Managing Medication At Home

When it comes to medication management, patient safety is the ultimate goal. There are lots of things that can go wrong when home caregivers are responsible for doling out prescription medications, but there are some simple strategies you can put in place to protect your loved ones. Medication safety is an important aspect of a senior's wellness.

Here are a few tips to help you manage medications safely and increase medication adherence:

Always Read the Label

The first and perhaps most obvious thing you should do is read the label. This tells you how to take medications properly including dosage, frequency, and even timing. Plus, it often comes with handy instructions to maximize the benefit of the medication such as taking it with a meal.

Be Cautious of Drug Interactions

If you want to avoid adverse drug events, then you should be aware of how over-the-counter (OTC) medicines interact with prescribed medications. Before you add a vitamin or supplement to a regimen or even treat a cold with a decongestant, consult with your healthcare professionals.

OTC drugs can sometimes have major impacts on the efficacy of prescribed medication.

Add Medication to a Routine

Health outcomes tend to be much more positive when taking prescription medication regularly and as prescribed. To do this, you may want to stack the habit with another action that is already part of a given routine. For example, you might take your medication with coffee in the morning or after brushing your teeth.

You could also set up a smartphone or alarm clock to chime with medication schedules.

Invest in a Pill Box

While patient education can go a long way, proper medication management might be much simpler. A good way to encourage seniors to take responsibility for their medication is to invest in a pillbox. This is a clear indicator of when the proper dosages have been taken and lets you know if any doses are skipped.

Pill organizers can be especially helpful if multiple medications need to be monitored. You can take the time at the start of each week to set up the pill box and rest easy knowing that everything is in order.

Set Up the Environment

Give your loved one the best chance at success with their prescription drugs; think about the environment in which they will take the medication. Don't store meds in a place where they might be tempted to take them in the dark, such as on a nightstand.

This is an easy way to confuse the days or times that certain medications should be taken. Instead, store them in brightly lit places where any confusion will be minimized.

Help at Home With Right at Home Winnipeg

If your loved one struggles with medication compliance, you might need the assistance of elderly care services in Winnipeg. Right at Home Winnipeg can assist you in monitoring medication adherence and can help promote patient safety. Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can help seniors stay in their homes longer with the perfect level of support!

Why Right at Home?

• Over 20 years of experience. Right at Home has been providing award winning customized senior care and home care for over 20 years.
• YOUR Caregivers are all part of YOUR Care Team. This means that there is no revolving door of Personal Support Workers and Nurses. With the help of your Care Planner, you choose and get to know them. This leads to an level of care for your loved one that is unsurpassed in our industry.
• Working with government support. Your Care Planner will work to help you find the government supports you are eligible for (if you would like them) and then work to find a solution for the care needs that go above what government and family can do. We will also work around the government care plan so that we are enhancing it.

We help in home, wherever home is to you.

Our Caregivers are always out in the community visiting homes, Retirement Residences, Long Term Care (LTC), hospices and hospitals.