MIND YOUR MEDICINE

Juggling multiple prescriptions can be tricky, especially if it's for an elderly parent or relative. Medication management expert and pharmacist Gerard Stevens AM has some advice.

-  Gerard Stevens

The full reality of caring for an ageing parent often arises from a crisis moment. It may be due to a hospitalisation because of serious illness, a fall, or perhaps a medication misadventure. 

In fact, research suggests that medication-related harm is responsible for up to 30 per cent of unplanned hospital admissions. The elderly are particularly vulnerable to medication-related harm because they are often taking multiple medications for multiple chronic conditions. In fact, over a third of older Australians are taking more than five medications each day. How these medications interact with each other can create problems resulting in various health incidents, including falls and confusion.

A CHALLENGING TIME

A crisis moment in a parent’s health can be an overwhelming clash of heightened emotions and complex family relationships. The parent-child dynamic can suddenly switch. Care often involves more than managing health and can include juggling legal and financial responsibilities. This is all the while trying to compassionately navigate a parent’s emotional concerns around their waning independence and mortality.

Geographical problems can also come into play. Not everyone lives in proximity to their parents, so being physically present is frequently not practical nor possible. And it’s usually in a parent’s best interest to stay connected to their local community for as long as possible.