Have you ever wondered if there is an easier way to manage the medications you or your loved one are currently taking? After all, between keeping the medication schedule straight and simply remembering to take them, managing your medications can feel like a serious chore. Unfortunately, if you make a mistake with prescription or over-the-counter medications, the consequences can be serious or even deadly.
Change can be hard. It can also greatly improve lives. Consider how email has made it easy to stay in touch across time and distance, without a lot of expense. Or how streaming services have put your favorite television shows and movies at your fingertips. Every revolutionary change requires some adjustment. You might have to master new skills or change your attitude toward technology. But a willingness to try new things can open new opportunities for a better life. Many seniors and some caregivers are reluctant to give automatic pill dispensers a try. Yet within a few days, almost everyone who invests in these machines is a convert. Here are the most common objections caregivers hear from seniors—and how you can overcome them to ensure the senior you love gets the best possible care.
Seniors are living longer than ever before thanks to healthier lifestyles and advances in medicine. In some cases, prescription drugs help seniors survive and thrive, even with diagnoses that once might have killed them. Eighty-seven percent of older adults take at least one prescription medication. Though these drugs can save lives, they can also cause serious medication errors, especially when a senior takes multiple drugs. Two-thirds of seniors in long-term care facilities take 10 or more prescription drugs, and 36 percent of community-dwelling seniors use five or more medications. It is safe to take multiple prescriptions with the consent and oversight of a doctor. But the more medications a senior uses, the greater the likelihood becomes that they will make a medication error. Prescription medications can also interact with one another, causing dangerous or even deadly side effects. Here’s what you need to know.
Living at home for as long as possible, safely and independently, is at the top of most seniors’ priority lists. Seniors who are able to stay at home can be more comfortable and confident in their familiar surroundings. However, if your senior loved one is living at home alone or with a partner, you already know that a little extra help can go a long way. For example, a friend popping over with a home-cooked dinner can mean not only a lovely visit for your aging loved one, but also a nutritious meal. When you stop by to visit your loved one or when you send another family member to check in with them, be sure to take a look at the pillbox. Medication management is a major challenge for most older adults, especially those living with complex medical conditions that require them to take multiple medications throughout the day.