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Health & Fitness

Medication Compliance for Seniors

Dangers of Non-Compliance
Medication compliance is a major issue for seniors; between age-related forgetfulness, dementia, and other physical constraints it can be a challenge to ensure that all medications are being taken faithfully and properly. Research has shown that up to ten percent of hospital admissions and up to twenty-five percent of admissions to nursing homes are directly related to incorrect compliance with medication plans. We also know from our experience at ComForcare that medication mistakes often result in falls (due to dizziness or lightheadedness), a significant concern for older adults.

Challenges for Seniors to Take Their Medicine
In our experience, older adults struggle with medication compliance for many reasons, including:

• Vision problems that prevent seniors from reading dosing instructions

• Hearing problems that cause them to misunderstand or miss instructions about the medication

• Cognitive impairments that prevent them from understanding that they have to take medication or memory loss that causes them to forget to take it

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• Arthritis or lack of muscle strength that makes opening medication packaging difficult to do on their own

• Mobility issues that increase the difficulty involved in picking up prescriptions or accessing medication at home

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• Chronic conditions with few symptoms, such as high blood pressure, may result in a loss of motivation to take medication or simply in forgetting to take it, as the results of noncompliance are not instantaneous

• Multiple medications can cause seniors to become overwhelmed as they try to time their medications and remember instructions for different medicines

Help for Medication Compliance
Medication compliance aids and tips can be found online, but if more help is needed, in-home caregivers (like those at ComForcare) are trained to work with client-specific medication profiles to ensure all medication is taken on time and in accordance with physician orders. Together, we can work to reduce hospital and nursing home admission rates and keep people where they want to be, in their own homes. If you notice that a loved one is having a hard time managing their medications on their own, please do not hesitate to give us a call. We are available 24 hours a day to help you evaluate your needs and we can meet with you in your home or at our office. We will work with you to develop a customized care plan for our professional caregivers to follow and work towards full medication compliance.

ComForcare Home Care 

847.823.0800

http://comforcare.com/illinois/park-ridge

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