Senior Wellness
The Medication Mistakes That Send Seniors to the ER
Adverse drug events cause 1 in 4 hospital admissions for older adults. Most are preventable with three habits.
The average adult over 65 takes five prescription medications. The average adult over 80 takes eight. Each addition multiplies the risk of an interaction or error.
Habit 1: One pharmacy
If your loved one fills prescriptions at three different pharmacies, no one is checking the full picture. Consolidate to one pharmacy — they'll do a free comprehensive medication review and flag interactions a busy doctor may not catch.
Habit 2: A real list, on paper, in their wallet
Drug name, dose, frequency, prescribing doctor, reason. Updated whenever anything changes. Brought to every appointment. This single document prevents more medication errors than any app.
Habit 3: A weekly pill organizer, filled by one person
Sunday night, same person every week. The act of filling it forces a weekly review. Pre-filled organizers from the pharmacy are an option for complex regimens.
What to ask the doctor at every visit
'Is there anything on this list I no longer need?' Polypharmacy creep is real — medications get added across years of specialists and often never get reviewed. A periodic 'deprescribing' conversation can make a person feel dramatically better.
When you're ready, we're here.
A free in-home assessment with one of our care managers — no pressure, no obligation. Just an honest conversation about what would actually help.