The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

Extension Homemakers Arkansas County Newsletter

July, 2020

ARKANSAS COUNTY EH COUNCIL OFFICERS

Sandra Webb, President

Barbara Jones, President Elect Joan McFerrin, Secretary

Charlene Wingfield, Treasurer Patsy Coose, Reporter

Alta Lockley County Extension Agent –

4-H/FCS alockley@uaex.edu

(870)946-6160

Arkansas County Offices

1009 Liberty Drive DeWitt, Arkansas 72042

(870)946-3231 or 673-2346 Fax: (870)946-3061

2900 Highway 130 East

Stuttgart. Arkansas 72160 (870)673-2661, Ext. 254

Fax: (870)673-4315

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is

an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action

institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact your County Extension office (or

other appropriate office) as soon as possible. Dial 711 for

Arkansas Relay.

While public health recommendations are limiting in-person contacts, all county EH events are postponed until further notice. But that’s ok! Extension Homemakers have a history of rising to the occasion in times of crisis and we will get through this. For now, stay safe and let me know if I can help you. You can reach our office by phone at (870)946-3231 or (870)673-2346. I miss seeing all of you.

“PHONE A FRIEND FRIDAY”

Be a good neighbor while practicing social distancing – call a friend every Friday to beat isolation and overcome loneliness. Check on a childhood friend, a friend from church, a fellow club member, or a neighbor.

EHC REPORTS The new EHC year begins July 1, which means it is time for dues. Membership dues are $4 and club dues are $5. Information and report forms will be mailed to Club Presidents.

VOLUNTEER HOURS Several of you have put in many hours during COVID-19 along with your other volunteer efforts. Club Presidents, please collect 2019-20 volunteer hours from your members and send the reports to the Extension Office.

ONE FACE MASK AT A TIME EH members across the state have made and donated some 34,000 face masks. That’s an outstanding testament of the work that you do. Arkansas County EH members have made more than 450 face masks for hospitals, clinics, businesses and individuals. Please make sure to let our office know, if you’ve made face masks so we can report our county totals. To find COVID-19 resources related to agriculture, families and communities, visit uaex.edu/COVID19.

JULY EH PROGRAM Do you have problems clearing out your medicine cabinet, overflowing with expired medicines? Improper disposal of medicine can have serious impacts on our health, safety and natural environment. The EH program for July is Safe Disposal of Unused Medication. I have enclosed the program materials for your information along with some activities for fun.

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ONE MILLION MEALS Food Insecurity is the statewide EHC service project for the 2019-20 year. Many families are struggling with food insecurity because of income loss due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. EHC members and friends are encouraged to make a monetary donation as their budget permits. Please take this opportunity to support the state food bank at www.uaex.edu/ehc or one of the local food pantries.

AEHC STATE MEETING Due to COVID-19, the Annual AEHC State Meeting has been rescheduled for August 12-13. The revised program will include a keynote speaker, awards recognition, and the business meeting. Concurrent classes are not being planned at this time. Details will be posted on the EHC webpage at www.uaex.edu/ehc when information is available.

SHOULD I WASH MY PRODUCE WITH SOAP & WATER?

Before eating or preparing fresh fruits and vegetables, wash the produce under cold running tap water to remove any stuck-on dirt. This reduces bacteria that may be present. If there is a firm surface, such as on apples or potatoes, the surface can be scrubbed with a brush. Consumers should not wash fruits and vegetables with detergent or soap. These products are not approved or labeled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use on foods. You could ingest residues from soap or detergent absorbed on the produce (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service).

2020 CENSUS The 2020 Census will provide a snapshot of our nation—who we are, where we live, and so much more. Lawmakers and local governments will use this population data to make critical decisions for the next decade, like where we need new schools, clinics, roads, and more services for families, older adults, and children. Business owners will use this data to decide where to expand, where to recruit employees, and which products and services to offer. By completing your 2020 Census, you can help your community leaders and businesses make decisions that benefit all Arkansans. Learn

more here: https://2020census.gov/en/census-data.html Please call me at (870)946-3231, if you have questions. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Visit our website at: http://www.uaex.edu/counties/arkansas

Look us up on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ArkansasCountyEHC

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SAFE DISPOSAL OF UNUSED MEDICATION Arkansas County Extension Homemakers

Alta Lockley, CEA-4-H/FCS July, 2020

“Medications that are flushed down the toilet or thrown straight into the garbage can and do find their way into our nation’s

waterways every day. Those drugs are present in water that supports many species of fish and other wildlife. We are concerned about reports of fish abnormalities possibly caused by improperly disposed prescription medications.”

