On average, a senior takes between 15-18 different prescriptions each and every day, so one can understand how easy it can be to miss a pill here and there or take an incorrect dosage. However, the health hazards that happen because of those medication mistakes are substantial. Enter the creation of the pill organizer for seniors: such a simple way to organize medications by placing them each within the correct slots for the different days or times of the day. Problem sorted out, right?
Actually, research points to a considerably different outcome. Mature adults acquainted with taking medications directly from the original packaging who changed to a pill organizer were overloaded with health concerns, including falls, hypoglycemia, and in one case, a person unable to get out of the bathtub until a rescue 12 hours later.
The research involved 29 older persons over age 75 who were not using pill organizers and were, mistakenly, not taking their prescriptions as directed by their medical doctors. For 2 months, half of the seniors began using a pill organizer, while the other half continued taking their prescriptions as they always had.
For the seniors who started to use the pill organizers, they began experiencing negative health issues, whereas the seniors who continued with their old routine did not experience health concerns. The speculation behind these astonishing results comes from the idea that the seniors were originally missing doses or taking their prescriptions incorrectly before using the pill organizer, and were then encountering side effects from taking full doses of their drugs after using the pill organizer.
Lead researcher Dr. Debi Bhattacharya stresses the need for individuals preparing to move to a pill organizer for seniors to first seek advice from their physician or pharmacist to confirm dosage amounts. And she makes clear, “People who are already using a pill organizer without any ill effects should not stop using it as they do seem to help some patients take their medication as prescribed. It's the switching stage which appears to be the danger.”
Independence-4-Seniors, serving seniors in the Chicago area, can help with medication reminders to make certain aging adults take prescriptions when they’re supposed to, can assist with transportation to pick up prescriptions, and help with noting any side effects that can be reported to the physician immediately. Give us a call at 630-323-4665 for the critical assistance needed to keep your senior loved one healthy and safe.