Article
- 10
- min
Medication Management for Elders
Family Caregiver
There are several steps and tips that you can keep in mind to lower your chances of overmedication and negative reactions to medicines. This article provides a few tips and benefits of medication management. Always ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you have any questions about your medications.
Image credit: Getty Images
Medication Management includes monitoring, reconciling medications, and ensuring elders get their desired outcomes. It is a strategy for engaging with patients and caregivers to create a complete and accurate medication list using the brown bag method. Managing medications is a major part of providing care to older adults.
Each year about 350000 people are hospitalized because of adverse drug effects according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Sometimes elders take multiple medications, supplements, and multiple vitamins for different symptoms and health conditions which increases the risk of medication mix-ups. In certain cases, it is dangerous to elders by taking the wrong medicines. It may increase the risk of medication mismanagement like drug interactions, multiple health conditions, and discontinuation of treatment.
Here are the benefits of effective medication management:
Source:
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000952.htm
https://meridianpsychiatricpartners.com/medication-management-consider/#:~:text=Medication%20management%20is%20a%20level,by%20a%20qualified%20physician%2Fprescribe
Each year about 350000 people are hospitalized because of adverse drug effects according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Sometimes elders take multiple medications, supplements, and multiple vitamins for different symptoms and health conditions which increases the risk of medication mix-ups. In certain cases, it is dangerous to elders by taking the wrong medicines. It may increase the risk of medication mismanagement like drug interactions, multiple health conditions, and discontinuation of treatment.
Here are the benefits of effective medication management:
- Better outcomes for older adults
- Less stress for the patients and their families; everyone can be comfortable knowing medications are being distributed and taken correctly
- Less money spent on related healthcare costs such as emergency room visits and hospital stays
- Reduced illnesses and deaths due to medication noncompliance or drug interactions
- Medication labels
- Learn about the medicine
- Understand sided effects
- Consult doctors for any confusion
- Monitor for medication compliance
- Organize the medicines carefully
- Reading medication labels
- Dosage reminder
- Prepare a planner
Source:
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000952.htm
https://meridianpsychiatricpartners.com/medication-management-consider/#:~:text=Medication%20management%20is%20a%20level,by%20a%20qualified%20physician%2Fprescribe
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