How to Avoid Medication Administration Errors

According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), medication errors cause at least one fatality per day and injure nearly 1.3 million people a year. Americans 65 years of age and older are highly vulnerable to falling victim to one or more medication administration errors, especially seniors who live by themselves. Caregivers at assisted living facilities play a crucial role in ensuring residents follow all the proper protocols for taking their medications.

At the MorningStar senior housing facility in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, our team of highly-rated caregivers places a strong emphasis on educating residents and their loved ones on how to avoid medication administration errors.

Organize Medications

One of the most effective strategies to avoid medication administration errors is to organize pills to ensure our residents take the right pills at the right times on the right days of the week. To prevent taking the wrong medications, organizing pills by following a printed schedule can help a senior avoid taking the wrong drugs that have similar names. For example, a common medication error is taking a drug like Celexa when a senior is supposed to take a medication such as Celebrex.

In addition to following a printed medication schedule, organizing medications in a pillbox that is labeled according to each day of the week also represents a proven strategy for organizing prescription pills.

Understand Administration Instructions

Every prescription medication includes a label that presents instructions on how to administer a drug. How a resident at our assisted living facility in Rio Ranch takes a drug is just as important as remembering to follow a printed administration schedule. For instance, a senior might swallow a pill that is intended to be absorbed at a much slower rate under the tongue. The administration of a medication that is meant to follow a different route in the body can lead to serious health consequences.

Another important role of our team of caregivers is to help residents read and understand the instructions for administering prescription medications.

Confirm Dosing Requirements

Prescription drug overdoses represent the leading cause of fatalities caused by medications. Although prescription drugs are the most common cause of overdose fatalities, over-the-counter medications also pose a danger to seniors who do not follow dosing requirements. Seniors face overdosing issues primarily because of a decline in vision and/or memory. Many prescription drugs require each dose to be taken with a certain amount of water or at a specific meal during the day. If the dosing requirements are not fully followed, a medication might not work, or worse, put a senior at risk of developing a serious health problem.

Ensure Your Senior Prevents Medication Administration Errors

The MorningStar Assisted Living facility in Rio, Rancho, NM offers three types of living arrangements for our residents: independent living, assisted living, and memory care. Regardless of the type of living arrangement for residents, our team of caregivers ensures each resident closely follows medication administration requirements. Our commitment to providing superior healthcare services such as administering medications correctly allows you to enjoy peace of mind.

Learn more about our senior housing facility in Rio Rancho by contacting one of our resident services representatives.

Benefits of Letting an Assisted Living Facility Take Care of Your Senior for You

You know your senior loved one better than anyone else. When the time comes to determine whether your loved one requires focused care, choosing whether to transition your loved one to an assisted living facility can be one of the most important decisions you can ever expect to make.

According to several studies, around seven out of 10 Americans require long-term care after they reach the age of 65 years old. Although making the transition to an assisted living facility in Rio Rancho, New Mexico is a tough decision, the benefits of letting a senior housing facility take care of a loved one make the decision much easier.

Around-the-Clock Personalized Care

Because of a hectic schedule, you cannot expect to provide constant personalized care for your loved one. However, at our assisted living facility in Rio Rancho, we offer around-the-clock personalized care such as nursing care, behavior monitoring, and medication administration. MorningStar at Rio Rancho offers personalized care 24/7 by implementing a holistic approach to providing healthcare services.

Active Daily Schedule

Our residents enjoy a high level of independence, especially when it comes to participating in daily activities. An active senior is less likely to develop memory loss issues, as well as experience a decline in physical capabilities. According to a research study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, older Americans that follow an active lifestyle develop slower rates of memory decline. Our active schedule includes putting on social events once a month, as well as scheduling outings that include trips to cultural attractions like the ABQ BioPark Zoo. We also provide several amenities such as a swimming pool that keeps our residents on the go throughout the day. 

Comprehensive Safety Features

One of the top concerns for your loved one is to live in a safe environment. When driving becomes unsafe and/or your senior can no longer cook dinner at home safely, the time has arrived to consider moving your loved one into an assisted living facility in Rio Rancho. Because of our low caregiver-to-resident ratio, MorningStar at Rio Rancho delivers on its promise to protect the health of our residents. Our team of caregivers completes comprehensive safety training programs to ensure they comply with every safety and security standard established by MorningStar.

Many of our apartments include safety features such as an alert system that allows us to respond immediately to any safety and security issues.

