Anyone who has cared for an aging loved one knows the importance of proper medication. Having the right prescriptions with the right doses can ease pain, promote recovery, and improve your loved one’s overall quality of life. There are several medication management tips you can follow when caring for your loved one at home, but what about when they reside in an assisted living facility? You and your staff should create and follow standards regarding the organization, storage, and dispensing of prescriptions to every resident in your community. Learn more about keeping prescriptions safe in an assisted living facility with these tips.
Keep an Organized Inventory
Inventory is a crucial aspect of any business, and it becomes even more important when it revolves around your residents’ health. Make sure your facility maintains a neat, organized, and well-documented inventory of prescriptions. Keep a record of every medication you need for each patient. Include the proper dosage, how much a prescription contains, and when you will need to order a refill. An organized inventory system also makes it easier for nurses and other authorized personnel to quickly locate the item they need without wasting time searching through dozens of prescriptions.
Perfect Your Storage Practices
The way your facility stores medications is also important. Your staff should always be careful and considerate when handling, storing, and organizing patient medications. A secure, central storage unit helps ensure that only well-trained, authorized staff have access to your patients’ prescriptions. This minimizes clerical errors, misuse of prescriptions, and other accidents that can stem from mishandling medications. You should also use the right equipment to store your supplies. Pharmaceutical-grade refrigerators offer many benefits when storing, organizing, and securing temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. Extend the shelf life of patient medications and prevent contamination by investing in proper storage solutions for your facility.
Provide Attentive Care and Monitoring for Each Patient
Keeping and providing medications is just another aspect of senior care, which means they require the same personal care and attention. You should keep a record of each residents’ prescriptions, dosages, and allergies. Proper documentation helps ensure your residents get the medications they need on schedule without ever running out of a certain prescription. Beyond knowing how to keep prescriptions safe in an assisted living facility, this kind of personalized attention ensures that your residents feel as comfortable, secure, and welcome as possible while in your care.