According to research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many Americans take five or more prescription medications at once. When you’re dealing with that many pills, it’s hard to keep up with the dosages and timings, especially for seniors.
Medication management for seniors is crucial, as seniors may have cognitive difficulties or other issues that make effective medication management difficult.
Interested in learning how medication management solutions could help seniors take medication correctly and achieve the best medical outcomes? Read on to learn more.
Why Is Senior Medication Support So Important?
Seniors often take multiple medications but, they might not take them correctly or at the right time.
Mistakes with medications could cause lower quality of life or worse health outcomes. In some cases, it could increase the risk of harmful drug interactions. For instance, according to the Food and Drug Administration, beta blockers can mask the symptoms of hypoglycemia, so it’s harder for diabetic patients to recognize low blood sugar episodes.
In this case, there should be no confusion regarding dosage or timing. Careful management of medication is crucial.
Medication Challenges Seniors With Memory Issues
Many seniors suffer from memory-related illnesses. This includes:
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Dementia
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Delirium
People suffering from these conditions need support as they could forget to take medications or take incorrect dosages. Someone with Alzheimer’s could take the same dose of medication over and over, completely forgetting about the previous dosages.
Seniors with cognitive impairments could have trouble understanding medication instructions. The directions for some drugs are filled with medical jargon, which could be confusing for someone with cognitive difficulties.
The Solution Is Tailored Medication Management
To help seniors with memory issues correctly manage their medications, a good senior living community takes an approach fine-tuned to the needs of each individual resident. Some seniors might simply need a reminder to take their pills, or some might need to have their medications managed for them.
Issues With Physical Limitations
Some medication challenges seniors face are because of physical limitations rather than cognitive ones. For example, many seniors have arthritis, making it challenging to open medication bottles or handle small pills.
Childproof medicine bottles are effective at keeping children away from potentially dangerous pills, but unfortunately, these safety mechanisms also make things difficult for seniors. Conditions like arthritis or osteoarthritis could reduce grip strength, making childproof mechanisms impossible to deal with. Seniors can be stubborn, and those struggling with childproof bottles might not ask for help, causing missed dosages.
Adaptive Devices are the Best Solution
The best medication adherence tips for seniors ensure seniors get the medicine they require while maintaining their independence as much as possible. Adaptive devices like pill organizers and easy-open bottles are a great solution.
The best senior living services understand that their residents may not always ask for help, so they’re proactive about providing these devices to those who might need them.
Communication Difficulties With Healthcare Providers
Another common problem with managing senior medications is that seniors often don’t fully understand their medications. Sometimes, seniors might be unaware of potentially dangerous interactions, or they might not realize the importance of total adherence to prescribed dosages.
For example, with antibiotics, it’s crucial for patients to take the full medication course, even if they feel better.
Since seniors tend to take more medication than average, they’re more likely to be overwhelmed with complex information. These difficulties are further exacerbated when medical providers fail to communicate clearly and effectively.
Clear Instructions are Key
To help seniors get the best healthcare outcomes, healthcare providers should always provide information about medication that’s clear and concise. To reduce the chance of confusion or misinterpretation, healthcare providers should give precise written instructions.
Of course, this isn’t always possible, so often senior living communities need to step in. Nurses in senior living communities talk to residents and make sure they understand their medications. If there’s any confusion, they’ll try to provide clear instructions that are easy to follow.
Medication Management and Technology
Some of the best medical management methods available involve using the latest technology. A standard smartphone is all you need to access some of the most effective medication management tools. For example, there are apps available that allow you to:
- Get automated push notifications about medication dosages
- Set up customized medication schedules
- Identify pills based on their appearance
- Track dosages to avoid double doses
- Get personalized alerts about potentially dangerous drug interactions
- Get automatic refill alerts
- Identify and track potential medication side effects
Clearly, technology is beneficial in ensuring optimal medical outcomes, and these features are incredibly useful for seniors who take various medications. Sadly, many seniors are hesitant to use technology due to lack of experience.
Help Seniors Work With Technology
Helping seniors understand and use technology can help them avoid missed or double doses without compromising their independence. That’s why many of the best senior living providers educate their residents about the benefits of digital technology.
Typically, seniors are more capable than they realize, and they simply lack the necessary confidence in using a smartphone or tablet. Or, sometimes it’s a question of accessibility and all they need is a tablet with a large font to compensate for poor vision.
By building close relationships with residents and providing appropriate technology, senior living communities can help residents live a healthy lifestyle without impacting their sense of autonomy.
Effective Medication Management for Seniors Is Key To Optimal Health Outcomes
Effective medication management for seniors is a vital part of senior care. Many seniors have cognitive, physical, or practical constraints that prevent them from getting the medication they require. A good senior living community develops tailored strategies for every resident, to ensure they can navigate their healthcare requirements safely and effectively.
Are you looking for top-notch senior care services in Florida or Texas? Discovery At Home provides personalized in-home senior care tailored to meet you or your loved one’s individual care needs.
Through careful and comprehensive medication management, we ensure safety and optimal health outcomes. Contact us today to learn more about our services.
