KFF.org reports that nearly nine in ten (89%) of adults 65 and older take prescription medication. Older adults are more likely to take multiple medications, also called polypharmacy.
Seniors tend to have various medical issues or deficiencies, so polypharmacy is a given. However, there are often issues that arise when prescribing and taking elderly medication.
Polypharmacy, as necessary as it often is, is a source of medical mishaps — and there are many others. Senior health and safety are important; seniors need to be able to take their medicine as prescribed.
Read on and we’ll explain medication management and senior medication errors. We also explain how to fix and prevent these medical issues.
What Is Medication Management?
Medication management is when someone or their doctor takes their medications safely and correctly. Scheduling is an important part of proper medication management.
Prescription drugs must be taken regularly so there’s an effective amount in your body at all times. Consistent dosages also matter. Too much or too little of the drug could be ineffective or have disastrous side effects.
Drugs must be taken like clockwork as instructed to ensure they work as they should. Knowledge is a vital part of medication management; there are things people should know or ask about their medicines.
Seniors should never take prescription drugs without:
- Knowing the dosage
- Knowing the side effects
- Understanding dietary restrictions
- Keeping a schedule
- Asking the doctor whether they can stop
- Always ask your doctor if it’s okay to stop a medication
- Many drugs work by blocking certain chemical processes
- Abruptly stopping can worsen formally controlled symptoms
For clarity’s sake, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to stop taking a certain drug. It could be that there are unmanageable side effects, but stopping a drug should never be done without medical oversight.
Elderly Medication: Identifying and Stopping Mistakes
We mentioned polypharmacy, so that’s where we’ll start. Many seniors have their medications prescribed by different specialists.
Sometimes this is unavoidable, but it often means other medical officials don’t know what their patient is taking. The gaps between drugs can lead to dangerous interactions.
Dangerous Drug Interactions
Drug interactions are how a particular medication will react with another:
- Drug
- Beverage
- Food
- Supplement
- Medical condition
For example, some drugs cause drowsiness when combined with alcohol. Physicians can inadvertently prescribe a dangerous medication without a full picture of their patient’s medical information.
How to Prevent This
Keeping a complete list of medications is an easy safety measure for seniors; they can hand it to a gatekeeper healthcare provider when there’s a new medicine added.
“Gatekeepers” help manage a patient’s healthcare journey and control access to medical information throughout the health system. Other safe medication practices include:
- Bringing the list to all doctor’s appointments
- Asking to reduce the amount of medications
- Fewer drugs reduce missed or incorrect dosages
- It’s easier to keep up with less pills, injections, etc.
- Having a single pharmacy fill all prescriptions
Confusing Medications
Mixing up prescription drugs is one of the most common medication pitfalls. One reason this happens is the large amount of medicines some seniors take, another is some drugs have similar names or look alike.
How to Prevent This
“Use pillboxes” is great advice for elderly prescriptions. It takes some extra time to put the pills in the proper slot, but it’s worth it to have everything prearranged for the week.
It’s worth triple-checking for common mix-ups. Amaryl and Reminyl are often confused for each other. The former is a blood-glycose-lowering pill, and the latter helps treat mild to moderate dementia.
Interactions can occur if these (or other) medications aren’t taken as prescribed. Incorporating medication into seniors’ routines may also help. For example, taking a pill before bedtime establishes a helpful schedule.
Wrong-Route Errors
A “wrong-route error” means that someone has taken their medication incorrectly. How seniors take their medication matters as much as dosage. A dissolving drug isn’t as effective when swallowed.
Here’s an example demonstrating how much methodology matters: Venoms aren’t generally harmful if swallowed (which is not advisable). They must be injected into muscles under the skin to affect you.
Even harmful substances must be applied correctly to affect you the proper way. Taking a prescription drug, the incorrect way can have effects ranging from ineffectiveness to death.
How to Prevent This
Many senior medication errors, including this one, can be prevented by reading labels and instructions. Seniors and their caretakers can ask questions if they’re unsure.
Certain administration methods may be difficult for seniors. Some older adults have difficulty swallowing and may have issues with pills. They (or a caretaker) can ask if there’s another way to take the medicine.
Food Interactions
Have you ever wondered why you can’t eat or drink grapefruit with cholesterol drugs like atorvastatin? The fruit interferes with how the liver breaks down the medicine.
Grapefruit can lead to dangerously high levels of atorvastatin in the blood, which can increase the chance of liver damage or a muscle disorder.
Grapefruit and atorvastatin are examples of how certain foods can change how drugs metabolize. However, some food and drug combinations render medications ineffective.
How to Prevent This
This cannot be stressed enough: read the labels and instructions. Seniors and caretakers should understand dietary restrictions before beginning a new medication.
Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to ask your doctor or pharmacist for help. Follow-up questions can help avoid common medication pitfalls.
Implementing Elderly Prescriptions Advice
Much of improving safety in elderly medication comes down to having proper knowledge and organizational skills. Common medication pitfalls occur because some older adults take medicine incorrectly.
They are either unsure of the potential food interactions, confuse drugs, take too many at once, or use the wrong application method. Learning to organize and distinguish prescriptions can help with these issues.
Following instructions and asking questions are also important when taking medications. However, some seniors may have issues implementing these medication management tips.
Spring Mill Senior Living can help. We aid with ADLs like medication management and mobility/transfer assistance.
Our pet-friendly community offers activities like arts and crafts, and games. Contact us today to schedule a tour of our community in Phoenixville, PA.
