LifeCare Solutions
Medication Safety Tips for Adult Caregivers

With more and more of your employees taking on elder caregiving duties, it's important that they continually remain on alert for signs that their loved one is over-medicated or having a negative reaction to a drug or a combination of drugs (see sidebar). The preventive measures below are the “best medicine” when it comes to avoiding these predicaments altogether. Pass them along to your employees!

Notify your loved one's doctor(s) about all medications she/he takes— prescription and over-the-counter medications. If more than one doctor is prescribing medications, aim for the primary care physician to be aware of all the drugs your loved one is taking. Remember that pharmacists are knowledgeable about drugs, their side effects and what drugs can be safely combined. So talk with your pharmacist as well as your loved one's doctors. Try to have all your loved one's prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy because pharmacists typically enter each customer's prescription drug record into a computer program designed to alert them if drugs have been prescribed that might interact dangerously. Naturally, this doesn't protect against interactions that may occur when taking an over-the counter drug, so talk to your pharmacist about this, as well. Ask doctors and pharmacists about potential side effects to be on the lookout for—especially which side effects may be

Some key signs of adverse drug reaction and over-medication: Weakness or tremors Fatigue Excessive drowsiness Constipation or diarrhea Agitation, anxiety or excitation Sudden weight loss Dizziness, sudden sweating or nausea Incontinence Confusion Frequent falls