The rising cost of healthcare and the increasing use of medication can leave seniors frustrated. They may think about avoiding the doctor’s visit or do not properly take their medications. However, did you know each year more than 125,000 people die because of the failure to properly take their medicines?
If your parents are of Medicare age and have difficulty in visiting their physician, opt for in home health care services.
Medication Management
There are plenty of reasons why seniors neglect their medications. However, one of the most common reasons is that they forget to take the medicines. On average, a senior takes about five to seven different medications every day. Thus, it comes as no surprise that it can be difficult to keep a track of the medications.
This is when Utah Doctors At Home professionals can help keep a track of your medicines by offering medication management services. If your parents want to live in their own home, it always helps to have in home caregiver services that will ensure that the patient is taking his prescribed medications on time.
Patient Education
Having the best Medicare home health care services will be of no use unless the patient himself is willing to take the medicines. While it is considered foolish that a person will willingly forget his medicines, it is one of the common problems among seniors.
For instance; when seniors think that they are feeling better, they can choose to skip the medications or discontinue the treatment prematurely. Also, if the medicines don’t seem to work, they can discontinue taking it or if they believe the medicine is working, they can try to take more than a single dose. Alternatively, seniors can be bothered with the increasing medication cost. Thus, in order to save a few dollars, they can choose to take less dosage than recommended.
The reason or noncompliance can vary from patient to patient and is not always because they are being stubborn or incorporative. In a majority of cases, people choose to avoid taking the medication because they don’t completely understand how the medicines work and the negative health consequences that will follow if they don’t follow the regimen correctly.
Here a few basic questions that in home senior care specialists help in answering.
- What is the medication called?
- Why is it beneficial?
- How does it work?
- What are the possible side effects?
- How long should you take the medicine?
- How much will it cost?
Seniors are often reluctant to ask for detailed explanations of their medication regimen as they believe the doctor doesn’t have enough time to answer their questions. Moreover, they may be afraid of questioning the doctor’s authority. However, having a doctor at home will give you ample time to ask questions and clear doubts, if you have any.
The importance of medication management cannot be overemphasized as not following the medication regimen can have serious consequences, especially for seniors. If you are looking forward to opting for in home nursing care for elderly, get in touch with Utah Doctors At Home today. Call 385-247-0050 to learn more about admission details.