|
|||||
|
Winter 2010 Smoking and Asthma: Difficult Asthma or Difficult Patient? Medication Use as We Get Older Respiratory Therapists in Pennsylvania Reach out to Young Asthmatics in Need AARC Offers Free Asthma Education Program for Schools
|
|
|
Medication Use as We Get OlderBy Melaine Giordano, MS, RN, CPFT A pharmacist is going over the directions on a prescription bottle with an older patient. "Be sure not to take this more often than every four hours," the pharmacist says. "Don't worry," replies the patient. "It takes me four hours to get the lid off." Younger folks can have trouble taking their medications correctly too, but as we get older, more and more challenges seem to arise. Fortunately, there are tools you and/or the older adult in your life can use to make medications easier to handle. Dealing with dexterityArthritis, neuropathy, and other conditions can make medication use, whether oral or inhaled, especially problematic. Some oral medications, particularly the cardiac medications, are very small in size. Inhalers used to treat asthma and other respiratory problems require a lot of coordination to get right. Here are some good ways to deal with dexterity problems:
Vision limitationsHere are some helpful tips for people who are visually impaired:
Cognitive changesCognitive problems, whether they manifest in the form of depression or Alzheimer's disease, hinder the ability to take medications properly. Changes in cognition affect a person's thinking, concentration, memory, and behavior. Many medications can cause cognitive changes in older adults; this Beers Criteria list categorizes inappropriate medications for older adults. Here are some tips for keeping all the prescriptions you take straight:
Melaine Giordano, MS, RN, CPFT, is a member of the American Association for Respiratory Care from Dallas, TX. |