First Choice In-Home Care Blog

More than 90 percent of older adults would prefer to age in place rather than move to senior housing, according to the National Aging in Place Council (NAIPC).

While retirement communities and assisted living facilities use the term "aging in place" to signify moving into a senior living community which offers the option of moving from one level of care to another within the community, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that at its most basic, aging in place refers to "the ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level."

How many medications does your elderly loved one take every week? According to Merck Manual's "Aging and Drugs", in the group of people who are age 65 years or older, 90 percent take at least 1 drug per week, more than 40 percent take at least 5 different drugs per week, and 12 percent take 10 or more drugs per week.

Causes of Medication Risks in Seniors

Drug related problems are more common among the elderly and include:

• drug ineffectiveness
• adverse drug effects
• over- or under-dosage
• drug interactions

Why are the elderly at greater risk than the general population? There are a number of significant factors that play a part. Here are a few of those that may lead to medication issues for your senior:

• The number of medications taken increases the likelihood of potentially dangerous drug interactions.
• Elderly patients may be more susceptible to adverse drug reactions because of the way medications are absorbed. For instance, drugs that dissolve in water may reach higher concentrations in the elderly, because the amount of water in the body decreases as one ages. Likewise, drugs typically absorbed in fatty tissues may reach higher concentrations in the elderly, because as people age, the amount of fat tissue in their bodies decreases.
• The body breaks down drugs and excretes them through the kidneys and metabolizes them through the liver. This process slows considerably as people age, making it more likely that hazard levels of drugs can build up in an elderly patient's body.
• Common side effects of some medications are intensified among seniors. For instance, older adults often are more likely to become confused, dizzy, or light-headed when taking certain drugs than are their younger counterparts.

Caring for someone you love who suffers from Alzheimer's is a difficult and sometimes heartbreaking task. Yet, for many caregivers and care recipients dealing with this issue, the thought of moving a loved one from a home he or she has loved for many years is undesirable. What can you do to help your senior stay at home as long as possible, while still ensuring a high quality of care?

Making the Home Environment Safe

In order to ensure the safety of your loved one, it is essential to consider the home environment in which he or she lives. Are there areas of the home that will be unsafe as memory loss or dementia increases?

In a perfect world, your loved ones would never come to a point where they need help with activities of daily living. They would live independently and continue to prosper indefinitely.

However, this is not a perfect world. If you are facing the fact that your parents can no longer handle some of the aspects of completely independent living, you are likely wondering how to help them see the realities of their situation. What can you do to help them take advantage of the opportunities that home healthcare may afford them?

Assessing the Need

In some cases, your loved one may experience a life or health event that makes it clear that home health is required. When this happens, your loved one may readily agree to the idea of hiring a home health agency to help out.

In other cases, however, your loved one's circumstances may change so gradually that he or she is often unaware of a growing need for assistance. When this happens, helping your loved one make an honest assessment of his or her needs requires patience and skill.