The Senior Caregiver and Medication Management
Nearly 70 percent of seniors who need to be hospitalized have had some sort of complication with a medication. According to the MerckMaual, seniors are 400 percent more likely to have adverse drug reactions than those in other age groups. Even so, it is estimated that over 90 percent of these incidents could have been prevented with proper medication management.
For example, upwards of 50 percent of surveyed seniors over 65 admit to not taking their medication the way it was prescribed. Variances range from dosages and timings to methods of administration, including what is taken with or without food, with or without water, and mixing medications with alcohol. With statistics like these, it is no …show more content…
While senior caregivers are available to help and support your loved one with everything from light housekeeping and laundry to cooking and transportation, medication management deals directly with your loved one's safety.
Some of the most common ways a senior caregiver can support your loved one's medication management plan include:
Documentation. Before medications are taken, it is important to know what medications are supposed to be taken. A senior caregiver will catalog the medications and make sure that what is being taken matches the prescription, delivery methods, and dosages. Once medications are accounted for, records will be kept of what is taken, when, how, and if there are any notable events associated with any of these times.
If your senior loved one does have a medication-related issue, these documents can help to quickly solve the puzzle of what went wrong so it can be corrected. Or, if there is an emergency, first responders and emergency room personnel will want to know what medications are being taken, when, and how before prescribing more
Nearly 70 percent of seniors who need to be hospitalized have had some sort of complication with a medication. According to the MerckMaual, seniors are 400 percent more likely to have adverse drug reactions than those in other age groups. Even so, it is estimated that over 90 percent of these incidents could have been prevented with proper medication management.
For example, upwards of 50 percent of surveyed seniors over 65 admit to not taking their medication the way it was prescribed. Variances range from dosages and timings to methods of administration, including what is taken with or without food, with or without water, and mixing medications with alcohol. With statistics like these, it is no …show more content…
While senior caregivers are available to help and support your loved one with everything from light housekeeping and laundry to cooking and transportation, medication management deals directly with your loved one's safety.
Some of the most common ways a senior caregiver can support your loved one's medication management plan include:
Documentation. Before medications are taken, it is important to know what medications are supposed to be taken. A senior caregiver will catalog the medications and make sure that what is being taken matches the prescription, delivery methods, and dosages. Once medications are accounted for, records will be kept of what is taken, when, how, and if there are any notable events associated with any of these times.
If your senior loved one does have a medication-related issue, these documents can help to quickly solve the puzzle of what went wrong so it can be corrected. Or, if there is an emergency, first responders and emergency room personnel will want to know what medications are being taken, when, and how before prescribing more