Four Tips to Help You Manage Your Medications
It may come as no surprise that seniors use more medications than any other age group in the United States. With age come aches and pains, weakened muscles, and chronic disease. Eight out of ten older Americans take at least one prescription medication, and many older adults take three or more medications daily, according to a recent study published by the National Institutes of Health.
What may be alarming is that as many as 55% of older adults are incorrectly taking their medications, according to the study mentioned above. The Food and Drug Administration estimates that 1.3 million people are injured annually from medication errors. As seniors continue to age, it’s not uncommon for them to receive multiple prescriptions from multiple physicians in order to manage their ongoing health conditions. The task of remembering which medication to take when can be overwhelming and confusing for some seniors. Mismanaged medications can give way to seniors experiencing adverse complications, from cognitive impairment to fatality.
Whether you’re in your sixties or approaching the big 100 milestone, taking prescription and over-the-counter medications, herbal remedies, and supplements should be treated with great caution. If you’re a caregiver to an aging loved one, you too should be aware of the dangers of mismanaged medications. Below are four tips to help you manage your medications. Read on, the tips below just might save your life.
Maintain a Medication List
Not only should you learn about your health conditions and medications, but you should also be very familiar with every medication that you take. This includes all prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, supplements and herbal remedies. Make an appointment with your general practitioner to review all of your medications. Learn what medication manages what health condition, when you should take each medication, if there are any adverse reactions you should be aware of, and what medications to avoid taking together. Ask if there are any medications that can or should be eliminated and if your dosage is age-appropriate. Then, write down your doctor’s recommended medication regimen. Update it during each doctor visit and keep it in a prominent location in your home.
Organize Medications with a Pill Box
Pill boxes are very common and can be a very effective way to manage medications, especially for seniors that take multiple medications each day. Pill boxes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and some even offer a day/night option for those that take medications multiple times a day. You can even find smart pill boxes, like this one, that can alert you, or a loved one, when you’ve missed a medication dosage. If you choose to use a pill box, be sure to keep next week’s medications in the original packaging. This allows you to refer to the directions and proper dosage as you refill your pill box each week.
Choose a Primary Pharmacy
Another way to ensure that you don’t take medications that harmfully interact with one another is to stick to one pharmacy to fill all prescriptions. Pharmacies keep records of each customer’s medications and can alert you right away if a new medication has the potential to interact with your other medications. They even offer consultations so that you can review the instructions and proper dosage. Pharmacists even look for potential allergies and can call your doctor’s office to have a prescription changed if your doctor missed it.
Form Healthy Medication Habits
Part of the reason why so many older adults struggle to take their medications correctly is that they haven’t formed healthy habits when it comes to taking their medications. They might forget to take their medications at the proper time and wind up mixing medications that shouldn’t be taken together. Instead of continuing with this trend, make taking your medications correctly a habit. Find ways to ensure that you take your medications properly. For example, if you have medications that you should take on an empty stomach, set your pill box on your bathroom counter where you’ll see it first thing in the morning. Set alarms or ask a family member or friend to call you at certain times in the day if you struggle to remember what time you need to take your medication. Over time, taking your medications at the right time will become routine.
Do you need assistance with managing your medications? Perhaps you’re a long-distance family member and are concerned about your aging loved one’s medication management ability. Visiting Angels Fort Worth is here to help. We can help put you in touch with a local pharmacy that can pre-package your loved one’s medications according to doctor’s orders. Then our caregiver can remind them to take their medication and stay in touch with the family. Because our care is customized to the individual needs of our clients, we can address your loved one’s health and wellness concerns in a more effective way. Contact our office today to learn more about how we can make a difference in the life of your aging loved one.