Setting up a medication management schedule is the best way to keep an older adult on-track with the prescription and over-the-counter medicines. One of the biggest challenges is finding ways to stay organized. From monitoring when refills are due to setting up a pill organizer, these tips can help Michigan family caregivers.
Helping a Michigan Senior Manage their Medication Schedule
- Use a pill organizer. Plastic medication organizers labeled with the days of the week aren’t expensive, and can be a life saver for seniors. By reaching for a single dose of medicine instead of the entire bottle, it’s easier to keep track of what medication they’ve already taken and what dosages remain for that day. Take some time at the start of each week to help your senior loved one set up their pill organizer. This not only keeps them organized, but will also allow you to see when their prescriptions will run out. If your loved will be away from home, a pill organizer makes it simple to bring their medicine with them in a purse or a pocket without having to worry about bulky, hard-to-open bottles. There are also several tech products that can be used to dispense medications at dosage time. Some even send text alerts to family is a dosage has been missed.
- Set up automatic prescription renewals. The days and weeks can fly by. Before you know it, your loved one is low on medication. An easy way to ensure that they are never without it is to set up automatic renewals with their pharmacy. You’ll get a phone call or a text message when the prescription is ready to be picked up. You can make it even easier for yourself by having the prescriptions mailed to you at home, though this perk will likely depend on your senior family member’s insurance plan.
- Talk to your loved one’s doctor. The addition of a new pill or vitamin can be a smooth transition or it can be a rocky one. If it’s the latter, be sure to let the doctor know immediately how your senior loved one is feeling so that adjustments can be made in their dosages. Make sure to read the insert from the pharmacy so you are aware of any potentially serious side effects.
- Ask for help. If you lead an on-the-go lifestyle, then you know how easy it is for something small to throw off your schedule in a big way. You likely know or have your aging loved one’s schedule of medications written down on a list somewhere. Be sure to share that list with others. It might be a trusted neighbor or a family member who is comfortable being a back-up caregiver.
At Heritage Senior Communities, medication management is handled by a registered nurse. Families and their loved ones will have peace of mind knowing that their daily regimen of medication is being carefully supervised. Its amazing how a little bit of organization can go such a long way when it comes to managing medications!