Medications are used to treat a variety of senior ailments and injuries to facilitate recovery and alleviate pain and discomfort. In fact, a high percentage of people over the age of 65 are taking multiple medications at any given time to manage various health conditions. Trying to remember when and how to take all of these different medications can be confusing and overwhelming. It is critical to administer medications exactly as instructed to ensure the drugs are having the intended effects and adverse side effects are avoided.
Medication Management To Maximize Healing
Medications are typically prescribed to treat a specific injury or illness, or to manage ongoing chronic health conditions. Either way, taking medications properly as directed is necessary to optimize results and recovery. Professional caregivers can offer effective assistance and medication management to prevent unexpected complications and further damage.
Establish A Scheduled Routine
Implementing a practical routine can help take some of the confusion and worry out of taking numerous medications simultaneously. One useful strategy is to combine taking medications with daily practices to make it part of the regular routine. For example, a prescription may need to be taken with food in the morning. This can be easily incorporated as part of daily breakfast activities until it becomes an automatic practice. The same approach can be applied to medications that need to be administered before bedtime.
Assistive Devices
Pill boxes can be extremely effective for organizing medications in a practical and intuitive way to minimize confusion. Home caregivers can help arrange medications in pill boxes at the start of the week to prevent having to sort through an array of medicine bottles every time it is time to take a pill.
Setting reminders with the aid of a device like a smartphone makes it easy to program the delivery of notifications at the same time each day to keep medication administration consistent and accurate.
Medication Management To Minimize Risks
Medications are prescribed to have specific effects on the body as long as they are taken as directed. Many people fail to consider that the medications they are taking may not be compatible with each other, producing harmful side effects or rendering the medications ineffective.
Professional Assistance
Home caregivers can help monitor the situation and communicate with other involved healthcare professionals to make sure there are no medicinal conflicts. Getting a clear picture of all prescriptions, supplements, and over the counter medications being taken provides the information needed to avoid unwanted ramifications.
Interpreting Instructions
Sometimes the directions on prescription bottles are not immediately clear or easy to understand. Home caregivers can offer their expertise to help ensure medications are being taken exactly as prescribed. Caregivers can also monitor the situation to keep an eye out for any unusual effects or reactions.
Correct Dosages
In the absence of medication management assistance, seniors may be taking incorrect dosages of their medications which can also cause problems. In some cases, seniors may decide to take lower dosages of medications when not experiencing any pain or discomfort in order to stockpile the drugs for an incident or episode. This is not an effective method and may actually result in worsening the condition.
On the other hand, it is also not recommended to take higher doses than directed. In situations where pain is debilitating, take a larger dose might be tempting to alleviate suffering. Again, this approach can have detrimental effects and is not advisable.
Positive Results
Medication management can be trickier than expected, especially when over 50% of seniors are taking multiple medications simultaneously. Home caregivers are an excellent resource to help establish an effective medication routine and monitor the situation as it progresses.
Prescribed drugs can have powerful effects, and medications tend to effect each person a little differently. Professional medication management in the comfort of home can help provide peace of mind and maximize positive results.
