Safety With Medicine and the Elderly Patient
Elderly patients often take a great deal of medications. The number of medications a person takes over the course of his life varies. Lapses in memory or a careless doctor can cause a an elderly patient to face serious consequences. Even though mistakes in taking prescription drugs can cause severe problems, a few simple precautions can keep a person out of trouble.
One of the easiest ways to prevent over dose is to have the elderly patient use the pill containers and put out his doses in advance. A timer can also help a person remember when he is supposed to take his drugs. A person can keep his pill box with him when he plans an extend trips. He can also take it with him easily on medication.
The second most severe problem that can occur is a doctor prescribing a drug that causes a dangerous interaction. The only way to prevent this is for a patient to tell a doctor exactly what drugs he is on when he goes to the visit. Doctors will check the Physician’s Desk reference and other sources to check for known interactions with medications. In addition to telling a doctor about medications, a patient also has to tel a doctor about certain conditions.