Medication Safety: Keep it Bright

As we age, our eyes change. We may need glasses to read, cataracts may form or other issues arise. We are also more likely to be taking medication for a long term health issue. It is not uncommon for someone to be taking several medications several times a day. In order to be sure that we are taking the correct medication at the correct time we need to be able to identify the bottles when we go to take our medications. One of the best things to be done is to be sure that the area is well lit. If the medications are moved from the bottles from the pharmacy to a pill case, be sure to fill the pill case in a well lit location.

Medications and the Granny effect

There has been a recent rise in the number of children being seen the Emergency Room for accidental poisoning. Children have been known to take prescription pills, thinking that they are candy. They come in such an array of pretty colors after all. One of the reasons that children find medications and take them inappropriately is the "Granny effect."
When grandparents come to visit they will naturally bring their medications. Often there will not be a particular place to store the medications out of the reach of children and the medications may be in a pill dispenser case and not in a child proof container. Older adults often receive their medications in non-child proof containers because child proof can also mean senior proof as well.
Remember to find a place for visiting grandparents to store their medications safely out of the reach of little hands.

Keeping up with medication changes

You will often hear healthcare providers and folks in the media reminding people that they need to take medications as they are prescribed. It is important to take medications as frequently as they are ordered, at the right time and in the right amount. One thing they don't mention very often is when to stop taking a medication.
When you or your loved one are talking with the doctor at a routine visit or as you are being discharged from the hospital or ER be sure that you listen very carefully to the instructions. It is a good idea to repeat what the doctor has told you to be sure you have understood accurately. Also, verify if you are to stop taking any of the medications you are already using. Also, if you are to stop taking a particular medication, when should you start taking that medication again if at all.

What Makes an Accurate List of Medications?

If you listen to the ads on TV or read them in magazines, they will remind you to tell your doctor about all the medications you are taking. This is important because you need to be sure that your doctor has all the information needed to make good decisions regarding changing your medications. The medications you need to list for your doctor include all the medications that have been prescribed by this doctor and other specialists you may see as well as over the counter medications such as vitamins, stool softeners and non-prescription pain relievers. Also, include any folk remedies or supplements. Any or all of these have the potential to interact and cause problems such as making a medication work less well than expected or more intensely than expected.

Never take it for granted that you doctor knows everything that you are taking. In order to get the most from your health care you need to be an active participant or partner with your health care provider.

Medication Safety for the Aging

The older we get the more likely we are to need some sort of medication on a regular basis. I have talked about storing medications safely but there is so much more to keep in mind. You may have heard it before but it bears repeating; store medications in the containers in which they come. These containers will be labeled with the name of the medication, the strength of the pills (milligrams) and how often it is to be taken. There may also be additional important information. It is perfectly fine to set out a week’s worth of pills in a pill case that is labeled for the day of the week and possibly the time of day that the medications are to be taken. If you are traveling, be sure that you have a list of the medications you are taking and if any of them are narcotics, keep them in the original prescription bottle.

Be sure that you understand why your physician wants you to take each medication, how you are to take the medication and what side effects can be expected. You may need to take a medication with or without food, avoid certain foods while taking the medication or you may need a certain amount of fluid with each pill. You may also need to sit upright for at least an hour after taking the medication. Side effects may need to be reported right away or only when you next see the doctor. You should also know any symptoms that would require a trip to the Emergency Room due to an allergic reaction. Never hesitate to ask for clear instructions and plenty of time to ask questions.

Storing Medications Safely

As we and our loved ones age, it becomes increasingly likely that we will need to take medications for chronic conditions. We also usually keep over the counter medications in our homes for pain management, symptoms of the common cold or other simple occasional problems. The most common places to store medications are the bathroom and the kitchen. There are issues with both places.

The bathroom may be a convenient place to store medication but there is a great deal of humidity due to bathing activities we complete in the bathroom. The medicine chest is often placed over the sink which increases the rate at which medication is affected by moisture. Medications will often lose potency from the exposure.

