Medication Management and Medication Reminders for Home Health
Many seniors take multiple medications on a daily basis, and it can get quite complicated; an unfilled prescription, taking medication at the wrong time, and/or missing a dose can lead to a decline in health and potentially serious side effects and complications. However, medication management is easy with the help of our professional home healthcare providers at Avatar Healthcare.
With our medication management services, we can:
- Keep updated, accurate medication records
- Set-up automated alerts
- Watch out for possible side effects
- Help with medication adherence
- Monitor medication schedule
- And more
Our home healthcare professionals will conduct a comprehensive review of your loved one’s medications (including all prescription medications, OTCs, vitamins, etc.), develop a medication management plan, and coordinate any medication adjustments with their physicians.
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More Information on Medication Management
Medication management is a critical factor in every home care setting. Aging often brings about chronic illnesses, which may require the use of multiple prescription medications to manage the symptoms.
If you or a loved one are taking medications, do you have a system in place to track the dosages and use for each prescription? Careful management of these prescriptions is key to protecting the health and minimizing the risk of mistakes.
At Avatar Healthcare, we offer personalized medication management services. Our goal is to protect your safety and health by ensuring that medications are used at the right times and dosages.
What Are Medication Management Services?
Medication management is a customized plan to support each patient when using prescription and over-the-counter medications.
The prescribing doctor works with nurses and in-home care providers to help the patient receive the right dosages at the right times. Additionally, a medication management plan reduces the risk of potential complications from medication interactions, side effects, missed doses, and overdosing.
Bringing a medication management expert into the home gives your loved one access to their necessary prescriptions safely and sustainably.
Medication Considerations in a Home Care Setting
The more prescriptions a person is taking, the higher risk of interactions and mistakes. These risks increase more when a person is using medications from multiple prescribers.
Here are a few considerations that must be addressed for medication management:
- Drug Interactions: It’s common for people to have medications prescribed by different doctors, which could result in potential interactions between the medications. Management services look at the bigger picture to reduce the likelihood of these negative interactions.
- Side Effects: Certain prescriptions can cause side effects and require additional medical attention to minimize the effects of these pills. A medication manager works with each patient to identify potential side effects and make changes as needed to ensure the person’s comfort.
- Correct Dosing: Is the patient taking the right amount of medication? It can be confusing to know how many pills to take when every prescription label is different. Medication management ensures that the optimal is being used by consulting with doctors as needed.
- Skipped Doses: Medication management reduces the risk of missed doses. Additionally, these services also reduce the likelihood of a person double dosing on accident.
- Delivery Method: Who is helping the patient get their medication doses at the right time? Creating a system is essential to support proper dosing and timelines. For example, setting reminders or having home health services assist with the medications might be necessary.
- Prescription Refills: Running out of an essential medication can be detrimental to a person’s health. Medication management is helpful for keeping track of the timeline, so you know when it’s time to go back to the pharmacy.
- Medication Adjustments: Just because certain medications are helpful right now doesn’t mean that the prescriptions will be correct long term. A medication management team can help each patient work with the doctors to make adjustments as needed.
Medication Management Can Help You Stay at Home
Bringing medication management into your home reduces the need to transition a patient into a skilled nursing or assisted living community. Of course, people want to stay at home, but sometimes they need extra support to manage their medications and other healthcare needs.
If you find it challenging to stay consistent with prescriptions and refills, health and safety could be a concern. Bringing in a medication management team is a great option to maintain the comfort of the home with ongoing medical support.
Improper use of both prescription and over-the-counter medications can cause severe risks for the patient. When a person is misusing medications, potential outcomes might include:
- Negative side effects
- Drug interactions
- Confusion
- Increased physical danger (risk of falls)
- Hospital readmission
- Uncontrolled health problems
Services Included in a Medication Management Plan
Medication management services are always customized to match each person’s unique needs. Every patient is different, which is why there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
Here is an overview of the services you might receive in your personalized medication management plan:
- Support for creating a medication schedule
- Medication organization, using pillboxes, calendars, and reminders
- Review of all prescription and OTC medications
- Compiled list of all medications and dosages
- Checking expiration dates on the medication bottles
- Transportation to pick up medications when it’s time for a refill
- Care coordination between doctors, in-home nurses, and pharmacists
- Access to pharmacists for questions and support when needed
- Proper storage, ensuring medications are kept at the right temperature
- Patient and family education on side effects, frequency, and dosage
- Ongoing evaluation to ensure the effectiveness of each medication
- Adjustments to the medication schedule and dosages through communication with doctors
What Is the Cost of Medication Management Services?
How much will you pay for medication management in the home? Many families want to provide their loved ones with the best services possible, but they also need to consider the financial requirements.
The good news is that home care can often be covered through Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance. However, the patient must qualify based on specific guidelines.
Accessing home care services through these providers not only reduces healthcare costs in the long run but ensures that the patient always has access to optimal healthcare services.
Why Medication Management and In-Home Care Services?
As you look at the benefits of medication management and in-home care options, it’s easy to see why you might consider these services.
The right in-home care plan not only reduces the likelihood of hospital readmission but also delays the need to move a person into an assisted living situation.
Plus, medication management and home health care can improve a person’s quality of life. These ongoing services can prevent medical conditions and chronic illnesses from worsening.
Medication management focuses on prevention. With the right plan, you can protect your health by reducing the risk of errors with prescription and over-the-counter medications.
How Avatar Healthcare Can Help
At Avatar Healthcare, we offer compassionate care and in-home services to support patients and their families. Through your personalized home care plan, we provide full-service solutions in the home.
Medication management is helpful for people who need memory care services, as well as patients with chronic health conditions. Additionally, people who are recovering from a surgery or illness can benefit from short-term medication management support.
When you choose Avatar Healthcare, you have access to a care team that oversees every aspect of your medical and health plan. This process begins with a comprehensive health analysis, followed by a risk assessment.
Contact Avatar About Medication Management
Start benefiting from our medication management service