Medication Management Tips
for Seniors
Are you looking for medication management tips for seniors? You come to the right page.
Aging is often associated with failing health. As a result, elderly people tend to take in more oral drugs to control and maintain their symptoms. Some medications have drug interactions and cannot be taken together. Other medications require intake on a full stomach for better absorption.
Another issue is multiple prescriptions. This can cause confusion, particularly those that need to be taken several times a day. Overdosing and underdosing is a common problem in drug management. Adverse drug reactions can result from errors in prescription and dispensation. This is why learning how to manage medications for the elderly is important.
Tips on How to Manage Medications for the Elderly Communicate
Among the many medication management tips for seniors, communication with patients comes first. More often than not, they have difficulty expressing drug effects. Therefore, caregivers must take a proactive stance in checking the effects of the medication.
Create a List
Creating a complete list of all drugs will help caregivers manage medications. The list should include prescriptions, supplements, and over-the-counter medications. Essentially, every drug the patient has to take. Bring this list whenever the patients have to see a doctor. This way the doctor can check for possible drug interactions. Primarily, this is a big help in checking whether the patient can now stop taking certain medications.
Have a Medication Organizer
A medication organizer should help you arrange all the medications. Choose the one with a morning and night slots, if necessary. Have a medication organizer with daily slots for meds taken once a day. This subsequently lessens the possibility of overdosing or underdosing.
Use a Medicine Diary
It is highly advisable for caregivers to keep a medicine diary, much like how nurses log details in a patient’s chart. These detailed notes should include any adverse reactions a patient may have when they take new medications. This is especially useful for physicians when they need to assess the potency and efficacy of the medications.
Double-Check Medications
Make it a habit to double-check medications before administration. For instance, check the drug name and dosage instructions before placing it inside the medicine organizer.
Seniors with failing memory often need the help of a caregiver to organize their medications. Therefore, seniors – or their families – choose to hire overseas caregivers. Foreign caregivers can help them in managing their medications. Make sure to follow the medication management tips for seniors to lessen adverse effects.
