Is Med-Q Programmable Pill Reminder the Best pill box?

What You Can Do abut Medication Errors

First of all, get the best pill dispensing machine.  Second of all, Recognize your pills.  In an ideal world, every older adult would have access to a reliable process for reviewing medications, ensuring that the benefits outweigh the risks and burdens, and monitoring for side-effects and problems.  However, as many of you know, our healthcare system is not yet ideal for aging adults. So if you are caring for an older person and want to be proactive about checking on medications.  For example,  some specific things you can do.

Review the Beers List of Potentially Inappropriate Medications for Older Adults. See if your older relative is taking medications on the list. To illustrate, this includes a comprehensive list of “anticholinergic” drugs.  Included should be other medications that are especially risky for the elderly.

Don’t panic if you discover that an older person is taking a medication on the Beers list.

Again, always plan on discussing with the doctor. For example, you’ll want to understand why the benefits are likely to outweigh the burdens, and you can also ask if a lower dose is possible.  You can also review “Ten Medications Older Adults Should Avoid or Use with Caution,” authored by the American Geriatrics Society. This document highlights ten especially commonly used medications.  Finally, theses can often be stopped or reduced.