It can be a shock for many caregivers to step into their elderly loved one’s bathroom and see multiple bottles of medications piled on the countertop. If you’ve had that shock, you might be wondering how your elderly loved one manages his medication without the help of senior home care services. You could have concerns over whether he’s taking them properly and if all of them are needed.
It might take a bit of work on your part, but with some research and then continual medication management, you can help ensure your loved one is not only taking the medications he needs but taking them when and how he should.
Four Steps for Medication Management
Gather up all the medications.
To begin with, you or senior home care providers can gather up all of the medications and begin a chart with them on it. List the names, what they are for, the prescriber, and the dosage. If there are a plethora of bottles, check for repeats of any medications (sometimes a person will fear throwing away old pill containers) and also see if there are any pill bottles that are expired and still have medicine in them.
Review why and how your loved one takes each one.
If your loved one is unsure about why he takes something or seems unsure about how often he takes it, you might want to set up a time to meet with his primary doctor and him together so you all can hear directly from his doctor about what he should be taking, and what each medication is prescribed for. If you can’t be there or live far away, senior home care providers can go in your place. You might find there are medications he no longer needs to take or whose dosage needs to be changed.
Once you find out what he should be taking, make sure to safely get rid of any medications he doesn’t need to take.
Find a system that works for your loved one.
Multiple medications may have multiple instructions. He may need to take one in the morning as soon as he wakes up and another after he eats a meal. Will it work better to have them all in one place, or would it be easier for him to have the morning pill in the bathroom and the meal pill in the kitchen where he prepares his breakfast each morning?
If pill dispensers help ensure he takes the required medication each day, you or senior home care providers can use them as well, but remember to keep any medications far out of little one’s reach if there are ever children present.
Regularly review medication levels.
Make sure your loved one doesn’t run out of medications by planning for refills and watching his quantity levels.
Senior Home Care Providers Can Help with Medication Management
Once you have completed the first steps of understanding what your loved one needs to take and when you might decide you need some help with ensuring your loved one takes his medication as prescribed. A senior home care provider can assist in medication management by monitoring your loved one’s medication. They can help by making sure the medicine is continually stored properly, reviewing pill dispensers to make sure each day’s dosage is taken, and helping manage prescription refills.
A senior home care provider can bring you peace of mind if there are a lot of medications to be managed for your loved one’s health.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Home Care in Sun Lakes, AZ, please contact the caring staff at Legacy Home Care today. Call (480) 777-0070
Legacy Home Care is a top provider of home care services in Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes, Chandler, Gilbert, Apache Junction, Queen Creek, Phoenix, and surrounding areas.
Legacy Home Care has been serving the valley since 2007. We are family owned and operated with over 75 caregivers. We offer a customized care plan that includes services such as: Hourly Senior Home Care, 24-Hour Home Care, Dementia Care, Personal Care and Companion Care. Also ask us about our Veterans' Home Care program.
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