22 Courier sun • health • december 1, 2016 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com ▶health Hey Medicare patients: Be smart about antibiotics! Flu season is here again, but if you get sick, antibiotics won’t always help you. If you get a cold or flu, antibiotics could do more harm than good. That’s because these are viral infections, and antibiotics only cure bacterial infections. Every time you take antibiotics, they kill sensitive bacteria, but resistant germs can survive to grow and multiply. These resistant germs are called “antibiotic resistant,” and they can lead to severe infections, hospitalizations and death — especially among people over 65. The CDC has marked this week as Get Smart About Antibiotics Week. Here are three things you can do to make sure you’re using antibiotics the right way: Take antibiotics only to treat bacterial infections. It should be for only as long as your doctor prescribed to treat the infection, to reduce your risk of getting the infection again, or to reduce the risk to those around you. Always talk to your doctor before taking an antibiotic to be sure it will treat the infection you have. Never take antibiotics for a viral infection, like a cold, cough or flu. Antibiotics won’t cure your virus, they won’t keep those around you from getting sick, and they won’t help you feel better. In fact, taking antibiotics when you have a virus may do you more harm than good, because you increase your risk of getting an antibiotic-resistant infection later. Antibiotics won’t help you recover from the flu, but you can keep yourself from catching the major flu viruses in the first place by getting your flu shot! It’s free for people with Medicare, once per flu season when given by doctors or other health care providers (like senior centers and pharmacies) that take Medicare. “Get smart” today. Learn when antibiotics can work for you. From the Medicare Blog, http://blog. medicare.gov. Not everything can be treated with penicillin We’re here for your call. Toll Free 1.866.586.8044 TTY/TDD 1.800.662.1220 Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans • Dental, vision and hearing • Transportation • Over-the-counter pre-paid cards • Fitness center membership or low cost Plan premiums Doctor visits Generic drugs $0 Contact us for eligibility and enrollment [email protected] | agewellnewyork.com AgeWell New York, LLC is a HMO plan with a Medicare contract and a Coordination of Benefits Agreement with New York State Department of Health. Enrollment in AgeWell New York, LLC depends on contract renewal. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, copayments, and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premiums and/or co-payments/co-insurance may change on Januar y 1 of each year. You must continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium. Premiums, co-pays, co-insurance, and deductibles may vary based on the level of Extra Help you receive. Please contact the plan for further details. This plan is available to anyone who has both Medical Assistance from the State and Medicare. This information is available for free in other languages. Please call customer service at 1-866-586-8044 or TTY 1-800-662-1220 seven days a week from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Eastern Time or visit www.agewellnewyork.com. AgeWell New York complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of races, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. AgeWell New York cumple con las leyes federales de derechos civiles aplicables y no discrimina por motivos de raza, color, nacionalidad, edad, discapacidad o sexo. AgeWell New York 遵守適用的聯邦民權法律規定，不因種族、膚色、民族血 統、年齡、殘障或 別而歧視任何人。ATTENTION: If you do not speak English, language assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Call 1-866-586-8044 (TTY: 1-800-662-1220). ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-866-586-8044 (TTY: 1-800-662-1220). 注意：如果您使用繁體中文，您可以免費獲得語言援助服務。請致電 1-866-586-8044 (TTY: 1-800-662-1220). H4922_MA_4002 Accepted 09102016
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