If your elderly loved one seems to have enough medications to fill a pharmacy, you’re not alone. Older people typically have multiple medications to combat various medical conditions. Some medications (such as vitamins or allergy pills) can be forgotten without major consequences. Other types like blood thinners, cholesterol, and heart medications must be taken every single day. Depending on the prescription, you may need to take a pill around the same time every day, occasionally more than once per day. How can you make managing medications easier? Try these tips and tricks from our expert caregivers.
Use Pill Organizers
Pill organizers were invented for a reason so don’t be afraid to use them! If you’re unfamiliar with this tremendous device, it’s a simple holding case for medications divided into days of the week. You fill them with all of your medications so that you can be sure you’re taking them on a daily basis. You will need to refill the sections once per week, but it’s still much more convenient than making your senior grab all the bottles each day. You or the caregiver can set up the pill organizer for easy access.
Not only will your loved one be able to quickly grab all their necessary medication each day, it will also be easier to know if they were taken. Anyone can forget if they took their medication, but pill organizers tell you clearly whether you did or not. This avoids missing a dose or taking more than prescribed. Some pill organizers have room for morning and night pills, or you can pick up two of the cheap ones in different colors and label them as “AM” and “PM.” Thanks to technology, there are even pill organizers that have alarms or notifications that you can set for certain times each day.
Browse pill organizers on Amazon.
Set Medication Reminders
Speaking of alarms and notifications, they’re some of the best ways to ensure medications are taken! Managing medication is hard and can be stressful if you aren’t with your senior all the time. Set reminders or alarms on their phone to make sure they take their pills even if no one is home with them. You can also grab one of the fancier pill organizers with built-in reminders.
Some organizers or pill bottle covers even lock after a dose is taken. If you need to take your meds every eight hours, you’ll take one in the morning, and the bottle or organizer will be locked until eight hours later. There are many ways you can remind your elderly loved ones to take their medications. Be sure that any technology you use is well understood by the senior using them. A notification is great, but make sure your loved one knows a) what it means b) how to turn off any alarms and c) how to avoid changing it accidentally.
Leave It to the Caregiver
Our last tip for managing medication is to leave it to professional caregivers. When you hire in-home care, you are hiring a service that is designed to help your senior complete daily tasks. Medication reminders are a simple thing that caregivers can do to help. It is literally their job to stay on top of things like medications, so you can feel confident knowing that they will give out doses at the appropriate time. Of course, be sure that your caregiver’s schedule matches the medication schedule if you want them to assist with reminders. Keep in mind that in-home caregivers are not always medically trained, so they will not be legally allowed to administer injections, IVs, etc. Ask in-home care service providers what their limitations are before you commit to them.
If your senior needs help managing medications, contact B’zoe Care caregiving services. Our professional caregivers provide all types of care to seniors in the comfort of home. We can help remind your loved ones to take their medication so they never miss a dose. We also offer grooming help, hygiene assistance, dressing aid, companionship, and so much more. Learn more about us at https://bzoecare.com. Call (206) 617-0456 to speak with our team and schedule a free consultation. We look forward to speaking with you!