Overdose Awareness & Medication Safety

August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day! Did you know that all drugs, including prescription medication and over-the-counter drugs and supplements, can cause an overdose? As caregivers, helping your loved one safely manage their medications is a vital task. By taking the following steps and practicing medication safety you can help prevent an accidental overdose and keep your loved one safe: 

• Keep prescription bottles and medications in a lock box or secure medicine cabinet
• Organize medications in a daily, weekly, or even monthly pill box organizer
• Develop a routine with specific time(s) of day to take medications
• Create reminders on your smartphone or smart home devices to take medications
• Ensure that your care partner is actually swallowing their medications, some individuals will “pocket” medications in their cheek and then spit them out later
• Regularly go through you and your care partner’s medications, and safely discard expired or discontinued medications

• Changes in sensitivity to different medications due to age
• The amplification of side-effects caused by distinct medications working in similar ways
• Dangerous drug interactions
• It is also possible for one medication to change the way your body metabolizes and is affected by another medication.

Your Primary Care Physician or your local Pharmacist can assist you with reviewing your medications to ensure there are no dangerous interactions and that all medications are still necessary.  When possible, use the same pharmacy for all your prescriptions; this will give your pharmacist the best chance of catching potential interactions before they have a negative impact.
 
Finally, it is important to note that medications are sometimes used to treat symptoms rather than the underlying problem or condition. While this is common and often perfectly safe, there can be a risk when treating symptoms with medications before exploring the underlying cause of those symptoms. For instance, someone experiencing increased agitation may very well need an adjustment to their medication for anxiety/agitation; or, they may have an undiagnosed UTI. Because similar symptoms can indicate different diseases it is important to check with your physician when adjusting medications to treat symptoms, and ask if they have ruled out other underlying medical or environmental causes.
 
Medication management and safety can feel overwhelming, but by taking these steps and referencing the resources below you can take an active role in your loved one’s healthcare and act as an important advocate for them.

This month's article was written by Walter Moczygemba, one of two social work practicum students working with OCDoA's Aging Transitions team this summer.  Walter is a rising third-year student with UNC's MSW program.

OCDOA Upcoming Monthly Events are now Available on Podcast for People who are Blind or Print Impaired

Thanks to our friends at the North Carolina Reading Service (NCRS), you can find a podcast of each monthly edition of the Orange County Department of Aging’s OCDOA Upcoming Events e-newsletter by taking the following steps:

• Go to the North Carolina Reading Service website (https://www.ncreadingservice.org/)
• Click on the “Listen" tab
• Next to "How to Listen to NCRS”, click on “Skip to Podcasts Section" 
• Under the “Newsletters" column on the far right side of the page, click on "Orange County Dept. Of  Aging”

About the North Carolina Reading Service (NCRS).

Brief Counseling Services

Our team of social workers are available to work with older adults and caregivers for brief counseling services, free of charge. We can work with you on issues including anxiety, depression, caregiver stress and loneliness.

Contact the Aging Helpline for more information: 919-968-2087.

Dementia Friendly Orange County 

Dementia Friendly Orange County was recently invited to present program updates to a local community group, SHARP (Senior Health Advocacy and Resource Partners of Orange County). Local networking and community ties lend our program roots and resilience to keep spreading awareness around dementia.
 
To date, 110 local organizations and over 1,300 employees have participated in our training.  https://dforangecounty.org/certified-businesses/.
 
Founding sponsors of Dementia Friendly Orange County include the Orange County Department on Aging, the East Chapel Hill Rotary Club, and Acorn of Chapel Hill.

In Need of Incontinence Supplies?

Thanks to generous donations, the Department on Aging has a supply of incontinence supplies including: bed pads, pull up briefs, adult diapers, wipes, and adult booster pads. If you are in need of any of these items, we may be able to provide you with up to one pack per month (depending on availability of the items requested). Contact the Aging Helpline (919-968-2087 or Agingtransitions@Orangecountync.gov) to request supplies.