Aging individuals often face issues with medication organization and management. Multiple doses of medication at different times of the day can make maintaining medication schedules quite challenging.
To prevent medication errors caregivers must ensure that seniors take the correct medication and dosage amounts and adhere to specific medication regimens.
Luckily, there are plenty of medication organization techniques that can help reduce medication errors and in some cases eliminate them altogether.
This comprehensive guide will explore the top solutions for making medication organization easy for seniors and caregivers alike. We will explore techniques such as using pill organizers, medication apps, and scheduling charts and find out just how effective these techniques can be in preventing double dosing, errors, and other mishaps.
Common Challenges Faced by Seniors When It Comes To Medication Management
Seniors may find it challenging to manage their medications for a variety of reasons. These reasons can include memory loss, physical limitations, multiple prescriptions, complex dosages, and financial restraints.
Memory loss and financial constraints are considered two of the most common reasons why seniors fail to manage their medication schedules.
Memory loss frequently results in inconsistent behavior, which leads to missed or inaccurate doses. Whereas, seniors that face financial difficulties are also prone to skipping doses or taking less than the recommended dosage to try and cut down on medication expenses.
Multiple prescription medications and complicated prescribed dosages can also make medication organization even more challenging. Some medications must be taken following specific guidelines, at specific intervals of time, or on alternative days. The more complex the medication schedule the higher the chances of medication errors.
Medication Organization Techniques: Way To Better Living!
For many seniors, taking multiple medications every day is a part of their daily routine.
This is why we have come up with different techniques through which seniors can ensure better medication management.
- Pill Organizers:
There are many different types of pill organizers. You can find basic ones that function as compartmentalized boxes to help store individual dosages for each day. For more complex medication schedules you can also find more advanced pill organizers such as an automatic medication dispenser.
You can also buy pill dispensers for daily, weekly, or monthly medication organization.
The Daily Pill Organizer is perfect for senior citizens who need to take multiple medications, in complex dosages, and at regular intervals, daily. This handy device enables the individual to separate and store pills for each day, dividing up your morning, afternoon, and night doses.
Monthly Pill Organizers and Weekly Pill Organizers are used to store medications for longer durations. These pill organizers are best for long-lasting but less complex medication schedules.
Pill Organizers reduce the risk of missed doses and help seniors in staying up-to-date with their medications.
Automatic medication dispensers also have added safety measures in place such as an alarm and tamper-proof compartments that ensure seniors are reminded to take their medications on time and in the right dosage, greatly helping reduce medication errors.
- Medication Apps:
MediSafe, MyTherapy, and CareZone are some of the most popular applications used to manage medication for those with complex medication regimens.
MediSafe provides its users with reminders for taking medication, allows for the creation of medication schedules, offers health information, and ensures that recommended dosages are adhered to.
MyTherapy and CareZone are complete packages.
MyTherapy has a variety of helpful features, including reminders, symptom journals, monitoring vitals, mood tracking, and medical history.
Care Zone, on the other hand, not only alerts you for missed doses but also makes it easier for the user to remember when their prescription is due for a refill.
These medication apps also enable seniors or their caregivers to communicate health-related information with loved ones directly through the app giving them additional peace of mind.
- Medical Charts/Logs
Medical charts or logs are a useful way through which seniors or their caregivers can manage their medication efficiently. These charts come in two different formats, physical and digital.
You can create a medication chart by first deciding whether you want to create a digital or physical log. Then compile all the relevant medical information like medicine names, dosages, frequency, time frames, and specific instructions.
Moving further, you can then decide on the time frame of your chart as per your needs, whether you want one for the entire month or on a weekly/daily basis.
If you are going for a physical log, draw a table on the paper and label columns with medical details. Whereas for the digital log, you can create columns and fill them with data on a spreadsheet.
Lastly, keep in mind to maintain consistency, update the chart, and monitor all the changes.
Medical charts can be extremely beneficial for seniors as it helps them keep their medication organized with all the information they need in one place. They can also keep track of any changes to their prescribed dosages or their timeline.
They are also useful tools during medical appointments, allowing seniors to discuss any problems or medication instructions that they might otherwise forget.
How Caregivers Can Assist With Medication Management?
Caregivers provide hands-on assistance to seniors throughout the day. They aid in medication organization, reduce the possibility of medication crossovers or reactions, and also make it easier for seniors to strictly adhere to recommended instructions and dosages.
Along with assisting seniors and loved ones in creating a medication schedule, caregivers can also dispense medications in case of an emergency.
Thus, communicating with caregivers and keeping them up-to-date on any medication and health changes is the key to ensuring the continued care and safety of your loved ones.
Medication Management Made Easy With Northwood Intouch:
For seniors, with complex medication schedules, medication management strategies like pill organizers, medication apps, and charts are essential in keeping track of medications.
Our Intouch Products are designed to provide peace of mind for you, your caregivers, and your loved ones. Products such as automatic fall detection devices and automatic medication dispensers can greatly assist in reducing the risk of hospitalization and medication accidents.
For more information, contact us at 1 (902) 492-3346 or email us at intouch@nwood.ns.ca
