Half of all patients in developed countries forget to take their prescribed medication! Are you one of them?
Research shows that almost 10% of total annual healthcare spend could be saved if prescribed medication was taken by patients. The consequences of forgetting to take your medication is not just financial – there is a social consequence too. Chronic disease has become epidemic and the death rate increases.
We live in an age where technology can be a great enabler – use technology and never forget again!
You’ve Earned It looks at how one can use technology to help you remember tasks.
If you are one of those who struggles to remember when certain medication should be taken, there is a device in your pocket or sitting on your desk that can solve all your problems.
Cellphones are great companions to keep when it comes to remembering to do certain things. By simply setting up reminders or alarms, you can remove the confusion of when you need to take your medication. This applies for all things in your life which you may struggle to keep track of, because let’s face it, our brains are in overload mode.
Smartphones are ideal for this, as they have built in calendars. These calendars allow for reminders to be set years in advance, so you really have no excuse to ever miss a dose of medication again.
Each phone differs in how setting up your reminders is done, but in most cases, all you need to do is open up your calendar, click on a day, and choose to set up a reminder. You can choose the time of day for the alarm to go off, and you can write a little message to your future self, reminding them of what needs to be taken.
If you do not have a cellphone, you can do the same with your email’s calendar. Again, the same principle applies when setting up reminders, and pop up messages will alert you to what needs to be done.
So now you have no excuse to forget anything, as technology is all around us to lend a helping hand.
So take some time over the next few days to sit with your cellphone or computer and set up the reminders you require for the foreseeable future. If you feel that setting up reminders on a cellphone, smartphone, or email is too challenging, ask your son, daughter, grandchild or a neighbour’s grandchild to show you how to do it. It will take them 2-3 minutes max!
Even better, have a look at a Smartphone app called Medsafe ( http://www.medisafe.com/app/ ).
It is available for Android and Apple IOS; the links to download the relevant version are at the bottom of the page for the link above.
I have an increasing complicated regime of medications; some morning, some afternoon, some daily, every other day, specific days of the week.
The app easily handles all of this, and reminds you at the appropriate tim, once you have set up your requirements.
I give it 5 stars.
Thank-you for these alol these tips you give us for making our senior years more easy to deal with. Gaye.