10 Senior Medication Management Tips To Help Remind You
Does your parent have diabetes? Maybe your spouse has heart disease. If so, it’s no secret to you that seniors take a lot of medications to manage both chronic and acute diseases. So many in fact, that it’s easy to forget to take them without some senior medication management tips.
In fact, according to the Merck Manual, nearly 90% of seniors take one prescription medicine regularly. Eighty percent take at least two. In addition, roughly 36% of older adults take at least five different medications.
If you add vitamins and dietary supplements, those numbers are even higher.
While we’ve already compiled a useful set of informational articles on medication management, we believe this issue is so vital that we wanted to provide an additional, useful guide to help seniors remember their medication through our 10 useful senior medication management tips.
10 Senior Medication Management Tips
1. Maintain a Medication Schedule
The first order of business is to have a complete understanding of the medication schedule, when to take medications, how much, and how often. If you don’t have a clear understanding then it will be extremely difficult to take the medicines as prescribed.
This is why we encourage open and honest communication with your physician and healthcare team to ensure you’re on the same page.
However, if you take advantage of our assisted living in Wilmington, you don’t need to worry about maintaining a medication schedule: We will handle it for you. This is one of the great benefits of Cedar Cove; we work with your doctor to follow the care plan outlined for you.
2. Use Pill Organizers
These boxes not only provide a clear idea of when to take your medication, but they can also serve as an indicator of when you’re about to run out. Be sure you have a pill organizer that is large enough to accommodate all your meds.
Often, it helps to complement a pill organizer with a calendar to ensure you don’t miss a dose. We encourage you to find the method that best works for you and implement it.
3. Set Alarms
Several useful smartphone apps will set reminders for when you need to take your medication. If you don’t have an app, an alarm clock also works well. The important thing is that you have a constant reminder nearby to assist you.
4. Make Medication a Part of Your Daily Routine
Consider taking your medication to coincide with a daily task, such as brushing your teeth. This association can help you form consistent habits. If you have to take medication more than once a day, consider other regular habits that can help you remember.
5. Ask for Help
If you find you’re having trouble remembering your medication, ask for help from a trusted friend or family member. If you still find it challenging to take your medicine as scheduled, consider the benefits of assisted living.
Through assisted living, you have a team dedicated to helping you live the healthiest life possible, whether through medication management or assistance with everyday tasks. At Cedar Cove, our assisted living facility in Wilmington, we have flat fee pricing, so you’re never surprised by unexpected charges. Unlike many assisted living communities, we won’t “nickel and dime” you.
6. Maintain an Updated Medication List
This is vital for so many reasons. First, it will help you to have an updated list that includes the name, dosage, frequency, and purpose of each medication. Second, it will provide an easy resource to share with members of your healthcare team. Finally, it can help family members or trusted friends who are filling your pillbox for you or assisting you.
You won’t be the only one who benefits from this senior medication management tip.
7. Understand Each of Your Medications and Why You Take Them
When you know the purpose of each medication and why you must take it, it’s easier to remember. When you understand how vital these pills are, then you’re more motivated to have safeguards in place to ensure you take them.
If you do not understand why you take a certain medication or the reason behind how often you must take it, we encourage you to speak to your doctor or healthcare team for the specifics.
8. Review Your Medication Regularly
As we mentioned earlier, solid communication with members of your healthcare team can make a dramatic difference in your wellness. Any changes or adjustments should be synchronized across all your medical records. This is called medication reconciliation.
At Cedar Cove, our medication management team ensures your medicines reflect the latest and most accurate instructions from your doctor, saving you the time, effort, and headache of reviewing your medical records.
9. Work Closely With Your Pharmacy
Many pharmacies offer services such as automatic refills, text notifications when it’s time to renew your prescription, and other benefits to assist you. This helps ensure that there’s a steady supply of medicine and you don’t run out too soon. Remember: Your pharmacy is your partner in these senior medication management tips
10. Keep an Emergency Kit
You never know when an unexpected situation may arise or you may suddenly have to travel. Keeping an emergency kit along with your medicines, a list of them and their dosages, can go a long way toward preparation and peace of mind. We think this is one of the most important senior medication management tips.
Natural disasters such as floods or hurricanes can make it difficult to get to the pharmacy or to the resources you need. This is why an emergency kit is so vital.
When you’re at Cedar Cove, we’ve prepared for these emergencies, and you can rest assured that you’ll have the medicine you need when you need it.
Need Help With These Senior Medication Management Tips? Let Cedar Cove Be a Partner in Your Care
Perhaps you realized that you forgot to take your blood pressure medicine, and you aren’t sure what to do now. Missing doses of crucial medication can have long-term health consequences.
At Cedar Cove Assisted Living in Wilmington, our team works closely with your doctors to provide the medication you need, when you need it—and you don’t have to worry about filling a pill box or wondering if you’ve missed a dose.
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