Imagine this: You’re visiting your parents — maybe for the holidays — maybe it’s a casual, routine visit . . . and you suddenly realize there are a lot of medicines around the house. The first fear that comes to your mind is: how is this being managed and what about drug interactions?

It’s scary stuff. And it’s exactly what happened to a client of ours.

Medication errors are among the most common medical errors, harming at least 15 million people every year. More than one-third of the errors that occur in the U.S. happen in people 65 years of age or older. And, the more medicines a person takes, the higher the risk of having an adverse reaction from a drug interaction

So, what can you do to help your parents manage their meds without actually being there to dole them out?  The answer is education and advocacy. Partner with them and have a clear understanding of what they’re taking and why.

Here are some hints:

• Help organize their medicines; look at every bottle for the date it was dispensed. A good rule of thumb: don’t keep any medication longer than one year. Generally, if it’s that old, it’s no longer being used.

• Look for the same medicine in several bottles. Check the strength. Some people take different strengths of a medicine at different times of the day.

• Ask for permission to speak with doctors on their behalf.

• When they’re given a new prescription, make sure they ask if it’s in addition to ones they’re already taking, or a replacement med. If there’s any confusion, you should call the doctor directly.

• Call each doctor’s office and ask what drugs are being prescribed. Be clear that you want only the meds prescribed by that doctor, not just a repeat of an old drug list.

• Create a comprehensive list of all meds being taken and keep it updated. Their pharmacist is an excellent resource for this task, especially if your folks tend to use a single pharmacy. Make sure each doctor has that list, checking for possible interactions.

• Your parents should keep a copy of the current drug list in their wallet, in case of emergencies. For tech savvy parents, they should keep the list in the PDAs.

• Don’t go it alone, especially if you live in different states. Enlist the help of a health care expert to guide you and your parents through the maze of prescriptions drugs.

Finally folks are turning to generic drugs as a way to reduce their overall prescription drug costs. If you have concerns about the questions about  generic drugs check out the following article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/19/health/19patient.html