Respite stay in a care home: how do I prepare their medication?

A respite or short stay is a change of setting, and medication is a weak point at every change: here is what to prepare before, during and after.

For a short stay in a care home to go smoothly with medication, prepare three things: an updated treatment sheet, the medication in its original packaging with enough for every day of the stay, and a conversation beforehand with the care home about how they manage it. And on returning, check that everything matches.

Many families use these stays to have a rest, for a holiday or after a period of convalescence. It is a good option, but every change of setting is a moment when medication errors can happen. We explain how to avoid them.

What is a short or respite stay in a care home?

It is a time limited stay in a residential care home, without the person giving up their own home. Spain’s dependency law, Law 39/2006, in its wording in force since 23 October 2026, states that residential care can be temporary for convalescence stays or during holidays, weekends, illness or rest periods for unpaid carers.

Stays can be arranged through your regional social services or booked privately. Either way, medication is one of the first things to clarify. Caring also means resting: if you need it, read our article on how to care without burning out.

What should you prepare before admission?

The essential point is that the care home team has complete, up to date information from day one. The Spanish Ministry of Health stresses the importance of people and their families or carers having an updated medication list and carrying it whenever they seek healthcare.

If treatment has changed recently, for example after a hospital stay, make sure the sheet shows the new regimen.

Do I bring medication from home or does the care home manage it?

It depends on the home, so ask before admission. Some care homes ask the family to bring the medication, others manage it through their own pharmacy and others accept medication already prepared in a dosage system. What matters is agreeing who prepares it, who gives it and what to do if it runs out.

• Do not bring loose tablets or mix them in a bag: if the pharmacy has not prepared them, keep them in their original packaging.
• If they use a dosage system, bring the blister packs for the weeks of the stay and the sheet that goes with them, and ask whether the home accepts them.
• If the care home is in another region, the Ministry of Health notes that electronic prescriptions are interoperable: medication prescribed electronically can be collected at any pharmacy by showing the individual health card.
• Leave written details of any «as needed» medicines (for pain, for example) exactly as the doctor has prescribed them.

What should you check on returning home?

You need to check that the medication they come back with matches what they were taking or, if it has changed, that you understand why. This process is called medication reconciliation. According to the Ministry of Health document on reconciliation at discharge, Spanish studies show that in hospital transitions up to 86.8% of people may have a reconciliation error on admission and up to 63% at discharge, with the risk rising as the number of medicines increases.

1. Ask the care home for a report of the medication taken and any changes.
2. Compare it with the treatment sheet you took.
3. If there are differences you do not understand, ask the GP.
4. Tell the pharmacy about changes, especially if it prepares their dosage system: the good practice guide from the Spanish General Council of Pharmacists stresses the obligation to report any change in treatment.
5. Remove from the home any medicines they should no longer take.

If the stay was for convalescence after a hospital admission, our guide on what to do with new medication after hospital discharge will help.

A practical example: Julián and two weeks of respite

Let us take the case of Julián, 88, who lives with his daughter and takes ten medicines, plus an inhaler. His daughter is going away for two weeks and they have booked a short stay in a nearby care home.

1. A week before, his daughter asks the care home how they manage medication: they ask her to bring it in its packaging or prepared by the pharmacy.
2. She asks the health centre for the updated treatment sheet.
3. The pharmacy prepares the blister packs for the two weeks and reminds her that the inhaler goes separately.
4. On the day of admission she hands everything over with a note of allergies and contact numbers.
5. On return, she receives a report: a laxative has been added. She mentions it to his GP, who decides whether to keep it, and lets the pharmacy know.

That way, Julián keeps to his treatment without upsets and his daughter can rest knowing the information is clear.

How can IMA Health help?

At IMA Health we coordinate with a specialised pharmacy so that medication is prepared by day and time, delivered to the home and followed up personally, which makes it easier to have medication ready and documented before a short stay and to review changes afterwards. Find out about our home medication service.

Sources

• BOE: Law 39/2006 on personal autonomy and care for dependent people (consolidated text, in Spanish)
• Spanish Ministry of Health: safe practice recommendations for medication reconciliation at hospital discharge (2019, in Spanish)
• Spanish Ministry of Health: interoperable electronic prescription in the National Health System
• Spanish General Council of Pharmacists: good practice in community pharmacy, preparation and provision of personalised dosage systems (2018, in Spanish)

This article is for information only and does not replace advice from your doctor or pharmacist.