More Free Time for You

Not every benefit of an assisted living facility is enjoyed by your loved one. You free up much more of your time because you no longer have to perform household chores, as well as work on home improvement projects for your loved one. Say goodbye to cleaning, cooking, and maintaining the appearance of your loved one’s yard. With renewed peace of mind, you can relax during days that are now consumed by providing personalized care for your senior loved one.

MorningStar’s mission statement “to honor, to value, to invest” emphasizes the importance that we place on providing personalized care for seniors. Our foundation operating principle is based on honoring God by valuing the contributions residents make to our community. Located in a comfortable setting surrounded by spectacular views of the nearby mountains, the MorningStar senior housing facility in Rio Rancho, NM provides superior assisted living and memory care services.

Learn more by contacting one of our resident services specialists.

Would a Loved One Benefit From Assisted Living?

Sometimes a senior has a fall or another medical emergency that precipitates the need for a change in their living circumstances such as a move into an assisted living community.  Other times, the situation is not so clear-cut and is more a case of a senior slowly losing the ability to attend to their daily care needs.  We know it is upsetting for families to see their loved one decline, which is why experts offer advice to help determine if an assisted living setting would be an improvement in their lifestyle.  

One way to decide if assisted living is right for your parent or another loved one is to take an inventory of what they are having trouble doing for themselves and if assistance would improve their quality of life.  For instance, are they having a hard time preparing and cooking meals or need help bathing, toileting, and dressing?  Have they stopped driving and spent a lot of time alone?  Is your normally tidy parent now letting the household tasks go and/or mail is stacking up unopened and bills not getting paid?

Other factors that indicate the need for more help include recent falls or burns from using water that is too hot or from cooking.  Warning signs also include a history of medication mismanagement or worsening chronic health problems, which could all benefit from the care received in an assisted living community.        

At MorningStar of Happy Valley, we offer stylish assisted living suites with a choice of spacious studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom floor plans.  We make it easy for retirement years to be carefree with a full range of amenities, care services, wellness programs and activities. In addition, our Reflections Neighborhood provides specialized care to those with Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases. Please contact us or visit our website for more information.  

MorningStar takes tremendous pride in the reputation we have earned for excellence and authenticity since our inception in 2003.  We believe the human capacity to grow, to learn and to contribute is ageless; and we act upon that truth daily, as we care for, inspire, and love the residents under our roof. Contact us to learn more about the finest assisted living and memory care in Happy Valley, OR.

Care Services at MorningStar of Happy Valley

For exceptional assisted living, we encourage you to consider MorningStar of Happy Valley, a true destination for successful aging.  By defining health and well-being holistically, our home provides services and programming that support the whole person - body, mind and spirit.   Together our Life Enrichment programs and Wellness Care services complement one other to ensure each resident gets the best care.  

As a testament to the full scope of our services, we look for creative solutions within the full authority of our license through the Department of Health to help extend the stay of the resident if they experience changes in their health.  These solutions can yield a higher quality of care at a lower cost to the family and provide a welcomed continuity of care for the resident.     

We are also proud that our assisted living residents’ benefit from our Electronic Health Record (EHR) system.  This centralized mobile station ensures accurate, onsite assessments, care planning, incident tracking, wound care, behavior management and eMARs (electronic medication administration records).  In addition, record keeping is not only accurate but legible as well as offers complete demographic and medical information at hand.  It also enhances confidentiality of residents’ data.   

Our broad care services include 5 levels of care for assisted living residents based on a point system and determined after a thorough evaluation with our Wellness Director.  Residents have 24-hour care managers; and access to a licensed nurse either onsite or on-call 24/7.  MorningStar’s services also include medication management by certified med care managers as well as care planning reviews and scheduled health and wellness evaluations.  

To address specific health needs, we offer mechanical lift assistance, oxygen administration, and diabetic management. Furthermore, we provide transportation to medical appointments as well as other onsite therapeutic services.    

Please contact us for information on pricing and availability or to set up a tour. Our community includes 61 stylish suites for assisted living and another 27 memory care suites devoted to the individualized care of residents with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. 

MorningStar takes tremendous pride in the reputation we have earned for excellence and authenticity since our inception in 2003.  We believe the human capacity to grow, to learn and to contribute is ageless; and we act upon that truth daily, as we care for, inspire, and love the residents under our roof. Contact us for more information about the finest assisted living and memory care in Happy Valley, OR.