In the case of vision problems, mark the medications differently

For vision problems of older people: The drugs mark colorful

10/19/2011

Pharmaceutical packaging is often very similar, although different drug ingredients are included. Older patients with vision problems, in particular, often resort to wrong medicines. A remedy could be colorful stickers, as the Drug Commission of the German Pharmacists (AMK) explained. Different colors make it easier to distinguish the remedies from elderly people with visual impairments.

Tricks to better distinguish between drugs
Especially elderly people and patients with visual problems access the medicine cabinet in the medicine cabinet. This can have fatal consequences for the health, as reported by the Drug Commission of the German Pharmacists. As an example, the Commission mentioned a possible confusion of short-acting and long-acting insulin. If the active substances are interchanged, an acute hypoglycaemia of the diabetes patient can occur. As a help colorful stickers are useful to make similar drug packages distinguishable. Alternatively, colored adhesive tapes, felt adhesive dots or well-palpable sandpaper stickers can be attached to the drug packages. If it is difficult to see the tear marks on the packaging of active ingredient patches, patients should seek help from relatives or caregivers. These can then best mark the packaging. Afterwards, the distinctness should be checked.

If people suffer from poor eyesight, they can not count the drops of liquid medicine badly. A helpful option for proper dosage is to let it soak in an empty plastic cup. So those affected can hear the drops and count. Even the reading of the very small printed leaflet is difficult for most visually impaired people. On the Internet, the explanations of the individual funds can be announced. Under patienteninfo-service.de are spoken and large printed leaflets of most medicines.

Open ointments and tubes in the pharmacy
In advanced age, the strength of hands often decreases. It is therefore not easy for many people to loosen the parental controls, to unscrew a seal or to open the tube of an ointment by means of a puncture. Instead of tormenting yourself with it, the drug can already be opened in the pharmacy. The pharmacist can also demonstrate how „the correct application of a drug“ works, explained Wolfgang Kircher, pharmacist and member of the Pharmacists Commission. „This is especially true for technically complex packaged drugs such as eye drops, dry juices or medicines for inhalation.“

Have medication set
Relatives or caregivers can pre-sort the drugs in commercial dispensers by time of day and day of the week. This can happen once a week at the beginning of each week. As a result, under-, wrong- or overdoses can be avoided. (Sb)

Read about:
Confusion caused by new drugs in pharmacies

Picture: Gerd Altmann