-Is your aging relative forgetting to take their medication?
-Do you find unopened bottles of pills throughout their home?
-Has the pharmacy left a message about prescriptions that still need to be picked up?
-Does your aging relative suddenly show unusual symptoms like nausea or dizziness?
-Are they having a hard time remembering when to take each pill?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, your elderly loved one may be mismanaging their medication. It’s a serious problem that many seniors encounter as the number of prescription medication they must take grows. Keeping track of what pills to take and when is sometimes just too confusing for them, and they either skip the pills or take the wrong doses at the wrong times. Your aging loved one’s health is too important to risk with medication mismanagement, so you must find a solution right away.
Medication mismanagement means not taking prescription medication in the way the doctor recommends. When pills are not taken properly, the aging adult can experience additional health issues and the original illness is not being treated effectively. Family caregivers may notice a number of symptoms that can reveal their loved one is not taking their medication properly.
Common symptoms and warning signs include:
- Full and unopened pill bottles
- Bottles scattered throughout the house
- Nausea, dizziness and daytime sleepiness
- Return of symptoms of the original illness
- Change in appearance
- Sudden weight gain or loss
- Reduced mobility
- Declining cognitive ability
If you suspect your aging loved one is not keeping up with their medication, you may need to question them about their pill-taking habits.
Find out how they keep track of their medicine, and what they know about each one. If seniors are consistently unable to manage their medications on their own, you must implement a reminder and tracking system right away.
One of the best things you can do for your aging loved one is hire an elderly care provider. This professional aide can help around the house with cleaning, laundry, and meal preparation. They can also assist with bathing, dressing, and grooming. Another added benefit is that they can remind your aging relative about when to take their medicine and which pills are needed. Elderly care providers are prohibited from directly administering the medication to someone, but they can remind seniors and track any information for you.
By gathering all the medicine into one place and creating a checklist or chart on the right dose and time of day, the elderly care provider can stay organized and provide reminders to the aging adult every day. Taking medication properly is a key part of boosting the health and wellness of your aging loved one. Without good medical management, it could be creating much more serious health problems for them.
For more information about hiring Home Care in La Jolla, CA, call the friendly caregivers at La Jolla Nurses Homecare who can help your aging parents remain in their own homes, at 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable senior care in La Jolla, CA, and the surrounding communities.
Today we are the oldest and most experienced private duty agency in San Diego County.She saw a need for quality private duty home health care and she worked diligently to build an agency that filled that need.I am proud to say, her vision is carried on today with our dedicated staff.
I believe our tenure in the community speaks well for us.We have had the opportunity to be of service to countless interesting individuals, including local and worldwide celebrities.It is the people we care for that makes this a fascinating industry.Whether high profile or a more ordinary citizen, we are proud that thousands have entrusted us with their care or the care of their loved ones.Our Mission is to provide high quality, very secure and the most compassionate home health care.We believe that patients heal faster and are happiest when they can stay in their homes.”
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