Here’s to Your Health: Managing Medications

Pill box medication assistanceA representative from Interim Healthcare will present a program – “Managing Medications” – at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 12, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Avenue.

Programs are presented at 10:30 a.m. on the second Tuesday of every month, each with a different topic. The programs are part of a lecture series called, “Here’s to Your Health.” The presenter will describe tips for medication safety, and questions will be answered.

Is it a given that the older a person is, the more medications he or she takes? Not necessarily, but people are more likely to develop one or more chronic illnesses with advancing age. It’s wonderful that appropriate medication can help seniors live longer and more active lives, but there is a safety concern. Taking multiple medications increases the risk for drug interactions, mix-ups, and the potential for side effects.

The effects of aging cause older adults’ bodies to process and respond to medicines differently than those of younger people. Age-related changes in the liver, kidneys, central nervous system, and heart are among the contributing factors causing elderly people to be more vulnerable to overdose and troubling side effects.

Also, age-related challenges like memory loss or poor eyesight can make it harder to follow instructions for taking medication.

Oak Park Arms Senior Living is a rental retirement community which provides senior housing in the form of independent living. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information call 708-386-4040.