The Importance of Medication Reminders

Some people, who have dementia or some other sort of cognitive impairment, even an Alzheimer's disease, cannot remember to take their pills.

The service of “medication reminders” is often included by non-medical home for people who have prescription medicines to take.

According to the healthcare professional, Ephraim Zagelbaum, medications often come with crucial instructions. These instructions include taking them at a certain time of day, with or without foods, taking them with or without certain liquids, keeping them at specific temperatures. For the medication to work or minimize possible side effects each of these requirements needs to be adhered.

In this article, Zagelbaum will point out why medication reminders are important. Zagelbaum is a healthcare executive, with over two decades of experience in the healthcare sector. He started working as an Administrator of Windsor Park Nursing Home in Queens Village, New York. After a few years, he bought his first nursing home. Then he also found his company, Personal Healthcare.

Since then, Zagelbaum has been responsible for creating the vision and providing the strategic leadership of this company.  Through the years, he has been providing an extraordinary healthcare to the patients on his nursing homes. His aim is to cater patients’ needs.
Ephraim is a graduate of Touro College with Bachelor degree in Business and Accounting. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Seton Hall University and lives in Rockland County.

Keep on reading to find out more about the benefits of medication reminders.

Reminders vs. Assistance vs. Administration

Sometimes, family care cannot be enough for the elderly, because the family member cannot be always around the elderly adult. Medication reminders remind you or your loved one that it is time to take the medication.

“Medication assistance” might be included in some skilled services in which a nurse or other appropriately-trained person gives someone their medicine. This type of service might include placing a pill on patient’s tongue when they are unable to do it themselves.

“Medication administration” begins with opening the container.  Hence, it cannot be provided by unlicensed caregivers.

Safety & Medication Reminders

Zagelbaum indicates that according to the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), “the percent of person using at least one prescription drug in the past 30 days” was 48.9%.

Some research studies have found that over 20% of Americans are on five or more medications. Additionally, some other statistics show that 8 out of 10 older Americans take at least one medication per day to help manage a chronic illness.

Zagelbaum warns that can be a lack of improved health or harmful side effects, when any medication is not taken or taken incorrectly.

There are often important medications to take, after a hospital discharge. This can make a greater difference between healing at home and a readmittance, even for the short term.

It can be part of keeping seniors safe at home, when someone is routinely available to remind them to take their medicine.