I was surprised to recently learn that a leading cause of unintentional injury in the home for older adults is poisoning, primarily from mixing prescription medications. When I recently visited my parents I was shocked to see how many medications my father is taking. It’s easy to see how this could happen, especially if someone is using more than one pharmacy and/or physician. It’s not just seniors who are at risk but also children, who might be visiting an older relative who has prescription medications around the house.

If you’re one of the “sandwich generation” as I am, and taking care of my parents as well as my kids, managing and being aware of your parent’s prescription medications is vital. Here are some poison prevention tips to share with your parents and keep in mind yourself:
• Be sure that your parents inform each of their doctors and/or specialists about all prescription medication that they are taking. If a doctor prescribes a medication, be sure they review it thoroughly in the office prior to leaving.
• Always use the same pharmacy. This way they will have a complete history of their medications and will be alerted if there is any harmful interaction. Ask the pharmacist to completely review instructions for taking the medication and any potential side effects. Compare this to what the doctor has said and discuss any inconsistencies.
• If small children will be visiting the house, be sure that all of the medication be placed in bottles with child-resistant caps. While pill boxes are helpful for seniors in order to remember to take medication, be sure it’s one that has a lock on it to prevent it from spilling or children from getting into it.
• If for some reason they do not need to finish an entire prescription, don’t flush the remaining pills down the toilet or sink as this could contaminate the water source. Instead, grind them up and place them in a sealed bag with coffee grinds, kitty litter or sand.

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*Content expressed in Home Security Source does not represent the thoughts and opinions of ADT Security Services, Inc. unless explicitly indicated.