For more information, call us today! 949-870-5655

4 Common Medication Issues That the Elderly Have

4-common-medication-issues-that-the-elderly-have

Medications can help older adults manage their conditions. However, when these medications are not taken properly, they can be dangerous to anyone’s health. That is why providers of live-in care in Irvine, California make sure to regularly remind their clients about taking their medications the proper way.

However, there are different medication issues that aging individuals face. Some of the 4 most common issues are listed below:

  1. Forgetfulness

    Forgetfulness is a common side effect of old age. Due to this natural occurrence, your senior loved ones may have troubles remembering to take their meds as instructed. They may skip a dose. They may even double dose or overdose on their meds.

    Organizing medications in pill boxes can help older adults know which medicines to take, when to take them, and to check if they have already taken their doses for a particular time. You can choose from a regular pill box or a digitized one equipped with alarms and more. A provider of in-home care in Irvine, California can help in organizing these medications.

  2. Problems with vision

    As individuals get older, a decline in their physical functions can be expected. One such area is their vision. Your aging family members may have trouble differentiating medications from one another, especially when they look the same. The print on the labels may also be hard to read for them.

    Enlarging the print on the labels can be a solution to this common medication issue. Additionally, making sure that your loved ones use vision aids such as eyeglasses will be helpful, too. A provider of non-medical home care in California can also read the labels on their behalf.

  3. Difficulties in swallowing medicines

    Medicines come in various forms. They can be tablet, capsules, pills, liquids, creams and gels, among others. When it comes to oral medicines, senior loved ones may have a particularly hard time swallowing them. Some may even try to crush tablets or pills which can be risky if such medicines have time or extended release function.

    If possible and available, oral medications may have to be formulated into liquid form. This will help make the medicines easier for seniors to swallow.

  4. Medication costs

    Medication costs can be pretty high and many seniors cannot afford them. In this situation, many tend to split tablets or take them at a lesser dosage. Some may even stop taking them without the doctor’s approval.

    Seniors can check for various community resources and programs that can help minimize such costs. They can also talk to their doctors about taking generic medications which are cheaper yet similarly effective to branded meds.

When your senior loved ones need support at home not only with their medications but also with their daily tasks, call Live Life At Home. We will be pleased to help them. Contact us today!

This entry was posted in Elderly Care and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

BACK TO TOP