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Only a small number of elderly people live lives free of medications. The rest of them usually have to take more than one kind of medications. So, medication safety has proven to be a very important element of the daily life of the elderly. That’s why people who are taking care of them should check the pills they are taking regularly. As they grow older, the list of pills they are taking is usually increasing.

It is not unusual for senior citizens to have a medication regime that includes more than ten pills per day. Some of these medications must be taken on an empty stomach, others are used right after breakfast. There are also medications that are used before bedtime or during dinner. Truth be told, the elderly are dealing with declining memory so it is very difficult for them to keep track of the medications they’ve used during the day. With so many pills, it is hard to even for young people to stay focused and not to get confused.

So, if you want to take care of medication safety, you must first create a list. Find out all the reports and write down all the medications, be it non-prescription or prescription, in a list. Besides their exact names, write down the period of the day when they should be used, how they should be used, the right dosage, the name of the doctor that prescribed them and other important information. The best idea is to keep this list in the fridge and in the place where the medications are stored. In case the senior citizen is still driving, you should keep this list in the glove box of the vehicle too.

Next, proper storage of drugs is another important aspect of medication safety. There are situations where medications must be stored in a fridge, but most of the medications should be stored in dry and dark places. The smartest move is to place them in a cupboard or a linen closet. Storing them in a bathroom is not recommended because of the high levels of humidity.

Finally, in order to keep track of medications, you must count the number of pills in the bottles and make regular checkups (usually weekly). You can also use reminders on your mobile phone or watch.

Medication safety is very important and it should be taken seriously by both senior citizens and their children/grandchildren.