A person who needs home care at home probably has a drug regimen to follow. Since their prescription is crucial to overall well-being, it is important to keep your medications organized and secure. The storage of prescription drugs is essential when it comes to timely renewal of medications, discouraging abuse of risk-seeking teenagers or those who depend on the effects of the drug, and minimizing the risk of falling into children hands in the house.
Tips for Keeping Medications Secure:
- Keep Your Medications in a Locked Container
Treat prescription drugs like any other valuable item in your home. The medicine cabinet may not be the safest place because anyone can access it at any time. You should have your medications in a locked box or container that only you can access. Our SafeTote Rx Locking Tote Bags can hold 8 or 12 bottles per bag, and you can lock them all to keep prying hands away. This will ensure that no one other than you will be able to access them.
- Monitor Your Pill Counts
Monitoring pills are also important if you keep your medications near curious children. Accurate monitoring of the number of pills will ensure that you will never miss when it is time to place a refill order. We all know that pharmacies, especially with high-risk chemicals, do not always have the right materials at the right time in order to promptly refill your prescription. You will therefore never be caught unnoticed and urgently need a refill. Also, keeping an eye on your refills will let you if you are ever missing a pill that you do not recall taking. If you remember that you need to refill more often than usual, this indicates that something is wrong.
- Regularly Dispose of Expired and Unused Medications
The use of expired medicines can be extremely dangerous for you or your loved ones. There is no reason to keep expired medicines nearby. It’s much better to get rid of leftovers than to store them in your closet. Take a regular inventory of all currently used prescriptions and identify those that are no longer needed or have expired.
Make sure you dispose of them in the right way to reduce the risk of other people accessing and abusing them. Some people put expired medications a bottle of bleach or some other toxic and unappetizing liquid to prevent abuse from people digging through garbage.
- Administer Medication as Needed
The continued use of prescription medication can cause a person to build up a tolerance and thus a dependency or addiction. This is especially true when it comes to painkillers or sleeping pills that can be used in a hospice care plan. In addition, some medications may cause fuzziness, so it may be difficult for your relative to follow the routine when administering the medication themselves. If necessary, set an alarm or other reminders to stay on track.
It is important to monitor your pills and keep them in a place where prescription medicines are safely stored. If your family members inadvertently take medications by mistake, too often or not often enough, it may be advisable to start administering their medications yourself.