Medication management is a broad term that can be described as patient-centered care that ensures safe, effective and appropriate intake of medicines. It can prove to be a daunting task for an individual to keep track of the medicines they have to consume and all the other necessary follow-ups to be taken, especially when you step into the senile stage of life. As and when senility hits it becomes increasingly difficult to do the most trivial day to day task, let alone taking the responsibility for medication management and showing up for doctor’s appointments. At such times some tips and tricks that might come to the rescue and save the day.
A little assistance for dementia medication management can go a long way
Seniors who decide to grow old at home have to manage a lot of aspects of their life and one of the major factors is their health. Alongside the health, the elders have to maintain their households and ensure the proper functioning of routine life. Certain facilities provide caregivers and assistants that are trained and skilled to help out the elders grow old with comfort and ease. They carry out tasks like grocery shopping, light housekeeping and also assist seniors to maintain their hygienic lifestyle by bathing them. They are aware of several hacks to take care of the elders, especially when they are ridden with disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Risks of polypharmacy in seniors
The term polypharmacy stands for the practice of taking a huge number of medications for various disorders daily. The seniors comprise one-third of the total population taking up prescription drugs. According to a survey, the average elderly patient is consuming more than five prescription medicines and an average nursing home patients consume seven prescription medicines daily. If this is the case, the seniors aging at home should seek help for medication management as several drugs interact in different ways with the human bodies as well as with each other. It is extremely critical to intake correct dosages of the medicine at prescribed times to make sure that the medicines do more good than harm.
Other factors to be considered during dementia medication management
Medication management does not just entail keeping track of medicines and their consumption. Several other aspects need to be taken care of, especially for seniors who are ridden with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Proper medication management means that all their doctor’s appointments are booked and sufficient follow-throughs are done. The seniors who suffer from dementia might also face difficulty driving to and fro for the visit to the doctors. Healthcare centers offer services wherein caregivers are available for such services to ensure that the elders make it to the doctor’s offices for the appointment. They also take notes of the doctor’s advice and prescription so that they can assist them without any mistakes.
Keep a checklist of the medicines and have trusted pharmacists
It is of utmost importance that you keep a checklist of medicines and prepare an organized chart about which medicine needs to be taken when. The seniors need to keep a check on the expiration dates of the medicines and ensure that their prescriptions are refilled from time to time. Contacting trusted pharmacists can help them out in this process as he will be aware of their requirements and certain pharmacists also offer services of delivering medicines to the senior’s doorstep.
Seeking help for dementia medication management will make the seniors’ life much easier
If the elders have a caregiver around who can look after their health and help them out in medication management, it makes their life much easier. The elders often need help in swallowing the tablets and remembering the correct dosages of the medicine. A caregiver ensures that these motions are followed smoothly and are in constant touch with the doctors to maintain routine contact with the patient. Efficient dementia medication management is the key to a healthy lifestyle and recovering from any ailments that seniors might suffer from.