Medication adherence is essential for seniors to maintain their health and effectively manage chronic conditions, but it can be challenging, too. Luckily there are ways to make medication adherence easier for seniors, especially when a new medication has been added to the routine or there are special considerations involved. Home health care services, reminder tools, and more are all part of the plan.
Using Calendars and Reminders
No one has a perfect memory all the time, especially when there are lots of other things going on. Calendars and reminders can significantly assist seniors in staying on track with their medication regimens. Using something as simple as a wall calendar or a calendar dedicated only to medications can be incredibly useful. Place the calendar in a visible spot for ease of use. Electronic reminders on tablets or smartphones help to remove a lot of guesswork, too. There are even pill organizers that can dispense medication according to complicated schedules. Home health care providers can help seniors to set these up properly when medications get refilled.
Keeping a Journal or Log
Maintaining a medication journal or log provides seniors with a record of their medication usage and enhances adherence. It also helps them to keep track of side effects and other important details that might be important for their doctors to know. There might be details that can help medical providers adjust dosages or change medications to ones that might work better, too. Keeping a log of this information ensures that seniors have data that’s easy for their doctors to use in order to help them be healthier and happier overall.
Getting Medication Reviews Periodically
Periodic medication reviews with healthcare professionals help seniors to make sure medications are still the right ones for them. They also ensure that dosages are correct and that none of the medications they’re taking are likely to interfere with each other. It’s easy to ask doctors to do a full medication review and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time, either. Medication logs make this even easier, so seniors should bring those along with them to appointments with their doctors.
Having Help with Medication Compliance
There are a lot of things seniors can do on their own in order to stay healthy. Medication compliance sometimes is an area where they need extra help, however. Home health care providers can make everything about medication adherence easier for seniors to manage. They can ensure that medical providers have accurate information so that they can make the right decisions for their patients. They can also remove a lot of the guesswork that seniors sometimes resort to when it comes to medications.
Seniors who want to maintain their health and manage health issues properly are best served by following their medication plan as closely as possible. Home health care providers can make that task easier and safer, all at the same time. Having the help that they need ensures that aging adults are able to stay on track with their health goals.
If you or someone you know needs home health care in Blaine, MN, contact Adara Home Health. We provide quality and affordable home care services for many fragile or senior members in the communities we serve. Call us at (888) 660-5772 for more information.