Estimates are that 46% of seniors take at least five prescription medications every single day. And as seniors get older their doctors may put them on new medications or change the dose of their medications which can cause interactions with other drugs. Seniors being over-medicated is a big problem that can have serious results. That’s just one of the reasons why family caregivers or companion care at home providers should be checking your senior loved one’s medications on a regular basis. If you start to notice these symptoms of over-medication or bad medications interaction in your senior loved one call their doctor right away:
Change In Attitude
If your senior loved one is generally pretty happy and easy going but you notice that they are having bouts of anger or frustration more frequently or if they are displaying anger more frequently than before that could mean that they need to have their medication changed or adjusted. And if they usually are kind of surly or gruff but seem to have a personality change that makes them act differently than normal that could also be an indication of over-medication. Any significant change in personality or attitude should be checked out by a doctor.
Confusion
Confusion isn’t necessarily just something that seniors to live with. A small number of seniors may experience some age-related confusion but if your senior loved one is becoming confused more easily and more frequently there could be something else to blame, like the side effects from medications.
Fatigue
Fatigue can be a side effect of many medications as well as a symptom of over-medication. It could also just indicate that your senior loved one is not getting as much sleep as they should. Check with your senior loved one’s companion care at home provider if you think that your senior loved one has more fatigue than usual or more fatigue than they should have now. Ask the companion care at home provider to track how much sleep your senior loved one is getting also so that the doctor will be able to tell if the fatigue is related to sleeplessness or not.
Irritability
Seniors can be irritable as the result of frustration at not being able to do things they used to be able to do, boredom, and many other reasons. But they can also become irritable if they are experiencing strong side effects from medication or if they are taking two medications together that shouldn’t be taken together.
The Timing Of Medications
It’s not just the actual prescriptions that may be combining in a bad way and setting off grim side effects for your senior loved one. It could also be when your senior loved one is taking certain medications. Or what foods they are eating when they take medications. Work with a local companion care at home provider to make sure that your senior loved one is getting the medications they need and taking them according to the doctor’s instructions.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Companion Care at Home in Jasper County, MO please contact the caring staff at Adelmo Family Care today at (417) 206-4576.
Source:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-other-big-drug-problem-older-people-taking-too-many-pills/2017/12/08/3cea5ca2-c30a-11e7-afe9-4f60b5a6c4a0_story.html
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