Medication Safety For Seniors
Medications, whether prescription or over-the-counter, help individuals live healthier lives. They’re primarily used to treat medical conditions or ease temporary symptoms. However, medications taken incorrectly can lead to complications, some of which may be life-threatening.
Medication Safety Tips
Whether you’re starting a new medication or you’ve had prescription meds for years, consider these medication safety tips from the National Institute on Aging as you age.
Understand Your Medications
Understanding your medications and what they do is one of the most essential parts of medication safety. When you pick up a medication for the first time, talk to the pharmacist about how the medication will affect you and the signs you should look out for that may signify a problem. Also, make sure you know how to take the medication and how much you should take.
Understanding your medications also includes knowing how new ones will mix with current ones. Always be honest with your doctors about what you are taking, both prescription and over-the-counter.
Keep Track Of Medications
According to the CDC, seven in ten adults 49 to 79 take at least one prescription medication, and 24 percent of adults in this age group take five or more. If you’re taking more than one medication, it’s important to keep track of what you’re taking, especially if multiple doctors or specialists are prescribing meds.
List all of the medications you are taking, including prescribed and over-the-counter ones, as well as vitamins. Include how often you take them and the dosage on your list. Share this list with your healthcare providers to ensure safe dosages and combinations.
Use A Pill Organizer
If your doctor prescribes you medications, you need to take them regularly, as prescribed. Not taking medications can lead to complications, or it can make the meds not work as intended.
Using a pill organizer is a good way to stay on top of your medications. Pill organizers keep all your pills in one place and make it easier to see if you’ve taken what you need to. Some pill organizers have alarms reminding you when to take your medications. You can also set an alarm on your smartphone or tablet.
Secure Medications
Prescription medications are only meant to be taken by the person they’re prescribed to. Taking medications not prescribed to you can lead to unwanted side effects and complications. To reduce the risk of someone accidentally taking your medications, make sure they’re in a safe and secure location, out of reach of children, and away from over-the-counter meds where they may be misken for something else.
Safely Dispose Medications
Many people flush or throw their meds when they’re done with them. However, flushing medications, even over-the-counter drugs, can affect water supply. Instead of flushing your medications, deliver them to a safe drop-off location where they’ll be safely disposed of.
Safely disposing of medications also includes getting rid of them as soon as they expire or are no longer needed. Removing medications from the home when you don’t need them ensures you or someone else doesn’t accidentally take them.
Medication Safety With Visiting Angels
Medication safety is something every senior should take seriously, but it can be challenging to navigate all the elements of medication safety, especially for older adults who live alone. And that’s where Visiting Angels can help.
Our dedicated caregivers can assist clients with medication reminders, transportation to pharmacies and doctor’s appointments, reading medication instructions, and figuring out the best way to dispose of medications in your area.
Contact our Rockwall office to learn more about at-home caregiving with Visiting Angels.