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The most beautiful moment in my life was seeing my son being born . . . until I was opportune to witness my grandfather age.
Seeing him age was no different from my little son; they had so much in common and behaved alike. Just that he was passing through this phase the second time in his life. Being a witness to this life changing process made me enjoy and appreciate life more than I have ever done.
Life was no longer all about making ends meet but about bonding with family and being part of each other’s up and down moments. Which might be the only memory you can hold on to when nature finally comes calling.
The past five years of him staying permanently with us have made me a better caregiver and have increased my knowledge about medications. Old age comes entirely with a different ball game that leaves one dependent on people, and also comes along with different ailments.
Getting up from the chair/bed becomes painful, impaired memory, grip strength, hearing impairment, decline in vision and aches in bones and joints. Medicating the old goes beyond persuading the elderly to take their medicines but by being the best grandchild-caregiver you never imagined you could be.
Here are four ways you can assist in medicating your aged loved ones.
(1) Learn about their health conditions and their medications.
Some persons only know that there are many sicknesses attached to old age. But very few can tell the exact sicknesses their aged loved ones are passing through. I got to learn from my grandfather’s doctor that he was suffering from arthritis, memory lapses and declining eye sight. I learnt more on how to manage these illnesses by reading books and visiting trustworthy sites online.
Knowing what medications they are being given will help keep you in control in emergency moments. You’ll get to know the right medications and health support groups for your aged loved ones. Leaving everything in the hands of the doctor is quite risky. Keep track of this information because your involvement in their well-being has a lot of influence on their health.
(2) Create and maintain a medication list.
The effect of doing this has been a sure life saver. The importance of having and maintaining a medication list as a vital requirement for assisting in medicating the elderly cannot be overemphasized. The list should include the names of all the medications, dietary supplements, OTCs, joint supplements and other supplements they are taking.
It must also entail the name of the healthcare provider in charge of the prescriptions. Don’t forget also to add the purpose of each medication, how often the medications should be taken, if refills are necessary and the last but not the least, a change in medication.
I got to know the importance of this the day I lost my grandmother to wrong medication. The event would have been prevented if there had been a well-drafted medication list. Take the medication list to the doctor or pharmacy as it helps to provide important information which helps to prevent potential problems and improve health. This list prevents errors and makes the physician’s job easier.
(3) Don’t ignore drug facts labels.
Drug facts labels are not fancy pieces of papers that come with medicines. In fact, they are one of the first things you should look out for when buying drugs for the elderly. As they age, you’d notice there’s an increase in their allergies.
So, I don’t just storm out of the pharmacy with the prescribed drugs, but I endeavour to be aware of the content of the drugs. Carefully study these leaflets to know the proper way the medicines can be taken, when to take them and dosage.
Patient medicine information leaflets also tell you the allergic reactions or possible side effects to look out for. Warnings regarding the medicines, when to ask for doctor’s consent or stop. And how these medicines are stored.
(4) Make use of one pharmacy and safely store the medicines
Maintaining one pharmacy helps keep the prescription record in one place and intact. There’s hardly a miscalculation when one pharmacy is maintained. It enabled my grandfather’s pharmacist to regularly monitor the prescriptions. I also realized that sticking with one pharmacy created a connection between my grandfather and the pharmacist in charge of his medication.
I try the best I can to keep the medications out of the reach of my son and our pets, keep the medications in the original containers they came with to ensure that dosage and directives are easily accessed.
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Photo credit: Getty Images