In our last post we discussed a lot of the issues
surrounding medication compliance in the elderly.
Here are some tips that we’ve been together for medication
compliance.
Educate yourself and
your elderly loved one:
·
Ask your doctor why your elderly loved one
should be taking this medication. · Ask for the name of the drug and ask what the active ingredient is, and ask how it works in the body.
· Discuss other medication options. Is this the only medication that they need? Is there a supplement that could help to mitigate some of the side effects or even the symptoms?
· What are the side effects of this medication?
· Does it interact with any other drugs?
· Does it need to be taken on an empty stomach? Does it need to be taken with a full glass of water?
· What time of day would be best to take this medication? What do most other patients do?
· Should your elderly loved one be taking the generic form or should the prescription be written for the name-brand?
· Bring a list of other medications to your doctor, and have them check that the drug will not interact with any other drugs on the list.
Tips for taking the
medication:
·
Write down the instructions from the physician
and make that into a list. Hang this list somewhere in the house, close to your
medications. You can hang it on the inside of the medicine cabinet, or hang it
in the kitchen. · Organize all of the medications into a pill box. This will help your elderly loved one remember what day to take the medication and how much to take.
· Encourage your elderly loved one to take his/her medications at the same time of the day each day. This will help them to create a routine.
Lastly, if these tips aren’t helping then seek assistance from
your physician. Tell them the issues that you and your loved one are having,
and together you can create a plan for effective medication compliance.
Here are some other websites to visit:
Here are some other websites to visit:
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