Medication problems are one of the most common reasons older people end up in hospital, and most of those admissions are preventable. Missed doses, double doses, drug interactions and side effects that nobody connected to a new tablet all happen quietly at home. Here is how families and care teams reduce the risk.

Step one: know exactly what is being taken

Many people cannot list their own medicines, and cupboards often hold old prescriptions, supplements and herbal remedies that no doctor knows about. Start with a full inventory:

Collect every bottle, box and packet in the house, including vitamins and traditional remedies.
Write a single list with the name, dose, time of day and what each one is for.
Take that list to the GP and pharmacist and ask them to check it together.
Throw out anything expired or no longer prescribed. Pharmacies dispose of medicines safely for free.

Step two: ask for a Home Medicines Review

A Home Medicines Review is a Medicare-funded service where a pharmacist visits the home, reviews every medicine and reports back to the GP. It is available on GP referral and is especially valuable after a hospital stay, a new diagnosis or when five or more medicines are involved. Ask for it by name.

Step three: pack medicines so mistakes are obvious

Dose administration aids, often called Webster-paks or blister packs, are prepared by the pharmacy with each dose sealed in its own labelled compartment. They make it easy to see whether a dose has been taken. Most pharmacies in Box Hill offer them, and some will deliver.

If a blister pack is not suitable, a weekly pill organiser filled by a family member or nurse is the next best option.

Step four: build reminders into the day

Link doses to fixed routines: breakfast, the evening news, brushing teeth.
Set alarms on a phone or a simple talking clock.
Ask support workers to prompt medications at each visit. Support workers can remind and observe, and nurses can administer.
Keep a tick sheet next to the pack so anyone can see what has happened that day.

Step five: watch for side effects

Any change after a new medicine deserves a phone call: dizziness, falls, confusion, constipation, poor appetite, drowsiness or a rash. Older bodies process drugs differently, and the dose that suits a fifty-year-old is often too high at eighty.

Language and understanding

If English is not the first language, ask the pharmacy for labels and consumer medicine information in Chinese, and have a bilingual nurse or family member go through the instructions the first time. Understanding why a tablet matters is the strongest predictor that it will be taken.

Nursing support at home

Avida Care’s registered nurses provide medication management, blister pack setup, monitoring and liaison with GPs and pharmacists across Box Hill and Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Call 0477 399 714 or 0421 986 841, or contact us to arrange a medication check.

Managing Medications Safely at Home: A Guide for Families