Medication Safety Research Paper
Home Care and Medication Safety
With the majority of seniors over the age of 65 taking multiple medications (nearly 15 percent take over ten different medications each day), it is no wonder that medication safety is such an important topic. In fact, nearly 70 percent of hospitalized seniors have at least one medicinal complication. Home care personnel can help your senior loved one maintain medication safety and avoid the complications associated with poor medication management.
While many people think of medication management and safety as an issue for seniors with emotional or cognitive problems, the reality is that the same safeguards are efficient and effective for anyone. After all, emotional and cognitive issues are often a side effect of medications. Without a proper safety plan in place, you'd never …show more content…
even know something was awry until it was too late.
Let's look at a few of the components of a good medication safety plan, and how home care personnel can help:
Oversight. It is always a good idea to have a second pair of eyes and ears when it comes to medication. This is why there are so many checks and balances at the hospital and clinic (and even there, there are occasional mistakes). It should be well understood what is being taken, why, how much, when, and under what conditions. While this may be fairly easy with one or two medications, when there are eight, nine, ten, a dozen, or more, things can get a bit more complicated. For example, which ones are taken on an empty stomach, which require food, which are taken once a day, twice, three times, every six hours, and so forth. Are there contraindications to any of the medications?
Coordination.
Home care staff can help keep all of the medications filled, refilled, properly stored, discarded, and so forth. Many times, medications are prescribed by different doctors at different facilities. They may be filled at different pharmacies, and they rarely have the same refill number or date.
Lists. Not only is it important to know what is being taken, when, how, and why, but is is a good idea to have that information ready and available. Additionally, other medication that is in the house, including vitamins and supplements, should be annotated. If there is an emergency, the medical team will need to know this information before administering medications lest they overdose them or give them a conflicting medication with a toxic side effect.
Many seniors can take care of their own medication management. Many more cannot. If your senior loved one would benefit from help in this area of their life, home care personnel are trained and skilled in these tasks. Home care personnel don't just ensure your loved one gets the care and support they need at home, but they can also make sure your loved one medications are properly managed and
safe.
With the majority of seniors over the age of 65 taking multiple medications (nearly 15 percent take over ten different medications each day), it is no wonder that medication safety is such an important topic. In fact, nearly 70 percent of hospitalized seniors have at least one medicinal complication. Home care personnel can help your senior loved one maintain medication safety and avoid the complications associated with poor medication management.
While many people think of medication management and safety as an issue for seniors with emotional or cognitive problems, the reality is that the same safeguards are efficient and effective for anyone. After all, emotional and cognitive issues are often a side effect of medications. Without a proper safety plan in place, you'd never …show more content…
even know something was awry until it was too late.
Let's look at a few of the components of a good medication safety plan, and how home care personnel can help:
Oversight. It is always a good idea to have a second pair of eyes and ears when it comes to medication. This is why there are so many checks and balances at the hospital and clinic (and even there, there are occasional mistakes). It should be well understood what is being taken, why, how much, when, and under what conditions. While this may be fairly easy with one or two medications, when there are eight, nine, ten, a dozen, or more, things can get a bit more complicated. For example, which ones are taken on an empty stomach, which require food, which are taken once a day, twice, three times, every six hours, and so forth. Are there contraindications to any of the medications?
Coordination.
Home care staff can help keep all of the medications filled, refilled, properly stored, discarded, and so forth. Many times, medications are prescribed by different doctors at different facilities. They may be filled at different pharmacies, and they rarely have the same refill number or date.
Lists. Not only is it important to know what is being taken, when, how, and why, but is is a good idea to have that information ready and available. Additionally, other medication that is in the house, including vitamins and supplements, should be annotated. If there is an emergency, the medical team will need to know this information before administering medications lest they overdose them or give them a conflicting medication with a toxic side effect.
Many seniors can take care of their own medication management. Many more cannot. If your senior loved one would benefit from help in this area of their life, home care personnel are trained and skilled in these tasks. Home care personnel don't just ensure your loved one gets the care and support they need at home, but they can also make sure your loved one medications are properly managed and
safe.