Personal care at home: helping safely as an informal caregiver
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Read articleKeeping medicines neatly together brings peace to the home. It helps to make fixed places for medicines, so you are less likely to forget something or take it twice. If there are several pills or bottles, having an overview is especially important.
How do you organize reminders and the division of tasks?
Arranging medicines properly at home helps prevent mistakes. That brings peace and reduces the chance that someone misses a dose or takes one twice.
A pill box can help prepare medicines by day or by time. A medicine strip can also be useful if the pharmacy provides it. Pharmacy help can then make a difference in preparing and checking the medicines.
Reminders help too. You can choose fixed times, such as after breakfast or before going to sleep. Put those times in a place you see often. A phone, calendar, or alarm can help with this.
Make tasks as clear as possible. Agree on who picks up the medicines. Also agree on who prepares them and who watches for missed medication. If several people help, you avoid doing something twice. Use one fixed place for the medicines. That way, you are less likely to lose track.
Check regularly whether everything is still correct. See whether the medicine strip, pill box, or loose packages still match the way they are being used. Do not change anything yourself if you are unsure. Ask the pharmacy for help then.
Extra attention is needed with new medicines. Put them aside until you know how they fit into the schedule. That prevents confusion with the rest. Do not mix old and new medicines together.
Write down important agreements briefly. For example, when something needs to be taken and who is responsible for it. Keep it simple. Too many loose notes will only make things more restless.
If it remains difficult at home, it is wise to ask the pharmacy for help. They can think along about a medicine strip or another way to divide the medicines. That often creates more overview and reduces the chance of mistakes.
