If your loved one lives in an assisted living community, you may wonder if the staff is properly managing their medications. You should know that medication management in Palm Bay, FL, adult assisted living is very similar to what goes on at a hospital or clinic – but there are some crucial differences as well.
If you’re considering Palm Bay, FL adult assisted living, or if you already have a loved one living there, read on to learn more about how medication management works and why it’s important:
Medication Errors Are On The Rise
While medication errors are a problem for all ages, the rate of error is going up in assisted living communities. The increase in medication errors can be attributed to several factors. First, it’s essential to understand that medication management has become increasingly complex. As the average age of residents rises and as medical technology advances, more medications are available, and more steps are required to ensure the proper administration of those medications.
In addition, many people are taking several different medications at once—including prescription drugs they’ve been prescribed by their primary care doctors and over-the-counter drugs they purchase at pharmacies or grocery stores—and each combination may have its unique risks associated with its use (such as interacting with other medications).
Finally, because so many older adults live alone or have family members who aren’t nearly enough to check in on them daily (if at all), there’s no one else around who knows about each resident’s condition or any changes since last week’s visit from a nurse or doctor; therefore nobody is really monitoring whether someone has taken their meds according to schedule.
A Tiered Approach To Medication Management Is Best
Before deciding on the best method of medication management, it’s important to understand a tiered approach. This means that the types of medications your loved one takes will be categorized into different tiers. These tiers can be organized by how often they are taken or by the severity of their side effects.
A tiered approach is best because it will allow you to create a personalized plan for each member in your community and make sure that everyone has access to proper medical care, regardless of what kind of assistance they need with their medications. There are many different ways to organize medications into tiers, but most professionals agree that there should be at least three different levels based on frequency and severity: Tier 1 includes over-the-counter medications; tier 2 includes prescription drugs, and tier 3 includes long-term care or hospice needs (such as oxygen).
It’s Important To Have A Medication Management System In Place
Medication management systems can help reduce the risk of over-medicating and help ensure that medications are being taken in the right order. You will be able to see if your loved one is taking their medications correctly and whether they need any additional support.
Medication management is important because it improves the quality of life for residents and reduces the risk of medication errors. It also reduces the risk of hospitalization, nursing home readmission, and premature death.
Conclusion
If you are looking for an assisted living community, it is important to ensure that the staff is trained to manage medication regimens. This is an important part of ensuring your loved one’s safety and well-being while they live in this type of facility.
It can be difficult to know what questions to ask and how much information a potential provider should have on file before hiring them. We hope this post helps answer some of those questions, so you feel more confident when interviewing providers who offer medication management services in their communities!
