CHECK WITH YOUR PERSONAL PHARMACIST WE ARE HERE TO HELP.
We know that you may have a close relationship with your doctor or pharmacy. Our goal is to be an extension of your healthcare team as an additional resource. |
CARING FOR CAREGIVERS
Pharmacist’s thoughts on helping manage medications of older individuals.
It can be overwhelming to help manage your own medications. It can be even more stressful to try and organize the medications of a loved one. PeopleOne Personal Pharmacist recognizes the stress placed on caregivers. This issue of The Script focuses on some ways to help make this process more manageable and some steps you can take to help care for your loved one and yourself!
Did you know that certain medications can work differently in different people depending on their age?
The Beers Criteria is a list of medications that are identified as being potentially harmful to patients 65 years of age or older. These medications may increase the risk of falling or other potentially harmful effects. This list does not mean that an individual cannot take certain medications, it just means that certain medications have increased risks based on age and should be used with caution.
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Examples of Medications on The Beers Criteria: |
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Medication Example |
Concern |
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Ciprofloxacin with Warfarin |
Increased bleeding risk |
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Benzodiazepines (alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam) |
Increased risk of dizziness/ falls |
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NSAIDS (aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen) |
Risk of gastric bleeding and other GI issues |
There are close to 100 medications included on this list. Questions about if your medications are on this list and what to do? Call your PeopleOne Personal Pharmacist
TIPS FROM YOUR PERSONAL PHARMACIST
Pill Packaging - Find a local or mail-order pharmacy that will package your or your loved ones medications in convenient, weekly pill planners. This will save you the time and stress of filling up the pill box every week. Different pharmacies offer different types of pill packing, so finding one that works for you matters! This service is often low-cost or even free!
Delivery - Many pharmacies offer free delivery to older individuals. Often this will be an independent or locally owned pharmacy. Delivery can relieve the burden of multiple weekly trips to the pharmacy to pick up medications for everyone in the family.
Diabetes Testing Supplies - Technology for people with diabetes is improving all the time! There are now devices that can be put on insulin pens to let you see when doses were given and continuous glucose monitors that can measure blood sugar without finger pricks. New technologies in diabetes care may help caregivers manage diabetes better.
Support groups - There are many resources out there for caregivers, including online support groups like Caregiver Action Network which can give you other resources for success.
PeopleOne Personal Pharmacist - If you think your loved one’s medications are causing falls or other side effects, PeopleOne Personal Pharmacist can help answer your pharmacy-related questions.
814.297.9960 • help@personalpharmacist.com • www.personalpharmacist.com