The kitchen is the other place that people store medications. This keeps them convenient to remind us to take them as we should but will often put them in easy reach of children. We should always take care to teach children to leave medicines alone but the teaching isn’t always effective. There is less chance of humidity becoming a problem in the kitchen.

The safest place to store medications is in a sealed container (Rubbermaid, Tupperware or such) in an upper level cabinet.

ER visits and the Aging

It is very likely that each of us will need to be seen in the ER at some time or another. It can be an overwhelming experience but if you and your aging relative have taken the time to be prepared things can go as smoothly as possible.  Some things you may set up for emergencies include beyond your identification and personal information include the following:

·         A complete list of all medications you (and your loved one) take. This needs to include medications prescribed by the doctor, over the counter medications and any herbal remedies. This needs to include the amount of each medication and how often each medication is taken. Include a list of allergies with your medications.

·         A list of your doctors that includes first and last names, telephone numbers and specialties.

·         A list of chronic health conditions and at least a brief medical and surgical history.

·         The name and contact information of your Medical Power of Attorney

·         Your health care insurance name and identification numbers. This will be on your insurance card and contact information will be on the card as well.

·         The name and contact information of your religious or spiritual leader if that is important to you.

The reason to keep this information together is to allow you to focus on the emergency that caused you to come to the ER and not need to remember details that are important but hard to recall. This information can be written on a paper and kept in your wallet (and the wallet of your Medical Power of Attorney) or stored on line by a Medic Alert company and made available by information on a Medic Alert bracelet or necklace.

Medic Alert, when and how

When my husband and I were in a motor vehicle accident last summer, the doctor in the Emergency Room (ER) needed to review his medical history in order to be sure that the care he would be providing would not interfere with other care my husband was already getting. Since my husband has an extensive medical history, there were two choices. We tell the doctor my husband’s history and risk forgetting a detail that may be important or the ER staff could access the information in his Medic Alert account which is available on the internet. Since his account is up to date, the quickest and most accurate choice was the Medic Alert account.

Not all Medic Alert bracelets (or necklaces) are created equal. The alert jewelry you can obtain in the drug store or other retail outlet will be able to notify medical providers that you are allergic to a particular medication or may be a diabetic but there are a limited number of messages available for sale at these stores. These are useful if there is only one allergy or the issue about which you are concerned is available.

It is also possible to purchase a bracelet or necklace with the emblem from a good jeweler and have information etched on the back. This is a perfectly good way to customize information that you want emergency workers to know if you are unable to communicate.

The Medic Alert account that my husband uses is significantly more detailed and includes his medical history, surgical history, medication list and contact information for his primary care doctor. This cost a small fee to sign up and a yearly fee of $15 to $20. While this may seem like a great deal of money it can save your life and will allow for individualized care tailored to your specific circumstances.

Medications and the Aging Part 2

As we age it becomes more and more likely that we will be taking a medication for a chronic illness on a regular basis. In order that we don’t interrupt our medications we need to be sure that we refill the prescription before we run out of the old medication. This requires watchfulness and a general awareness of how long it will take for the new medication to be available.

If you or your loved one are using a pill box, filling it once a week, so that all of the pills needed to be taken at a certain time are in one compartment; you have an excellent opportunity to keep track of when to re-order prescription medications and re-purchase medications that you are buying over the counter. You should also take the opportunity to check for expiration dates (printed on the label) and know when you need to get back to the doctor for renewal or change to the prescription.

Medications and the Aging

As we age we are increasingly likely to need to take medications on a regular basis to treat chronic illnesses.  There will also be occasions that we will need to take a medication for a short period of time to treat an acute illness.  One of the things to be kept in mind is the potential for interaction between medications.

Because of the possibility for drug interactions it is important to be sure that the doctor knows what medications a person is taking as well as any over the counter (OTC) medications. One way to insure that this information is available is to make a list of all medications; prescribed, OTC and herbal supplements. This list needs to be made available to any health care provider when seeking treatment.  The list should include the medication (brand name and generic name), the dosage, how frequently the medication is taken and who prescribed it.