Medication Management: Handling Your Senior's Prescriptions Responsibly

Medication management commonly falls into the hands of friends and family members who are providing senior care to an elderly loved one. An important responsibility, the task of managing prescriptions involves more than simply filling them and picking them up. The home care professionals at Always Best Care of Rock Hill, serving York, Lancaster, and Chester Counties, including the communities Rock Hill, Tega Cay, York, Clover, Fort Mill, Hickory Grove, McConnells, Sharon, Lake Wylie, and other nearby areas, know that proper medication management can make the task of providing care a bit easier—and protect the health of your loved one should an emergency arise.

Stay Organized
By keeping all of your senior's prescriptions, medications, and important medical documents in one location, you can make it extremely easy to access necessary information. Not only will this make daily medication management tasks simpler, it will allow others to quickly find the medical details they need should your elderly loved one have an emergency.

Additionally, keep a calendar or notebook with information regarding which pills are administered when, and in what dosage. This is particularly important if your loved one is taking several prescriptions simultaneously

Pick a Primary Pharmacist
Having your elderly loved one's prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy will ensure more thorough care. With your senior's records at hand, the pharmacist will more easily detect any potential drug interactions. Building a relationship with a pharmacist is equally as important. Should you have any questions regarding your loved one's medications, this is the person to whom you should be able to turn.

Keep the Lines of Communication Open
Go with your elderly loved one to the doctor if they are comfortable with you doing so. Make sure that any questions that either of you have regarding recommended medications are answered. When your senior starts a new medication, ask if they are suffering from any side effects. Is the medication doing what it was prescribed to do? Does the dosage seem to be too high or too low?