Access to Insurance Coverage for Prescription Medicines

Under the Canada Health Act, all necessary drug therapy administered within a Canadian hospital setting is insured and publicly funded. Outside of the hospital setting, provincial and territorial governments are responsible for the administration of their own publicly-funded prescription drug benefit programs.

Most Canadians have access to insurance coverage for prescription medicines through public and/or private insurance plans. The federal, provincial and territorial governments offer varying levels of coverage, with different eligibility requirements, premiums and deductibles. The publicly-funded drug programs generally provide insurance coverage for those most in need, based on age, income, and medical condition.

Each provincial and territorial government offers a drug benefit plan for eligible groups. Some are income-based universal programs. Most have specific programs for population groups that may require more enhanced coverage for high drug costs. These groups include seniors, recipients of social assistance, and individuals with diseases or conditions that are associated with high drug costs. For more details, please contact your provincial or territorial health care ministry, or click on the appropriate link below.

Safe Medication and Aging

Six Challenges to Overcome Mediation Errors

There are many challenges we face with aging and taking medications. These obstacles can be overcome by caregivers.

Vision: Impaired vision can cause difficulty reading the labels on medications. Ask the pharmacist to provide labels in large print. For over the counter medications, caregivers can make large print labels to place on those bottles. Using a magnifying glass for reading may also be helpful.
Hearing: Hearing difficulties can affect the information your aging loved one hears and interprets what is being said. It is important that you have the doctors and other healthcare professionals to speak louder or write things instructions down. Caregivers may also assist their aging loved one by going with them and taking notes
Swallowing: As we age, some may experience difficulties with swallowing some pills and capsules. When a doctor prescribes a medication, ask if it comes in an alternative form. If it does not, ask if it can be crushed. Many medications cannot be crushed, so the doctor may have to order an alternative medication
Memory: Everyone has lapses in memory. For the aging, which are more likely to be forgetful, forgetting a medication can have serious consequences. It is important that a medication system be put into place. Medication systems can range from simple low tech pill boxes to high tech containers that alert your aging loved one that it is time for a dose and has a system in place to alert the caregiver if a dose has been missed.

More Challenges with Safe Medication and How Caregivers Can Overcome Them

Dexterity: As we age the ability to open bottles, the difficulty of breaking a pill or giving eye drops to ourselves can become a challenge. Ask the pharmacist to provide easy to open bottle tops for your prescription medications. If a medication is to be cut in half, ask the pharmacist to do that for you when they are filling the prescription. There are easy to use inexpensive pill cutters available. Your pharmacist can recommend one that will suit your needs.
Scheduling The greatest challenge with aging and safe medication is the schedulingof the medications themselves. Caregivers can overcome this obstacle in several ways. The medication systems as discussed above can help. It is important to plan for medications around your aging adult's daily schedule. Plan a schedule to take medications around meal times or bedtime. These activities can be cues that it is time to take medications. Your doctor or your pharmacist can assist with developing a plan to best suit your needs.

These are the six most common challenges that caregivers face when dealing with your aging loved one and medications. Being proactive and developing ongoing assessment of the medication system will increase the assurance of safe medication for the elderly.

Medication Safety

Important Helpful Information You Need to Know

Home health care is an important part of aging in place or living in your own home environment all of your life.

Medication safety and compliance is the number one concern with an aging loved one and home health care. We all have trouble remembering to take our pills. For the aging, they take multiple medications simultaneously. Aging individuals are prone to forgetfulness, so non-compliance is major concern.

The caregiver can help...

If you are a caregiver, there are some steps you can take to improve your loved one's medication safety. Home health care and medication safety requires education of your aging loved one. It is important to stress taking medications at the proper time to treat their medical condition and avoid complications.

It is important to make your loved one aware that taking over the counter medications, such as sleeping aids or allergy medicine may be dangerous. It is important to stress that these medications may cause an adverse reaction with their present medication regime.
It is also important to advise your aging loved one to call the doctor or the pharmacist if they missed a dose or two of a medication. Do not assume that you should return to your original schedule.
Always talk to your doctor before making any change in your medication routine. It is important that your loved one understand that just because they feel better or they are not experiencing the results they want as quickly as anticipated, they should not increase or decrease a medication.

More Home Health Care and Medication Safety ...

The next step is to put a medication system in place. There are multiple medication reminder systems out there to investigate. Depending on your aging loved one's function and medication regime there are simple written charts to more advanced technologies.

Simple methods are to use a pill box and place it where your loved one can see it. Some need cues or reminders, such as post it notes or pills strategically placed in the bathroom next to a toothbrush. This will be a gentle reminder to your aging loved one to take your pills.

If there is more than one caregiver dispensing medications for your loved one, it is important to provide a chart that has the name of the medication, time of day that it is to be taken and any special instructions. Provide a sign off or check list for everyone that provides the medications.
Some of the advanced technologies are so user friendly, from watches that will beep to remind you to take you pills to more advanced systems that will alert you to take your pills, dispense the correct pills, at the right time to your loved one. Some of these systems even notify the caregiver if a dose is missed.
These advanced medication reminder systems offer peace of mind and comfort for the caregiver even from a long distance.

Home health care and medication safety is an ongoing concern for our aging loved one. Review of the medication system and its effectiveness is an ongoing process. Be aware of any signs of unusual symptoms so that your loved one can be assessed before the problem advances. Make home health care and medication safety a priority for the aging adult you are caring for.

Seven Steps to Improving Medication Safety

Research shows that eldercare caregivers manage medications for their aging loved ones. Studies have shown that caregivers are more knowledgeable about the medications, side effects and possible interactions than their aging loved ones.

This eldercare guide to medications and aging is to provide tips to overcome the challenges of medication safety.

Aging adults encounter many challenges when taking medications. Addressing these issues early can lead to better results and improved health.

Medications such as prescriptions, over the counter medications, herbal/alternative medicines and social drugs (ex -alcohol) when not taken appropriately can lead to devastating consequences.

The changes that occur as one age's make your loved one more susceptible to adverse medication responses. Research has shown that adverse medication responses are preventable. According to Brown University in a long-term Care Quality Letter (1995) "Any symptom in an elderly patient should be considered a drug side effect until proved otherwise".

More Eldercare Guide to Medications and Aging ...

To avoid adverse medication responses, it is important to read the label every time you take a medication. Ask your pharmacist and doctor's questions about the possible side effects. Make your doctors, dentist and other health specialists aware of the medications and over the counter drugs you take.
It is important to follow the directions carefully because they influence the way a medication works and how it affects your aging loved ones body.
It is important not to miss doses or take extra medications. A medication system should be in place to assist your loved one to track their medications and medication compliance.
It is important to make your loved one aware that if they miss a dose, do not double up on the next does.
If your aging loved one is unsure about whether or not they took a medication, do not take that medication. It is important to call your doctor and discuss what occurred and ask for guidance.
Taking too much or too little of a medication may cause an adverse medication response. Older bodies metabolize slowly. Drugs may take longer to start working and stay in the body longer.
To prevent adverse medication reactions, pay attention to how you are feeling, note any changes, and report them. Ask the doctor when you should notice any improvement and when you should report your progress to your doctor.
The eldercare guide to medication and your aging loved one begins with a medication system in place. A system that alerts your loved one to take their medications on time and dispenses the proper medications and cues your aging loved one to take with food or juice. Take time to investigate a system that will suit you and your loved ones needs.

The eldercare guide to medication and your aging loved one ends with communication and education of the medications and the measures you need to take to avoid an adverse medication reaction.