Medication Management

Medication management for elders can be a minefield. Elders are often treated by several doctors, and each doctor may have prescribed medications. In combination, all of the prescriptions from all of the doctors produce a complex daily medication schedule. The situation also raises thorny issues like these:

• Does each doctor know about all of the prescriptions written by all of the other doctors?
• Have the prescriptions been researched for possible adverse drug interactions and side effects?
• Are all of the prescriptions being filled?
• Are the medications organized in a weekly pillbox so that the elder gets the proper medications at the proper times?
• Is the elder actually taking the medications?
• If Medicare and supplemental insurance are available, are claims and other issues being resolved?

It’s no wonder that many elders need help in keeping everything straight. In addition, some elders try to economize by taking reduced doses of prescribed medication or by deciding not to take it at all.

If your elder needs medication support or supervision that you can’t provide yourself, you should know that you have options to consider. Many assisted living facilities, for example, offer help with basic healthcare needs, including medication management. For more active elders, some senior housing communities provide medication management. These are all living arrangements in which caring healthcare professionals are responsible for making sure that medications are taken as prescribed. That’s good for your elder’s health and good for your own peace of mind.

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