As people age, changes occur that can make them more susceptible to suffer from medication-related problems.
The Family Caregiver Alliance's article Caregivers' Guide to Medications and Aging discusses signs to watch for as well as using your pharmacist to help identify possible problems and/or causes, including too many medications. Ways to prevent medication-related problems are addressed, including the need for a new medication, use of unnecessary medications, doses that are too high or low, etc. Then tips are given for basic, safe medication use as well as questions for physicians and pharmacists and sharing responsibilities. Lastly, the article provides online resources and references.
Used with permission of Family Caregiver Alliance, National Center on Caregiving--40 years of experience advocating for policies and delivering programs nationwide to support and sustain the quality work of family caregivers and caregiving professionals. Leads quality education, provides compassionate caregiver planning services and works to bridge research and practice to benefit all caregivers. For more information, visit www.caregiver.org or call (800) 445-8106.