Hospital stays are disruptive enough, but one issue stands out when returning home from the hospital: medications change and confusion or access issues may cause trouble in which medications to take, how often, and which medications to continue and to discontinue. Additionally, in normal circumstances as well as when being discharged from the hospital, there are many reasons why seniors may mismanage their medications: not understanding the dosage or the reason for the medication; simple forgetfulness; inability to open a pill bottle; or perhaps even the transportation or resources to obtain a refill, Independence-4-Seniors of Hinsdale in the Chicago area can assist seniors with helpful medication reminders, teach the importance of taking prescribed medications on time and as prescribed, monitor for possible medication side effects and report to others when an issue is potentially problematic.
Contact Independence-4-Seniors Home Care for more information on our customized home care services.
Downloadable Tools and Tips:
Click the links to view or right click to print or save to your computer.
Web Resources:
Click the links below to access resource websites to learn more about medication management for seniors.
Medication Management for the Elderly
AgingCare.com provides a very comprehensive list of helpful resources on helping elderly family members manage their medications.
Medication Error Prevention Tips
Medication errors are preventable. Your best defense is asking questions and being informed about the medications you take. These tips from MayoClinic.com can help prevent harmful mishaps.
Tips on Buying Medication Online
Buying medication online can be risky, and even dangerous if counterfeit or out of date drugs are purchased.. Follow these tips from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to find out how to purchase medicine safely from trusted sources.
Managing Meds with Mobile Technology
Need a better way to keep track of medication reminders for your loved ones? This video demonstrates how mobile technology can help caregivers set reminders and stay on track when administering meeds.
Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication (PIM) Use in Older Adults
The American Geriatrics Society has updated the list of criteria for potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults. The goal of the 2012 AGS Beers Criteria is to improve care of older adults by reducing their exposure to PIMs. Note that this is a downloadable PDF.