- Sam D. Hamilton, SE Regional Director, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services (March 2007)

Practicing secure medication storage and proper disposal helps prevent accidental poisoning, prescription drug abuse or drug diversion in your home and community. Taking medication as prescribed also helps you keep track of current medications. We all have a part to play in building healthier and safer communities. Do your part by storing your medication safely, then when the time comes, properly disposing of medications. Take quiz to see if you are putting yourself or someone else at risk

1) Are there unmarked containers in your medicine cabinet? Yes No

2) Have any of the medications changed color, texture or smell? Yes No

3) Is your medicine cabinet unlocked? Yes No

4) Are any of the medications in your cabinet beyond the expiration date? Yes No

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then it’s time to clean out your medicine cabinet! Before moving forward, let’s take a few minutes to review each question and talk about how you might be putting yourself or someone in danger. 1) If you can’t identify the medication, discard it! Always keep medications in their original containers so it is easily identified and not confused for something else.

* Older adults who take multiple medications may have trouble remembering to take all of their medications at the right time and in the correct dosages. 2) Damaged medicine may make you sick. DO NOT take medicine that has changed color, texture, or smell, even if it has not expired. 3) Medications lose their effectiveness after the expiration date and some maybe toxic. Also, keeping expired medications creates an unnecessary health risk in the home, especially if there are children present. Even child resistant containers cannot completely prevent a child from taking medicines that belong to someone else.

* In a study that looked at cases of accidental child exposure to a grandparent’s medicine, 45% of cases involved medicines stored in child-resistant containers. 4) In the US, a majority of unintentional poisoning are caused by accidental exposure to medicine in the home.

* In 2007, there were 255,732 cases of improper medicine use reported to Poison Control Centers in the United States. Approximately 9% of these cases (23,783) involved accidental exposure to another person’s medicine. Approximately 5,000 of these accidental exposure cases involved children 6 years and younger.

Guidelines for taking medication as prescribed Taking medications correctly, is generally defined as the extent to which patients take medication as prescribed by their doctors. This involves factors such as getting prescriptions filled, remembering to take medication on time, and understanding the directions. Not taking your medicine as prescribed by a doctor or instructed by a pharmacist could lead to your disease getting worse, hospitalization, even death.

• Keep a list of all medications that you take (prescribed drugs, nonprescription medicines, herbal supplements, home remedies, and medical foods)

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• Make a list of any medicines that you cannot take due to allergic reactions, and share those with your doctor or pharmacist

• Tell your health care provider how you actually take your medication, especially if this is different from the originally prescribed directions.

• Learn the names of the drug products that are prescribed and given to you, as well as their dosage strength and schedules.

• Ask if there are certain foods, beverages, other medicines, or activities you should avoid while taking the drug.

• Ask for any written information available on the drug product. • Question anything you don't understand or that doesn't seem right. Be especially alert to

unexpected changes, such as receiving a prescription refill that seems to have a different strength or appearance from your original prescription.

• Show that you understand how to use your medication by repeating information about your prescription back to your doctor or pharmacist.

Tips for storing your medication properly Commonly abused prescription medications like painkillers are highly sought after. Keep prescription medications in a safe and secure location in your home so that they cannot be taken by others. Prescription medications should be stored in their original bottles in one of the following:

• Locked cabinet

• Hidden location

• Lock box Tips for properly disposing medication Your medicine is for you! What’s safe for you may be dangerous for someone else. You can dispose of your expired, or unused medicines through a drug take back program. A take-back program is a site where residents can legally discard of all medicines which they no longer need, or which are expired, to one site.

• DeWitt City Hall has a disposal kiosk for unused medicines.

• Some communities participate in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sponsored National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, so watch the news media. This nationwide initiative usually takes place in April and October.

• Check with your pharmacy for a mail-back program or disposal kiosk for unused medicines. What You Can Dispose The following medicines can be disposed at takebacks:

• Prescription medicines

• Over-the-Counter medicines

• Dietary Supplements

• Pet medicines

• Some tack-back events will accept needles. Needles cannot be accepted at permanent drop box take-back.

Help! There Is No Take-Back in My Area! Some areas do not host take-back programs. If you live in one of those areas, you can call your local Arkansas law enforcement to see if you can bring your medicines to them.

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In Arkansas, law enforcement is often the only entity authorized to accept medicines. Most pharmacies are not able to accept take-back medications. Nursing homes, charitable institutions and other entities are not legally able to accept medicines. If your local law enforcement will not take your medicine, follow these steps to dispose of your medicines safely in your home:

• Take all medicines (this does not include needles) and dump them into a plastic zip-top bag (include unneeded pet medicines too). Add a little bit of water to the bag and swirl the medicines until they start to dissolve.

