Vacations can be a lot of fun, especially if seniors are vacationing with their families. When seniors are on vacation they also need to be careful about how their medications are managed. Seniors who have home care assistance may be used to relying on a home care provider to help them with their medications. Home care assistance includes making sure that seniors take their meds on time and take the right medications daily. Seniors can manage their medications during vacation with some help from a home care provider. Some things that seniors can do to make sure they get their medications on time and have enough medication while they’re on vacation are:
Pack Extra Medication
A home care provider can pack a pill box with all of your senior parent’s medications so that each day’s pills are already set out for them and they just need to take the pills in the box for that day. It’s a good idea to have two pill boxes packed and keep one in a carryon bag and one with a friend or family member who is also going on the trip. That way if the bag gets lost, or your senior parent forgets the bag they still have their medication and it’s easy for them to access.
Set Medication Alarms
One of the things that a home care assistance provider can do to keep your senior loved one on schedule with their medications while they are on vacation is set up medicine alerts and reminders on your senior parent’s phone. An alarm will go off whenever your senior parent needs to take medication. That way your senior parent won’t have to try and remember what medicine they need to take at what time. They will be prompted to take medicines at the right times by their phone. Seniors can also sync their phones and alarms with a friend or family member so that they will also know when it’s time for that senior to take their medication.
Have An Inventory List
Medications can easily get lost when seniors are on vacation. They might forget their medications at the hotel, or forget to pack them, or accidently throw them away. It’s a good idea to have a master list or an inventory list of all the medications and pill bottles that seniors have with them on the trip so that seniors can check and make sure that they have all their medications when they arrive and when they leave.
Have An Emergency Plan
Seniors should also have a backup plan for what they will do if their medication gets lost or forgotten. Seniors should have copies of their prescriptions and a list of the prescriptions that they need so that they can go to any pharmacy and get what they need if necessary. It’s also a good idea for seniors that have prescriptions on file with a nationwide pharmacy chain to let their local pharmacist know they will be traveling.
If you or an aging loved one need home care assistance in Sacramento, CA, contact A Better living Home Care today (916) 514-7006
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