Senior Home Care Blogs

Most seniors take several medications and often have to take these several times during the day. Adding to that complication is the fact that some medications have to be taken before or after a meal, and others can be dangerous if taken together. Unfortunately, taking medications incorrectly can have serious side effects, or cause problems like stroke or symptoms of dementia. Families can help by supporting seniors with proper medication management. Here are some ideas of how families can help:

• Inventory Medication: Start by inventorying the medication in your loved one's home. Be sure to throw out expired or discontinued prescriptions so that these aren't taken by accident.
• Discuss Medications with Doctor: On the next doctor's appointment, take all of your senior family member's medications, both prescription and over-the-counter. Let the doctor review these and tell you how they should be used. Be sure to write down all the instructions. Throw away any over-the-counter drugs or supplements which aren't approved by the doctor.
• Use One Pharmacy: Many seniors go to several different doctors. The best way to make sure that the medicines prescribed do not cause bad reactions is to fill all of the prescriptions at the same pharmacy. That way, the pharmacist will be able to cross-check the medications before filling them. If your senior family member picks up their own prescriptions, you might want to discuss any concerns you have with the head pharmacist so they can be sure to double-check all prescriptions.
• Prepare a List of All Medications and Dosing: Having one list of all the medications and dosing information can prevent mistakes and be very helpful at doctor's visits and emergencies. Don't forget to update this after every doctor's visit when a new prescription is given. Moreover, it is a good idea to keep a copy for yourself as well as leaving one with your senior family member. Make sure your senior brings the list to all medical and dental appointments.
• Read the Patient Information Sheets on all Medications: All prescribed medications come with a patient sheet which clearly explains all medications and side effects. Read these each time your senior family member gets a new prescription, and keep track of any side effects they may be having so you can inform the doctor.
• Use Medicine Dosage Planner: When a person is taking a lot of different medications, they may have trouble remembering what they have taken that day. Help your senior family member remember what medications to take by buying a dosage planner. These come in different types, some of which allow you to put in doses that must be taken at different times during the day. Once a week, help your senior put their pills in the planner. That way, they won't have to remember what to take when, and if they aren't sure whether they have taken a medicine, they can just look to see if the pill is still in the container or not.
• Keep Other Medicines in Original Containers: Other than the pills in the planner, keep all other medicines in their original containers so that you can retrieve the information about them quickly in case of an emergency. Don't throw away containers until the refill has been obtained.

Supporting seniors with proper medication management can not only prevent serious side effects and overdosing, it can help seniors to have better emotional and physical health. Setting up a proper medication management system takes a little time, but will relieve your stress over your senior's medical care.