if they are having an asthma attack?

1. Get them to sit up straight and try to keep calm
2. Take one puff of their reliever inhaler (usually blue) every 30-60 seconds up to 10 puffs
3. If they feel worse at any point or they do not feel better after 10 puffs an ambulance should be called
4. If the ambulance has not arrived after 10 minutes and their symptoms have not improved, they should repeat step 2
5. If their symptoms are no better after repeating step 2 and the ambulance has still not arrived, contact 999 again immediately.

Never be frightened of calling for help in an emergency. Take their inhalers and asthma plan with them to hospital if possible. If their symptoms improve and they do not need to go to hospital, get an urgent same day appointment to see their GP or asthma nurse. This advice is not for people on SMART or MART treatment – they should ask their GP what to do if they have an asthma attack.

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Asthma 2 of 6

What is the treatment?

Asthma is usually treated by using inhalers which are either relievers that are used when there is a need to quickly relieve asthma symptoms for a short time or preventers that are used every day to prevent asthma symptoms happening.

However about 3 people die every day in the UK from asthma because they have an asthma attack and don’t get help in time. The symptoms of an asthma attack are:

• Symptoms are getting worse
• Their reliever inhaler (usually blue) is not helping
• They are too breathless to speak, eat or sleep
• Their breathing is getting faster, and it feels like they can’t catch their breath
• Their peak flow score is lower than normal
• Children may complain of a tummy or chest pain.

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Asthma 1 of 6

What is asthma?

Asthma is a common lung condition that causes occasional breathing problems. It affects people of all ages and often starts in childhood, although it can develop for the first time in adults. The main symptoms are:

• A whistling sound when breathing
• Breathlessness
• A tight chest which may feel like a band is tightening around it
• Coughing

Several conditions have similar symptoms so it is important to get a proper diagnosis which can be done at your GP surgery using some simple tests.

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Dementia 6 of 6

Quiz & Answers

Q1. How should dementia patients be treated?
A1. As individuals. Each one is a different as they were before diagnosis.
Q2. Should these patients be called sufferers?
A2. No, because it just compounds the feelings of despair that the person and their families feel.
Q3. What made the biggest difference to Wendy?
A3. The people she met along the way.
Q4. Dementia affects a person’s memory but what else does it affect?
A4. Their senses, emotions and communications.
Q5. Why are white plates and black tablecloths a problem?
A5. People with dementia need contrast to detect things so white food on a white plate just disappears and black tablecloths or carpets look like a black sink hole.
Q6. Why is meat a problem?
A6. Because a person with dementia can’t cut it up easily and then won’t remember how many times they have chewed it before trying to swallow.
Q7. Why are hot meals difficult?
A7. These lead to small burns inside their mouths because they forget between one mouthful and the next that the food is hot.
Q8. What is Wendy’s rule for hallucinations?
A8. She does something else for 30 minutes and then goes back. If the problem is still there, then it is not an hallucination.
Q9. What is Hyperacusis?
A9. It is a condition that affects how you perceive sounds, so loud noises startle you.
Q10. What is the easiest way to see if a room is dementia friendly?
A10. Take a black and white photograph.

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Dementia 5 of 6

Quiz

Q1. How should dementia patients be treated?
Q2. Should these patients be called sufferers?
Q3. What made the biggest difference to Wendy?
Q4. Dementia affects a person’s memory but what else does it affect?
Q5. Why are white plates and black tablecloths a problem?
Q6. Why is meat a problem?
Q7. Why are hot meals difficult?
Q8. What is Wendy’s rule for hallucinations?
Q9. What is Hyperacusis?
Q10. What is the easiest way to see if a room is dementia friendly?

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Dementia 4 of 6

Hearing

Apart from imagining sounds, Wendy also found that loud noises became more and more distressing. The term for this is hyperacusis. Apparently the gate between her ears and her brain was left permanently open so a loud noise made her feel like a raging bull was crashing through her head.

