Medication Safety for the Elderly: 5 Tips

Medications need to be administered safely, promptly, and correctly especially for our aging family members. This is one of the goals we strive to meet as we provide Medication Therapy Management in Florida.

Seniors may need to take more than one medicine in a day, and this means proper intake has to be ensured. When this is not met, the senior person’s health can get compromised and the medicine’s potency is not maximized. Furthermore, a senior person’s safety an also be affected when their medicines are not correctly administered.

With that, here are important medications safety tips that we need to remember and apply:

1. Adhere to Doctor’s InstructionsIn documents called prescriptions, your doctor will detail the medication instructions needed to take the medicine correctly. These include the amount of pills to take in a day and the frequency they should be taken. If you need to learn further how these instructions need to be understood, a pharmacist from a Medicine Shoppe in Cape Coral, Florida can help you better grasp the instructions in your prescription so you can adhere to these correctly.
2. Keep Track of Your MedicinesMaintaining an inventory of all the medicines you have taken can help your healthcare team better address your condition. While it may not be possible to remember everything since childhood, it’s best to start taking note of your medicine as far back as you can remember. Knowing your medicines help you be aware of their effects on you, identify the side effects, and determine possible allergic reactions.
3. Research about Your MedicineThere are medications that react negatively with other medicines. It will be very practical for you to study the medicine you’re taking and learn how it can possibly react to your other medications, the food you eat, and the beverages you drink. You can also get this information from your doctor or pharmacist.
4. Attend Regular CheckupsMeeting with your doctor regularly is an essential step to ensure that your medicines are taking effect as expected. Your doctor needs to monitor your condition and progress with respect to the prescription you’ve been provided. This way, they can make dosage adjustment when necessary or replace your medicine if ever untoward side effects occur.
5. Get Help in Taking MedicinesIf you’re having difficulty in remembering your regular intake schedule or holding your pill bottle properly, it will be practical to seek for someone’s assistance. By simply being reminded of your medication schedule, you can stay safe from the complications of non-adherence at all.

When your aging family member is required to take medications in the long term, it’s best to partner with Castillo’s Pharmacy so we can help secure their refill supplies. This way, you can be at peace knowing that your loved one’s medication schedule has been diligently managed.

If you also have other inquiries about our services, or if you need assistance on Diabetes Care, our pharmacists will be glad to answer questions for you.