What Is Medication Management in Senior Care?
Many seniors rely on medication. As health problems become more prominent, medication allows seniors to lead more comfortable and independent lives. It can lessen their pain and give them more mobility, playing a major part in their days.
Because of the importance of that medication and the large responsibility that comes with administering it correctly, senior care communities like ours at the Mission at Agua Fria provide the option of medication management to residents.
Medication management is an asset to senior care communities, and it’s often included in the cost of rent. If you’re wondering whether medication management is a good choice for your loved one in senior care, here is some more information.
What Is Medication Management?
Medication management is a program that allows senior care staff to assist residents with their medication. Here at the Mission at Agua Fria, we offer medication management to ensure that our residents are taking the medication they rely on in the right quantity and at the right time of the day.
This option allows staff members to perform tasks like refilling and administering prescriptions, but it can also include assisting them with organizing their medicine or reminding them when they should take it on their own. Many seniors choose to have medication management as a part of their care because it gives both them and their families peace of mind.
It Provides Accuracy
The assistance of medication management by the staff at a senior care community can ensure that residents are taking their medication accurately. Many seniors take multiple medications that require various dosages to be taken at different times throughout the day. This can be a confusing and difficult task for anyone. Because of this, mistakes are typical when seniors are responsible for their own medication, and the consequences can be drastic.
Taking the wrong medication in the wrong quantity or at the wrong time can cause adverse effects, symptoms, or reactions in the resident. It can also lead to a negative reaction with other medications. In another bad scenario, residents can forget to take their medicine entirely. Neglecting to take their medicine can lead to dangerous health consequences.
People opt to have the staff perform medication management to avoid any slipups that could happen. The staff members take their medication management tasks seriously, and they can make sure it’s done correctly.
Staff Provides Education
Aside from being able to help residents with taking their medication, the staff at senior care communities that provide medication management is also knowledgeable about the side effects of medications.
Most medications have the potential to cause different side effects. Some more common side effects include nausea and dizziness. When seniors administer medication on their own, they might neglect to read up on all of the possible effects of taking their medication. Because staff members are well-educated about medications and their potential side effects, they can keep an eye out for those symptoms in residents and quickly respond as necessary.