Medication Management Tips for Erie Seniors

Erie Seniors: Managing Your Medication

Tips for Managing Your Medication as an Erie Senior

As an Erie senior parent ages and his or her body starts to slow and break down, the need for prescription medicines will likely increase. Keeping track of multiple medicines and all that comes with that (dose amounts and times, side effects, contraindications, interactions, etc.) takes significant time and effort. The stakes are also high: improperly taking medications can have serious consequences for anyone’s health, but especially for a senior. To stay safe, read our recommendations below and know that it never hurts to enlist some help.
Keep a List of All Medications One of the most important ways to help an Erie senior parent with med management is to keep a record of all the medications he or she takes. Tack this list to the fridge and make sure it includes:

• Dose time (organize the list from morning to evening)
• Dosage
• Whether it should be taken with food

As a further precaution, keep a more complete document that lists this information along with known side effects, contraindications, and why Grandma or Grandpa takes the medication.^[1] Compiling this list will take time, but it will lessen stress in the long-run.
Consult with Your Doctor and Pharmacist Bring your list of medications to your provider (you might bring along patient information leaflets to be safe) and ask him or her to review for potential hazards, such as a medication or dosage that’s inappropriate for your parent’s age, or dangerous interactions with other medications (or even herbal supplements). It never hurts to get a second opinion, so a pharmacist should look the list over, too.^[2]
Use a Pill Dispenser Organizing medicines in a pill dispenser lessens confusion and creates easy access. Choose a dispenser with large font and sturdy design—the last thing you want is for your Erie senior parent to have to fumble with lids and spill pills across the floor. Even with a pill box, you may want to retain original bottles and leaflets somewhere safe for your records. There are also services that sort pills into individual, labelled packets according to the time of day pills are meant to be taken and ship them to your door each month.
Set Up a Pill Reminder Pill reminders help ensure a parent never misses or doubles a dose. They come in a variety of formats, such as telephone reminder services and specialized alarm clocks.^[3] There are also a slew of apps you can download to your parent’s smartphone if he or she has one (as well as your own for safe measure).
Store Medicines Properly Different medicines may require different storage environments, but generally they all fare best when kept in a cool and dry place. This rules out the bathroom medicine cabinet, where moisture and heat from the shower can affect drugs. Also make sure to store medicines away from children and pets.^[4]
Know What Medications Are Unsafe for the Elderly For various reasons, certain medicines and classes of medicines, such as benzodiazepines, are not recommended for seniors. To keep informed, you can refer to the American Geriatrics Society’s Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults. For 20 years, AGS has kept and updated the report, which draws from more than 2,000 research studies to list more than 30 medicines potentially unsuitable for the elderly.^[5]
Take Extra Precaution with Alzheimer’s and Dementia Erie Seniors with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia or cognitive impairment should not be allowed to take their medication on their own. The danger of missing a dose, confusing pills, or even overdosing is too high. In these cases, an in-home caregiver or family member should oversee medication management. Also know that some medicines may create side effects that mimic cognitive impairment—another good reason to keep a list of medicines current. ^[1] http://www.aplaceformom.com/blog/1-27-2014-medication-management-tips/ ^[2] http://www.aplaceformom.com/blog/1-27-2014-medication-management-tips/ ^[3] https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/look-medication-reminders ^[4] http://nihseniorhealth.gov/takingmedicines/managingyourmedicines/01.html ^[5] http://www.americangeriatrics.org/files/documents/beers/BeersCriteriaPublicTranslation.pdf   BrightStar Care of Erie proudly provides support for the elderly and children, including 24 hour skilled nursing and support in senior independent and assisted living communities. Additionally we provide Medical Staffing and In-Home Physical Therapy for pediatric, adult and geriatric patients, Companion and Personal Care for Elders with Alzheimer’s or Dementia. We also provide Home Child Care, Sitter and Nanny services for Children and Support for New Mothers.  We Support Veterans and Accept most Long Term Care Insurance benefits, Medicaid, provide Hospice care, Live-in care, CNA, Caregiver, RN, LVN, RN Supervision, Compassionate Care, and Compatibility Guarantees. Other services include safe discharge and transportation from the hospital or rehab facility, Post Op care both short and long term, Pre Operation and preparation help and assistance, and client monitoring for out of town family members.  Our service area includes Erie County and North Central Crawford County including East Springfield, Albion, Saegertown, Cambridge Springs, Rockdale Acres, Union City, West Greene, Corry, North East, Harbor Creek, Wesleyville, Lawrence Park, and neighboring cities.