Good medication management is something that home care or a patient must know and family members. When medication is misused, it can lead to severe issues like ineffectiveness, body harm, addiction, etc.
Medication management is a crucial part of managing a health condition. When you miss a dose or use medications improperly, it can become very harmful. If you are a home care nurse or a family member taking care of a patient, you are responsible for making sure that they take the proper medications at the correct dosage and time. In short, they are dependent on your care.
To learn good medication management, here are three tips to follow:
1. Invest in a Pillbox or Dispenser
That is a common and simple solution that is often ignored by many. A pillbox is a set of seven boxes marked with the days of the week. For example, M is for Monday, T is for Tuesday, and so on. Some bigger pillboxes or dispensers have 30 or 31 compartments, corresponding with the entire length of a month of medication regimen.
To properly manage medication and ensure that you don’t unexpectedly run out of it, a pillbox can help you plan the medication regime several days or weeks in advance. That is an excellent way to keep track of your medication, organize them, and remind you when it’s time to refill prescriptions.
2. Set a Reminder
A pillbox can help you stay organized, but you should set a separate reminder to ensure that you are practicing proper medication management. There are reminder devices specifically designed for older adults following a medication regimen. These devices are programmable in any language and time, multiple times a day. Home care nurses can use it to eliminate one more thing in their daily tasks, and this way, you are assured of no missed doses.
For family members, it lets them focus on more important things like spending time with their loved one. Still, a specific reminder device for seniors isn’t always necessary. You can just use a simple multi-alarm alarm clock that is easy to program and use and offers the same level of usability.
3. Proper Store of Medication and Taking Them on Time
Different medications have different storage instructions. That is why it is essential to always keep track of everything. Some medicines should be stored at a dry, cool temperature, while others need to be refrigerated. These differences must always be noted by the home care nurse or the family member taking care of a patient.
Avoid storing medications in the bathroom since it is a humid place that heats up when taking a shower. It does not fit the right qualifications for proper medication storage. Instead, you can store medicines in the living room at a dry and cool temperature and refrigerate the medication that requires that.
Final Thoughts
Proper medication management is a crucial factor in taking care of yourself or someone else. It is an integral part of health and recovery, and so keeping track of it and following the proper rules to taking and storing them must be heeded.
MedManage is the best tracker app for taking medicine. It is a cloud-based medication management system designed for patients and caregivers. Our tracker app helps you manage everyday tasks such as managing multiple medications and maintaining a medication log every day. It can also help you remember, store, and share your medication status and history easily.
Take care of yourself or a loved one today. Keep track of daily medication with MedManage!