• Add an undesirable substance to the medicine. An undesirable substance can include anything from used coffee grounds to cat litter to sawdust.

• Seal the bag and drop it in your trash.

• Make sure you strip the pill bottle of your personal identifying information.

Never flush medicines down the toilet, down your sink drain or in your septic tank. Although the FDA recommends some particularly dangerous medicines to be flushed, the Arkansas Drug Enforcement Administration recommends that medicine be disposed in the manner described above in case you do not have access to a community take-back program. Information from: Safe Medicine Disposal in Arkansas: https://www.uaex.edu/publications/pdf/FSFCS21.pdf Safe Disposal of Unneeded Medications: https://ieha-families.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2018_Lesson_Area2_Safe_Disposal_Meds.pdf Pharmacy Clue Crossword Puzzle: https://generationrx.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Supplemental-Worksheets.pdf Safe Medicine Storage: https://www.scholastic.com/content/dam/teachers/sponsored-content/otc-medicine-safety/AAPCC_56_Wksht5Prntble.pdf https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines

ANSWERS – Pharmacy Crossword Puzzle

Across: 3) Pharmacist 4) Medicine 6) Adult 7) Cabinet 9) Share 10) Bottle Down: 1) Prescription 2) Label 5) Counter 8) Instructions Safe Medicine Storage

1) bottle of cough medicine on the counter and a teaspoon with a trace of medicine visible on spoon 2) medicine left out on the nightstand with dosage cut 3) allergy medicine next to vase 4) toiletry bag hanging low from doorknob inside closet 5) medicine bottles visible and accessible inside cabinet below kitchen sink; 6) open purse with multivitamin bottle sticking out of the top

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ANSWERS – 1) Formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence - On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted to approve a motion by Virginia to separate from Great Britain. Two days later, the declaration proclaiming the independence of the United States of America from Great Britain and its king was formally adopted by 12 Colonies. 2) 1777 - Congress authorized using fireworks to help mark the first anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The celebration, which took place in Philadelphia, also included bonfires and bells. 3) Though John Adams was the first president to occupy the White House, it was Thomas Jefferson who, on July 4, 1801, opened the Executive Mansion to diplomats, civil and military officers and Cherokee chiefs. The Marine Band performed "The President's March" (later retitled "Hail, Columbia") and other patriotic airs.4) After John Dunlap of Philadelphia printed copies of the declaration for the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, printers throughout the Colonies produced their own versions. The one from the Pennsylvania Evening Post came out on July 6, 1776. 5) The two former presidents, once fellow patriots and later political rivals, died within hours of each other on July 4, 1826. Jefferson was 83; Adams, 90. 6) Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president was born on July 4, 1872, in Plymouth Notch, Vt. He's the only president born on Independence Day. 7) 2.5 million - The estimate comes from the U.S. Census Bureau. 8) 1870 - Congress reaffirmed the holiday in 1938 and mandated full pay for federal employees. 9) Vermont The other 10 were: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia. The Colonies became the first 13 states. Vermont became the 14th on March 4, 1791.

FOURTH OF JULY TRIVIA QUIZ

1. What historical event do Americans celebrate on

the Fourth of July?

o Official signing of the Declaration of

Independence

o George Washington’s birthday

o The first shots of the American Revolution

o Formal adoption of the Declaration of

Independence

2. When were fireworks first used in an official

Fourth of July celebration?

o 1777

o 1812

o 1876

o 1901

3. Which president held a Fourth of July celebration

at the White House?

o George Washington

o John Adams

o Thomas Jefferson

o James Madison

4. Which newspaper first printed the Declaration of

Independence?

o The Philadelphia Eagle

o The New York Times

o The Pennsylvania Evening Post

o The National Enquirer

Source: AARP website: https://www.aarp.org/politics-

society/history/info-07-2012/fourth-of-july-history-quiz.html#quest1

5. Which two U.S.

Presidents died on July 4

in the same year?

o Thomas Jefferson

and John Adams

o James Monroe and Martin Van Buren

o Millard Fillmore and Andrew Johnson

o William Howard Taft and Warren G.

Harding

6. Which U.S. President was born on Independence

Day?

o Calvin Coolidge

o James Buchanan

o Lyndon B. Johnson

o Ronald Reagan

7. What is the estimated number of people living in

the 13 colonies on July 4, 1776?

o 2.5 million

o 9 million

o 15 million

o 30 million

8. When did the Fourth of July become a federal

holiday?

o 1777

o 1870

o 1876

o It’s a state holiday, not a federal holiday

9. Which of the following was not one of the

original 13 American colonies?

o Vermont

o Georgia

o Massachusetts

o North Carolina