Healthy Living for Elders: Tips for Remembering Your Medication
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Healthy Living for Elders: Tips for Remembering Your Medication

   

Healthy Living for Elders: Tips for Remembering Your Medication1

Linda B. Bobroff2

Medications can help control a number of diseases and conditions. But they only work when we remember to take them! Select tips from the ones listed to help you remember to take your medication.

• Refrigerator note: Put a picture of yourself or a loved one on your refrigerator with a note reminding you to take your medication.

• Keep on your night stand: If you need to take your medication in the morning, this could be a good reminder.

• Keep next to your toothbrush: Take medication after brushing your teeth.

• Use "sticky" notes: Put reminder notes to take your medication, in places where you will see them.

• Buddy system: Arrange with a friend to call each other every day with a reminder to "take your medication!"

• Voice mail service: If you have a voice mail service, you can record a reminder for yourself and automatically have the service call you every day.

• Use a weekly pill box: These are available at most pharmacies.

• Have a grandchild call: Ask a grandchild, or another relative, to call every day and remind you to take your medication.

• Computer start-up reminder: Have a reminder appear every time you turn on your computer.

Footnotes

1. This is document FCS 8700-ENG, one in a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. Publication date: March 2004. This leaflet was developed with funding from the Florida Department of Elder Affairs in partnership with state, county, and local agencies. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu

2. Linda B. Bobroff, PhD, RD, LD/N, professor, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. Reviewed by Jennifer Hillan, MSH, RD, LD/N, former ENAFS educator/trainer, University of Florida.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.


Copyright Information

This document is copyrighted by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) for the people of the State of Florida. UF/IFAS retains all rights under all conventions, but permits free reproduction by all agents and offices of the Cooperative Extension Service and the people of the State of Florida. Permission is granted to others to use these materials in part or in full for educational purposes, provided that full credit is given to the UF/IFAS, citing the publication, its source, and date of publication.