As your elderly family member grows older and her health becomes more complicated, medications may be more essential than ever before. Whether the medications are prescription or over-the-counter versions, there are some issues your elderly family member may have that keep her from taking those medications properly. Elder care providers can assist your senior with some of these issues and home health care providers can help with the management of medications that require changes and more administrating.
Elder Care Aides can Help with Reading the Labels on Medication Bottles
Elder Care Deerfield Beach FL – Problems Your Senior May Run into with MedicationsMedication labels can be incredibly difficult to read, especially if your senior has any vision issues. Your senior’s pharmacy may be able to offer accommodations for her, such as using large-print labels instead of regular labels. Over-the-counter medications pose some of the same difficulties, however, which makes taking medications properly a little more challenging for your senior. Using additional tools, like brighter lighting and magnifying glasses, can help some. It also helps to have someone there with your senior to eliminate any doubt for her.
Remembering to Take Medications on Time
Medications work best when they’re taken according to the correct schedule and consistently. Many seniors can find it difficult to remember when they’re supposed to take medications, especially if they’re prescribed more than a few of them. That can be detrimental, especially if your elderly family member forgets to take the medications at all.
Knowing How to Schedule Medications
Beyond remembering when to take medications, there’s another issue. Certain medications need to be taken with meals, others may need to be taken on an empty stomach. The more requirements are added to the medication instructions, the more complicated the whole process becomes. Having someone experienced with medications handling the scheduling relieves a great deal of stress from your senior’s shoulders.
Swallowing Medications
If your elderly family member has any difficulty at all with swallowing, medication can be a painful experience for her. Some changes to her medications, like getting liquid versions, can help immensely. If your elderly family member uses other formats for her medications, like transdermal patches, she must be changing those patches according to the correct schedule. Home health care providers can also offer other solutions that help your senior to get the medications that she needs without additional difficulties.
Physical Difficulties Opening Medication Containers
Even without child-proof lids, some medication containers are extremely difficult to open or operate properly. Inhalers, small eyedrop bottles, and even lancets for testing blood sugar can all be difficult to manipulate. Cutting pills for half doses may also be out of the realm of what your elderly family member can handle on her own. Having even a little bit of help with these sorts of concerns ensures that your senior is getting the medications she needs when she needs them.
Having a little bit of extra help regarding medication management can make a huge difference in how your elderly family member deals with any health issues that she’s experiencing. Home health care providers can work around any of the difficulties that your senior has and find solutions that work for her.
If you or a family member need hiring Elder Care Services in Deerfield Beach FL, call the caring professionals at Star Multi Care today at (954) 870-4770. Providing service in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Coconut Creek, Deerfield Beach, Delray Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Margate, Pompano Beach, and Tamarac.
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