There are times when roles in a family change due to unforeseen circumstances. For instance, a spouse becomes diagnosed with a disease like Alzheimer’s or dementia. This can often cause frustration between the family caregiver and their spouse who has the disease. At the beginning of a diagnosis, a person might be more than capable to manage their own medications or other daily tasks. However, at some point, these activities will have to be done by family caregivers or professional caregivers. Managing a spouse’s medications can be stressful. However, you can ease some of the stress by using the tips mentioned here today.
Medication Routines
Are you caring for your loved one who needs help managing medications? If so, the very first thing you need to do is speak with their doctor. Ask the doctor about when medications need to be given and whether your loved one should have them at a particular time of day. Once you learn all you can about your loved one’s medications, you should create a routine to administer the medication. It is wise to write down in a notebook exactly when the medication should be given to your loved one. This way if professional caregivers or someone else needs to give the medications, it is done correctly.
Pill Box
A pill box can be a real lifesaver. It will help you keep your loved one’s medications organized. Many of these boxes even have a slot for every day of the week. This will allow you to prepare for the week ahead. There are small and large pill boxes. This means that even if your elderly loved one has many prescriptions to take, you can get a box that will hold all their medications. If necessary, the professional caregivers that come in can give the medication out of the correct slot.
Medication Side Effects
Don’t forget to learn all you can about the side effects of all the medications that your elderly loved one takes – even with the over-the-counter medications. This will help you to better understand if your loved one has issues with a particular medication. It will also let you know how to handle situations that might arise if your elderly loved one has an allergic reaction to a particular medication.
Conclusion
Effective management of medications can help ease the stress of caring for your elderly loved one. These tips can be beneficial to everyone who is caring for a spouse, parent, or another elderly person. If you are a family caregiver, you should start by taking the time today to learn all you can about your elderly loved one’s medications. Take the time to speak with their doctor, as well. Finally, be sure to prepare for how to administer medications in the future.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering a Caregiver in Westcgester, NY please contact the caring staff at Prime Care, Inc. today. (212) 944-0244
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