Your senior’s doctor prescribes medication to help her to resolve medical issues, but if she’s not taking those medications properly that becomes a problem. It’s even worse if she’s not taking them at all. So, what can you do as her family caregiver?
Make a List of All the Medications Your Senior Is Taking
It’s always a good idea to have a complete list of all of the medications that your senior is taking. This helps you to see in one place what the medications are, how they need to be taken, and if there is anything else that you need to be aware of concerning her medicines. While making the list, you might run into questions that your senior’s doctor can answer.
Consider Getting a Medication Dispenser
Lots of times people avoid getting a pill case or dispenser because it seems like a hassle. But for you and for your senior, a medication dispenser can make life a lot easier. This is especially true if she takes a lot of different medications at different times of the day. Refilling one pill dispenser weekly can be easier than juggling multiple bottles every day. This can also reduce the questions about whether your senior has taken certain medications.
Talk to Your Senior’s Doctor about Medication Interactions
At least once a year it’s a good idea to do a medication review with your senior’s doctor. This means just going through the list of medications that your senior is taking and making sure that they all work for her still and that there are no interactions occurring. Over time, your senior may need her dosage on certain medicines changed, and a medication review helps you to keep up with whether that’s necessary.
Consider Getting Help with Medication Management
If you’re not able to be there with your senior, the medication situation may feel even more complicated and you may find that you want to know for certain that she’s taking her medications. Home health care providers can help your elderly family member with medication management. They can help her to remember to take her medications and they can ensure that she takes them properly, like with food or at a specific point in her day.
Medication management can be intimidating for you as a family caregiver, but it is so much easier when you have a little bit of extra help to keep things on the right track.
