Medications Medications Medication

Oh, did I mention I wanted to say something about medications?

I was watching 20/20 the other night, and there was a segment on pharmacies. It showed many people going to pick up medications who were not given counselling and even some people who bought an over the counter medication which was contra-indicated with the prescribed medication were, in most cases, not being warned.

Over medication, undermedication, and mis-medication is one of the greatest challenges for caregivers and older people themselves. Medication problems lead to delirium, hospitalization, broken hips, depression, confusion, and death. It is essential that medication taking be monitored. There are phone services you can use, there is equipment that can be gotten which dispenses medication.

All medication should be reviewed regularly. Medications can build up easily in an older person's system. Nursing homes and assisted living housing may not review adequately all the medications.

People MUST talk to their pharmacists about new prescriptions and changes of prescriptions. The pharmacy has to know if someone is taking over the counter medications, herbal remedies, natural whatevers, and chocolate.

Okay, maybe not the chocolate.

But the others can all have interactions with prescribed medications and they can vary enormously in quality.

Caregivers need to be the advocates for their loved ones in a care facility, especially around medications. So you have to know what they are on, why, the dosage, possible side effects. If they are medications for psychological reasons or agitation, they should regularly be reviewed.