Living alone: organising my medication so my children don't worry

How to set up a system for your medication when you live alone, what to share with your children and what to do if something goes wrong.

You can live alone, take several medicines and manage them well without your children having to keep an eye on you. The key is to replace memory with a system: an up to date medication list, your tablets prepared by day and time, and a reminder that does not depend on how you feel that day.

This article is written for you, managing your own treatment and wanting to keep doing so. You will see which system to choose, what to share with your family so they feel reassured, and what to do if something goes wrong when nobody else is at home.

Can you live alone and manage medication with many doses?

Yes. Living alone is not a problem for your medication in itself; what increases the risk is taking many medicines without a system. MedlinePlus points out that the more medicines you take, the more likely side effects and mistakes become, which is why it pays to get organised.

When you live with someone, another person sometimes notices that a box has run out or that you have not taken tonight's tablet. Living alone, that safety net does not exist naturally, so you have to build it yourself. It is not about distrusting your memory, but about not relying on it alone.

If you are getting organised from scratch, how to organise yourself if you take 6 medicines a day has a step by step method.

Which organisation system suits you best?

The best system is the one you can keep up every week without effort. For most people who live alone, combining three pieces works: medication prepared by dose, a fixed reminder and an up to date medication list.

MedlinePlus advises keeping a list of everything you take, including over the counter medicines, vitamins and supplements, with doses and times, and taking it to every appointment. In how to make your medication list we explain what to include.

How can you reassure your children without losing your independence?

Your family's peace of mind usually comes from knowing you have a system and that there is a plan if something fails, not from ringing you every night to ask whether you have taken your tablets. Talk to them and agree what you share and what you still decide yourself.

• Your medication list: give them a copy or share it on your phone. It is the first thing they will be asked for if they ever have to go with you to A&E.
• Your healthcare contacts: health centre, usual pharmacy and specialists.
• An emergency plan: where you keep your health card and reports, and who has a key to your home.
• A contact routine you choose: a daily message at a set time is very reassuring and does not intrude on your privacy.

If you are worried about a fall or a dizzy spell while alone, telecare exists: Spain's Law 39/2006 defines it as a service that uses communication technologies, supported by professionals, to respond immediately to emergencies, insecurity, loneliness or isolation. You can ask about it at your local council's or regional social services.

What should you do if something goes wrong while you are alone at home?

Knowing in advance what to do prevents rushed decisions. If you miss a dose, never take two doses together to make up for it; if you mix up your tablets, do not wait to see what happens: ask for advice.

1. If you miss a dose: check the "If you forget to take" section of the leaflet or ask at your pharmacy.
2. If you take the wrong tablet or one too many: call your pharmacy, your health centre or the National Poison Information Service (91 562 04 20, 24 hours). We explain what to do in I have taken the wrong tablet: what now.
3. If you feel really unwell (difficulty breathing, chest pain, severe dizziness, swelling of the face or lips): call 112 straight away.

Keep these numbers written down next to your medication list and saved on your phone.

A practical example: Julia, 71, lives alone and takes 7 medicines

Let us take the case of Julia, 71, a widow who lives alone in a flat in Valencia. She has high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis, and takes 7 medicines spread across three times of day. Her two children live in other cities and often ring to ask about her tablets, which she finds uncomfortable.

• Julia reviews all her medication with her GP and her pharmacist and updates her list.
• She decides to receive her medication prepared by dose so she no longer has to fill the pill organiser every Sunday.
• She sets three phone alarms with clear names: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• She shares the list with her children and agrees to send them a message every morning after breakfast.
• She leaves a key with a trusted neighbour and puts the numbers of her pharmacy, her health centre and 112 on the fridge.

With this system, Julia still makes the decisions about her treatment and her children stop asking about every dose, because they know there is a method.

How can IMA Health help you?

At IMA Health we coordinate with a specialised pharmacy that prepares your medication by day and time of each dose, we deliver it to your home and we provide personalised follow-up so that treatment changes arrive on time. You stay in charge; we take care of the logistics.

If you would like to see how it works, read what the IMA Health service is like.

Sources

• MedlinePlus: Medication errors (in Spanish)
• MedlinePlus: Taking multiple medicines safely (in Spanish)
• BOE: Law 39/2006 on personal autonomy and care for dependent people (art. 22, telecare) (in Spanish)
• Spanish Ministry of Justice: National Poison Information Service (in Spanish)

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