What Is Medication Management and What Does It Include?
Has your mom ever forgotten to take her medicine? If she has, you may have heard someone mention the management of her medications.
But what is medication management? We’ll discuss the answer and discover how medication management can also help those with dementia who keep forgetting to take medication.
Forgetting to take pills is an easy mistake to make, especially as older Americans are taking more and more medications.
According to AARP, almost half—40 percent—of seniors take five or more prescription medications. Twenty percent take 10 different prescriptions or even more.
Taking five or more pills is known as polypharmacy, and it’s one of the reasons medication management is such an important aspect of care for senior adults at assisted living facilities in Brunswick County.
What is Medication Management?
This is a healthcare strategy that helps those who must take multiple medications. It involves:
- Keeping an accurate and up-to-date medication list
- Ensuring providers have the most recent medication information
- Ensuring the medication list providers have is accurately reflected in the medication the patient takes (This is called “medication reconciliation.”)
- Identifying behaviors that may put the patient at risk of missing medications or taking an overdose or underdose
- Helping individuals take their medications regularly and on time.
At Coastal Pointe, we understand how important it is for residents to take their medications exactly as prescribed. This is one reason why we are proud to have a partnership with Southern Pharmacy, a long-term care pharmacy.
What Happens During a Medication Management Appointment?
We want you to get the most out of your medication management appointment, and therefore we want you to be prepared. Knowing what to expect will help ensure you get all the information you need to comply with your treatment or plan of care.
We’ll Review a List of Your Medications
It helps if you have the prescription bottles with you for us to examine. We want to be sure we know the medication name, the dosage, and how long you’ve been taking it. It’s also important for us to know who the prescribing physician is.
Be sure to tell us when you take the medication and how often.
We’ll Discuss Non-Prescription Medication and Supplements
Do you take over-the-counter allergy medicine? We’ll want to know about anything that you take. It’s also important for us to be aware of any vitamins or herbal supplements you take.
Certain herbal supplements may interact with prescription medicines, which is why it’s so important for us to have a detailed understanding of the medicines you take.
We’ll Develop a Medication Regimen
We work closely with your doctors, ensuring that their instructions are followed to the letter. This is extremely important when dealing with mediation.
Medication management is about much more than merely remembering to take your medications. It’s about finding a way to work together.
We’ll Give You a Chance to Ask Questions
We understand that you may have a lot of concerns when it comes to your medication management, and we are dedicated to taking time to answer them.
We find that it often helps to have residents write down or record a list of questions they want to ask so that they won’t forget anything.
What Happens When Your Parent Forgets to Take Their Medication?
When a parent forgets to take their medication, it can present serious problems. The extent of these issues, of course, depends upon what the medication is for.
All medications must be taken exactly as directed. Failure to do so could cause the health condition or disease to gradually get worse or render treatment ineffective.
For example, those with diabetes should take their insulin as directed. Failure to do so could lead to long-term complications resulting from high blood sugar. This includes poor circulation and a risk of blindness or nerve damage.
Why Do the Elderly Stop Taking Medication?
There are several reasons why the elderly may stop taking medication. The most common reason is forgetfulness. Particularly for those with dementia.
Others may be overwhelmed by the sheer number of medications they have to take, while others may not understand the purpose of their medication and fail to realize how important it is to take it consistently.
Others may stop taking it because they “feel fine” because diseases such as diabetes or high blood sugar do not immediately present with symptoms.
Our Family at Coastal Pointe Helps Mom and Dad Remember to Take Their Medication
We’ve discussed what is medication management and outlined its importance in the lives of those you love. At Coastal Pointe Assisted Living, we help our residents with their medication management.
We’re more than a beautiful facility. Our Main Street decor creates a feeling of home. We’re a community–you don’t have a room, you have an address. This means we look out for each other. We treat others the way we’d like to be treated—and this includes quality care in the form of medication management.
Through our medication management program, we can help you or your loved one maintain good health through medication compliance. We’re always happy to give friendly reminders or help our residents take their medications as directed.
Want to know more about our community in Brunswick County? Contact us to schedule a virtual tour.