Techniques to Avoid Medication Problems for Seniors

Medication can do a lot of good and when it’s taken incorrectly, it can do a lot of harm. To prevent that eventuality, it’s really important that you and your senior have a plan for medication management. The right plan ensures that your senior knows what she’s taking, what her dosages are, and that she’s complying with her doctor’s instructions for taking her medication. In-home care aides can assist with this.

Keep a List of All Medications Your Senior Takes

In-Home Care Wayne NJ – Techniques to Avoid Medication Problems for Seniors

Medication can get confusing very quickly, especially if your elderly family member is taking a lot of different ones. Keeping a current list of the medications that your senior takes is an important step. If you keep a digital copy, that’s easy to update as the medication or dosage changes.

Make Sure Your Senior’s Medications Are Still What She Needs

It also helps to periodically make sure that your senior’s medications are still right for her. You can do this by requesting a medication review with your elderly family member’s doctor. It’s a good idea to ask about side effects as well as mentioning anything new that you or your senior are noticing about her medication. Your senior’s chemistry changes over time, which means that her medication may become less effective. She could need a different medication or an adjustment to her dosage.

Avoid Skipping Around to Different Pharmacies

There can be a lot of different reasons why it’s convenient or tempting to fill different prescriptions at different pharmacies. But that can be a bad idea for your senior. When you get all of her prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy, your senior’s pharmacist is able to spot possible interactions between medications. Her pharmacist also gets to know your senior and her needs, which can be incredibly helpful.

Enlist Help with Medication Management from In-Home Care Providers

Taking medication can feel more complicated for your senior as she gets older. If she’s experiencing things like cognitive changes, that can make medication management on her own even more confusing. In-home care providers can help your senior to monitor the taking of her medications correctly and can help with other needs she may be experiencing. This can alleviate a lot of concern for both you and your senior that she might be taking her medication incorrectly.

Medication can help your senior to cope with health issues and in some cases, medication can even control or eliminate health issues. The key is that medication has to be taken properly and that may mean your senior needs a little extra help.

If you or a senior family member are considering hiring In-Home Care Services in Wayne NJ, please contact the caring staff at Caring Solutions Home Care LLC. In-home senior care servicing Bergen & Passaic Counties. Call today at (973) 427-3553.