6 Reasons Behind Medication Mismanagement in Seniors

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that five out of every six seniors aged sixty-five years old and above take at least one medication while nearly half of the geriatric population take three meds or more. In spite of this, fifty-five percent of the elderly demographics receiving non-medical homecare in Indiana have been found to be non-compliant with their prescriptions. Researchers suggest that this may be due to a variety of factors.

As any provider of home health care in Indianapolis would assert, it is vital to know what these contributing factors are so that you can take steps to address them. That being said, the top reasons cited by studies to be the leading causes of medication mistakes among aging individuals include vision problems, memory loss, swallowing problems, income, hearing loss, and social isolation. All these are of special concerns because misuse or misadministration of their medicines can lead to cognitive and physical impairments in your loved ones. These factors also increase their risk of falling, slipping, or figuring into other accidents, as well as make them generally less capable of taking care of themselves.

But how can you determine whether or not your senior family members are mismanaging their prescriptions? Well, our team at Advantage Senior Care says that there are different symptoms you can watch out for. For instance, weight changes, skin discoloration, fluid retention, and side effects such as fatigue and nausea are just some of the key signs. If you receive calls from the pharmacy about your relatives’ prescriptions not being picked up or if you notice unopened medication bottles lying around in their place, then you may also have reason to believe that their medicines are being mishandled.

As a provider of stellar senior care in Indianapolis, Indiana, let us tell you that there are many steps you can take to ensure that your loved ones are managing their medications appropriately. We are ready to assist you on this matter, so give us a call right away.