Unfortunately, there are many elderly adults that don’t take their medication dose at the proper time, take too little or too much of their medication, or forget to refill their prescription. The wording can be small on a prescription bottle, which can pose a challenge to many elderly adults. Other seniors might forget when or how much of the medication they have taken. Here are a few tips for seniors to try and manage their medications when they are living alone. The best way to ensure your senior is taking the correct dosage at the correct time is to have elder care providers visiting daily to remind them.
Using a Pill Organizer
One of the ways that your elderly loved one can properly manage their medications is by using a pill organizer. There are many different kinds of these organizers. Depending on your elderly loved one’s medications, you might want to get a weekly or monthly organizer. For many elderly adults, weekly organizers are less overwhelming than monthly ones. An elder care provider can refill the pill organizer weekly. This will relieve the stress of having your loved one refill it themselves. Many of these organizers have different sections for morning, afternoon, and evening doses. This way your elderly loved one doesn’t get confused about how much medication to take.
Using Reminder Apps
There are also many different reminder apps that your elderly loved one could use. These will remind your loved one when they should be taking medication, what medication they should take, and how much they should be taking, as well.
Using an Electronic Pill Dispenser
One of the best ways to properly manage medications is to use an electronic pill dispenser. These will flash a light and/or send out an alerting noise when your loved one is supposed to take their medication. It will dispense the proper medication, so there is no confusion about how much to take or what to take. There are some electronic pill dispensers that will alert someone if the adult does not take their dose.
Enlist the Help of Elder Care
To be sure your senior is taking their medications safely – at the right time, the right dose, with or without food and not combined if that is indicated – bring in an elder care provider. Medication reminders are just one of the many benefits of elder care. Light housekeeping, meal preparation, transportation, companionship and more are offered to your senior with elder care.
These are some of the many ways that elderly adults can make sure they are taking the proper amount of medication. If you are helping to care for an elderly loved one, check out these options to manage their medications.
Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/managing-medicines-person-alzheimers
