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Managing Medications For A Loved OneIf your loved one is taking prescription or over-the-counter medications you may need to help him or her manage dosages each day. To effectively do so, print up a medication schedule and arrange a daily, weekly or monthly medication system to help your loved one keep track of which medications to take, when, and how (on an empty or full stomach, for example). This section provides techniques for simplifying a complicated medication routine.
- Design A Medication Chart. In bold, large lettering, create a chart that provides the following:
- The name of the medication
- A visual description of the medication
- Directions for taking the medication (number of times a day, before or after a meal, avoid alcoholic beverages, etc.)
- The times the medication should be taken
Hang this chart next to the medications. You may need several copies.
- Use A Color Coded Chart/Bottle System. If your loved one has trouble reading the small print on medicine bottles, color code both the medication chart and the bottles. First, fill in the chart with the medications. Then, use either colored stickers or indelible markers to color-code each bottle of medication. Put the matching color for each medication on the "name of medication" column on the chart. Be sure to use colors that are very different from one another and to give each refilled bottle of medication its proper color code.
- Use A Daily Or Weekly Container. If your loved one takes the same medications in the same doses every day, a daily or weekly reminder container system may help. Drug stores sell plastic containers with the days of the week initialed on top of each section. These may help for traveling too.
- Egg Carton Alternative. At home, an egg carton can also help you keep track of medications: An egg carton has 12 cups that can be labeled for 12 hours of the day. Each morning, put the day’s pills in the proper egg cups. At noon, for example, your loved one would take all of the pills in the cup marked 12:00 p.m.
Remember that pill container systems are not childproof. If you have children, you may need to find an alternate solution. Also, some medications lose their potency when exposed to air, making some pill management systems inappropriate. Speak to your doctor about which system is best for you.
Safety Tips For Medication
Be on the alert for signs that may indicate your loved one is over-medicated or having a drug reaction. Adverse drug reactions and over-medication are common in older adults, but frequently go unnoticed or are misdiagnosed for many reasons:
- Changes are assumed to be part of "normal" aging process
- Symptoms are attributed to the existing medical condition or the onset of a new health problem
- Drug reactions often mimic signs or symptoms of disease (e.g., dementia)
- Adverse drug reactions in older adults differ from those in younger adults
Symptoms of adverse drug reactions or over-medication:
- Weakness or tremors
- Excessive drowsiness
- Agitation, anxiety or excitation
- Dizziness, sudden sweating or nausea
- Confusion, especially fluctuating mental status
- Fatigue
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Sudden weight loss
- Incontinence
- Frequent falls
Call a doctor immediately if your loved one exhibits any of these signs.
To avoid dangerous drug interactions, consider the following tips:
- Notify your loved one’s doctor(s) about all medications he or she plans to take, both prescription and over-the-counter. Note—If more than one doctor is prescribing medications, keep each doctor aware of all prescribed drugs your loved one is taking.
- Be aware that while doctors prescribe pills, pharmacists are knowledgeable about drugs (generic and otherwise), their side effects and what can be taken safely with other drugs. Today, pharmacies typically enter each customer’s prescription drug record into a computer program designed to alert the pharmacist if drugs have been prescribed that might interact dangerously (be sure to have all your prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy). This doesn’t, however, protect against interactions that may occur when taking an over-the-counter drug.
- Ask the doctor and the pharmacist what side effects to watch for. Find out what is normal, and what side effects are cause for alarm. For example, should you call if your loved one experiences headaches or nausea after taking the medication, or will these side effects clear up after a couple of days? Write down all the information so you and your loved one can refer to it later.
- Help your loved one cut back on the number of pills he or she needs to take per day. When the doctor gives a new prescription, ask if there is a version of the drug—timed-release, for example—that can be taken only once or twice a day.
- The pharmacist can often help you get easy-to-open caps for medications and recommend safe, acceptable generic medications that are less expensive than name-brand drugs.
- Make sure your loved one understands what the medications are for and why they are important. Your loved one will be more willing to take them if he or she knows how they are helping.
Excerpted from "A LifeCare® Guide: Caregiving." Copyright© 1998-2004 LifeCare®, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication is for general informational purposes only and it is not intended to provide any reader with specific authority, advice or recommendations. Where you deem necessary, we suggest that you seek advice regarding your particular situation from the appropriate professional.
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