Did you know that 4 out of every 10 seniors in the United States are taking at least five different medications? And more than 11 million seniors take ten medications or more. That’s a lot of medications, and the side effects of those medications can cause serious risks for seniors. If your mom or dad is taking multiple medications, senior home care providers can help them manage those medications.
With senior home care, your mom or dad is less likely to make one of these common medication mistakes:
1. Skipping Doses
Many seniors forget to take their medication or skip doses on purpose. This can happen because they feel better or believe the medication isn’t working. Skipping doses can cause the medicine to be less effective, or it may even make the condition worse.
Senior home care providers can help your mom or dad avoid making this mistake by setting up pill organizers containing all of your mom or dad’s medications, setting alarms to remind them when to take their medications, or reminding them in person when it’s time to take them.
2. Taking the Wrong Dose
Some seniors accidentally take too much or too little of their medication. This can be due to confusion over instructions or difficulty reading labels. Taking the wrong dose can lead to dangerous side effects or reduced effectiveness of the treatment.
Senior home care services can help your senior parent avoid making this mistake by checking the dose of the medication before your mom or dad takes it, color-coding bottles or using other means to remind your mom or dad how much to take, or reminding your mom or dad what the correct dose is.
3. Mixing Medications That Don’t Go Together
Taking multiple medications at once is common for seniors, but some medications can interact with each other in harmful ways. This can result in side effects, reduced effectiveness, or even serious health risks.
Senior home care professionals help seniors avoid this mistake by keeping an updated list of all medications, including prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and supplements your mom or dad is taking. They can share that list with your mom or dad’s doctor and the pharmacist to ensure no bad interactions.
4. Not Finishing a Prescription
Sometimes, seniors stop taking their medication once they start feeling better. This is especially common with antibiotics. Stopping a medication too soon can allow an illness to come back or worsen and can lead to drug resistance.
A senior home care provider will make sure that your mom or dad continues taking their medication as long as it was prescribed for them.
5. Using Expired Medications
Seniors sometimes keep old medications, thinking they will still be effective. However, expired medications can lose their potency or become unsafe to use. Taking these drugs can lead to ineffective treatment or dangerous side effects.
A senior home care provider can prevent this mistake by checking the expiration dates on all medications and getting rid of expired or outdated medications.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Home Care in Danvers, MA, please contact the caring staff at Uniting With You Home Care today. Call (781) 593-1682
Uniting With You Home Care is a Trusted Home Care Agency serving Marblehead, Nahant, Salem, Danvers, Lynn, Saugus, Revere, Beverly, Malden, Peabody, Melrose, Chelsea, East Boston, Middleton, Andover, Lynnfield, Somerville, Swampscott, Everett, Winthrop, all of the North Shore, and Essex County.
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Our staff includes nurses (RNs and LPNs), Home Health Aides (HHAs) and Personal Care Attendants (PCAs). We also offer Homemaker/Companion Care and other supportive services, available to our clients 24/7. All staff members are bilingual (English/Spanish). Through continuing education opportunities, we ensure that all staff members employed by Uniting With You Home Care maintain their professional development and exceed industry skill standards.
We recognize that welcoming caregivers and companions into your home requires a high level of trust and confidence. To ensure this trust, all staff members are carefully screened through extensive background checks.
Uniting With You Home Care provides services to clients on the North Shore and Greater Boston area; payment for services is accepted through Medicare or private pay.
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