Juggling the medical needs of yourself, your immediate family members, and your senior loved one can be difficult. On top of this, you cannot always trust your senior loved one to take medications reliably, on time, or even as prescribed. Because of this, it’s sometimes in the best interest of everyone involved for you to partake in the administration of medications for your elderly loved one. Remembering to take your own medications as well as your senior’s can be difficult. We have some tips to help you stay on top of medication management for your elder.
#1 Set a reminder
An easily accessible reminder is the best way to ensure your senior is getting their medication on time and reliably when they need it. Reminders can be tricky, however. A reminder first thing in the morning may come at a good time for you, but may be too early for your elder, and you may end up putting it off and forgetting. Instead, try setting a reminder during a good period during the day. If you have a set time you get lunch, for instance, might be a perfect time to set a reminder.
The delivery of the reminder is key, too. If you never look at a physical calendar, then a reminder there would not be helpful to you. If you set one on your phone’s calendar and you dismiss them and forget every time, try instead setting an alarm, a scheduled text, or a scheduled email to get through to yourself.
#2 Presort pills to make things easiest
You likely already know this, but having a pill sorter really does make doses easier. A colorful pill sorter will help you determine if doses were missed, and can help you administer the right medication in the right amount every time. Pill bottles can often look very similar at first glance – don’t risk mixing up medications and invest in a pill sorter to your liking.
#3 Make sure you know what medications can be taken with what
Many medications can’t be taken with other medications, or even with things like grapefruit. Make sure that you’re not accidentally potentially overdosing your senior by checking for interactions prior to mixing medications or even administering newly prescribed medications.
#4 Call if you have questions
There’s no such thing as a stupid question when it comes to administering medications to your loved one! Google can only get you so far. Don’t just wing it and hope for the best! Reach out to the pharmacy that you received the prescription from, or for your elder’s doctor if you have any questions regarding interactions, administration time, or anything else. Many insurance companies even have hotlines dedicated to answering questions like this if the doctor’s office or pharmacy are closed. Use them if you need to!
There are many methods to help you manage medication for your senior, but we help these four tips can make things a little easier for you.