The solution was hearing aids that blocked off the noises that she found particularly uncomfortable, so she could walk to the shops without jumping when a motorbike or rushing ambulance passed her by.

Vision

Here it is not the eyes that are the problem but the way the person interprets the messages their brain receives. They have trouble distinguishing the edge of stairs, patterned carpets come alive and black carpets look like sinkholes. The easiest way to find out if a room is dementia friendly is to take a black and white photograph. If the contrast between black, white and grey is obvious then it should be OK.

To find out more about what can be done to reduce the problems dementia patients have talk to one of our trained team members and/or read the books Wendy Mitchell has written.

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Dementia 3 of 6

Problems with Eating

For example, eating can become a real problem. It is hard for people with dementia to detect things of the same colour, so white food on a white plate is not seen, black tablecloths look like sinkholes and using knives and forks becomes impossible.

Furthermore, meat is difficult to cut and remembering how many times to chew it to make sure it is small enough to swallow, is a challenge. As is hot food because somebody with dementia will not remember between one mouthful and the next that they burnt their mouth the first time, so they end up with many ulcers.

Hallucinations

Many people with dementia report visual, sound and smell hallucinations which are usually unpleasant. Dr. Jennifer Bute - an ex- GP diagnosed with dementia in 2009 - said these hallucinations are not “made up” by the dementia but just released by stored memories from the past.

Understanding these hallucinations and noting their patterns may give clues to help lessen their frequency. Wendy found the best way to distinguish whether what she sees, hears or smells is real or not, is to do something else for 30 minutes. If the issue is still there after that, then it is not an hallucination.

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Dementia 2 of 6

What I Wish People Knew About Dementia

In the second book she records how other dementia patients were affected by their disease and what they felt would make things better. She found that this made the biggest difference to her. Being able to talk and share experiences really helped. She discovered that every person with dementia is as different as they were before they were diagnosed so they should all be treated differently.

She stresses that the negative view of dementia that society has, compounds the feelings of despair the patient and their families feel when they are told of the diagnosis. For this reason, she hates the term “sufferers”.

Patients are not told that dementia affects more than just their memories. It affects their senses, emotions and communications. By understanding these changes, it is possible to adapt a dementia patient’s environment to help them.

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Dementia 1 of 6

The Fear of Dementia

We all dread being diagnosed with dementia and immediately think of the end game, but many patients manage to live several years without carers. One such person is Wendy Mitchell, who was diagnosed with young onset dementia in July 2014. She had been a non-clinical team leader in the NHS for 20 years. When she was diagnosed, she found that there was no follow up, unlike if she had been diagnosed with cancer or heart failure.

She was lucky in that, though she struggled with speech and memory she was still able to use a computer to record how dementia was affecting her. These thoughts were developed into two books – “Somebody I used to Know” and “What I wish people knew about dementia”.

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Cardiac Health 5 of 6

Quiz

Q1. What is cardiovascular disease (CVD)?
A1. It is a general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels.
Q2. How common is it?
A2. It is one of the main causes of death and disability in the UK.
Q3. Can it be prevented?
A3. Yes.
Q4. What are the main 4 types of coronary vascular disease (CVD)?
A4. Coronary heart disease, strokes, peripheral arterial disease and aortic disease.
Q5. What causes CVD?
A5. It is usually associated with a build up of fatty deposits inside your arteries and an increased risk of blood clots.
Q6. What is a stroke?
A6. A stroke is where the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off which can cause brain damage and possible death.
Q7. What is coronary heart disease?
A7. This occurs when the flow of oxygen rich blood to your heart muscle is blocked or reduced.
Q8. What is aortic disease?
A8. This is a group of conditions affecting the aorta.
Q9. What is the aorta?
A9. It is the largest blood vessel in your body which carries blood from your heart to the rest of your body.
Q10. How can CVD be prevented?
A10. Stop smoking, have a balanced diet, exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight, cut down on alcohol, take medication if your GP prescribes it.

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