Question: Mom takes a lot of prescription medicines and often gets confused and takes too many. Is there someone we can contact who can help our elderly mother get a prescription medicine system established?
Answer: A Geriatric Care Manager (GCM) who is a nurse could help you with your mother’s situation. Medicine system can be confusing, especially if a client has multiple medications at various times throughout the day. There are several options for managing medication. A GCM could assess the situation with the medication and determine which of the many options available would be most appropriate for your mother’s situation. I would also recommend you consult with each of the prescribing physicians to determine if there are medications which can be discontinued or changed to an extended release option to decrease the number of times per day the medication is taken. Finally, I would remove from the home any discontinued prescription medications and any expired over the counter medications.
Heather Frenette, RN, MSN, CMC
Desert Care Management
Gilbert, Arizona