Definitions
Caregiver
A friend, family
member or neighbour who helps someone with daily living or health-related
activities. There are many ways to help, such as helping with medicine,
recognizing problems and discussing them with a health care professional,
picking up prescriptions, arranging for transportation to and from appointments.
In some situations caregivers may actually administer medicine, not just
supervise or assist. Their attitudes towards and knowledge of the safe
use of medicine are very important.
Medicine
Almost anything
a person takes to feel better or become healthier. Tablets, capsules,
pills, liquids, puffers (inhalers), creams, patches, drops, needles, even
vitamins, herbs, ointments, laxatives, aspirin and antacids are all different
types of medicine.
Children with Chronic Illness
Persons under age 18 with a chronic condition or disability who need help
from a caregiver.
Chronic Illness
A health
condition diagnosed by a health care professional that lasts at least
six months. Asthma, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, acute lymphoblastic
leukaemia, cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, allergies and diabetes are common
chronic illnesses children develop.
Compliance
How people follow
instructions for taking medicine, following diets or making lifestyle
changes.
Home Support Worker
A person
who is paid to help someone with daily living or health-related activities.
There are many other community resources, such as hotlines, meal services
and support groups.
Side Effects
Also known
as adverse drug reactions (ADRs), side effects are symptoms or bad reactions
a medicine can cause besides what it was meant to do. Dizziness is a dangerous
side effect because it can cause a person to fall and injure himself/herself.
Mental confusion and dehydration (fluid loss) are other dangerous side
effects. Sometimes the side effects go away, and sometimes they're minor
enough to handle until the medicine is finished. Some side effects are
expected, and others are found through lab tests or physical exams. If
you think someone is having a bad reaction, trust your instincts and take
action — call the pharmacist or go to the hospital.
Answers
What is the Safe Use Project?
Building Awareness of Safe Use of Medicines Among Family Caregivers
of Seniors and Chronically Ill Children (the Safe Use Project) is
a partnership between the Canadian Healthcare
Association, the Canadian Association for Community Care, the Canadian
Pharmacists Association and the Victorian
Order of Nurses for Canada.
The Project goal is to raise awarenesss about safe medicine use among
family members, friends and/or neighbours who provide care to seniors
and children with chronic illness.
For more information, see the About the
Project section.
Why Children with Chronic Illness?
More than half-a-million children and youth are living with chronic illnesses
(including asthma) and/or disabilities in Canada today. Some need complex
care; 43% of children with disabilities have conditions considered severe
or very severe. Up to 41.5% use prescription medicine daily. Medication
is taken at least once a week by 10 to 14-year-olds, and regularly by
5 to 9-year-olds.
They may be limited in what they can do to take care of themselves, either
because of their age or their condition. Their growing bodies don’t
handle medicine the way adults’ do, which makes taking medicine
more complicated. Any problems may affect them the rest of their lives.
Using medicine safely can help with healthy child development.
For more information, see the About the
Project section.
What are Common Chronic Illnesses?
Asthma, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia,
cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, allergies and diabetes are among the most common
chronic illnesses that children develop or are born with.
Why do Caregivers Need Tools and Resources?
Caregivers may find themselves helping with, giving and/or managing many
different medicines, filling and picking up prescriptions, and monitoring
schedules. They see the results of any side effects and must react accordingly.
Yet medicine is often considered the responsibility of the health professional
and the patient, even though caregivers play a larger role and more drugs
are being used outside of hospitals and doctors’ offices.
In some situations caregivers give medicine directly, rather than supervise
or assist. Sometimes caregivers themselves are seniors, and the conditions
and challenges described on this site apply to them as well as the people
they are helping.
Another serious concern is non-compliance. Many people do not take medicine
properly, or stick to their routines. The resulting negative health effects
cost Canadians billions of dollars every year.
Caregivers need information and support themselves to help them help
others.
How do I Get Kids to Take Their Medicine?
Not much is known for sure about how children with chronic illness take
their medicine, but a few simple things may encourage them.
Both the child and the caregivers must know what each medicine is for
and how to take it properly. If you’re not sure, ask your health
care professional (doctor or pharmacist). Asking about choices (like syrup
instead of pills) can make it easier for the child to actually take the
medicine. If the caregivers live separately (divorced parents, for example),
both must have the same information to keep the routine consistent. Getting
teenagers involved in managing their own routines may help them stick
with it. Regularly reviewing what medicine the child uses with your health
care professional is important as the child grows or situations and schedules
at home change.
For more information, see the Synthesis
of the Literature prepared for the Project.
What are Some Common Mistakes and Problems
with Medicine?
Some common mistakes with medicine:
- Taking the wrong dose
- Not finishing medicine
- Using old medicine
- Sharing medicine with others
- Mixing medicine with alcohol
- Forgetting to take medicine at the right time
- Stopping and starting medicine instead of continuing regularly
Some common problems with medicine:
- Lids are hard to open on medicine containers
- Instructions are hard to read on labels
- Pills are too large to swallow easily
How do I Store Medicine Safely?
Medicines should not be kept in the bathroom or kitchen because the dampness
can affect them. The same goes for any place too warm (near a stove, heater
or in the sun). The best place would be a bedroom drawer or a cupboard.
Some medicine must be kept in the fridge. Try to keep all medicine together
for convenience. The caregiver and possibly the person taking the medicine
should be able to get to them, but not young children and pets.
What are the Main Do’s and Don’ts
about Medicine?
Not sharing: Medicine is chosen for one person
and that person specifically. Sharing with someone else may make that
other person sick, and will mean there is less medicine for the person
it was meant for.
Following routine and finishing medicine: Even
if a child feels better, all the medicine must be finished, or the child
could get sick again. Some medicine has to be taken at certain times to
make sure there is the proper amount of medicine in a child’s body
(not too much, not too little) and to make sure it works longer. It may
help to write a list of all medicine and note the time each has to be
taken, or use a calendar.
Preparing to go to a hospital: Bring a list
of all medicine the child is taking, and give it to the admissions staff
to put in the child's chart. Remind doctors and nurses the list is available
for their information.
Preparing to leave the hospital: Make sure
you have all the instructions and prescriptions for any new medicine needed,
or any changes to old medicine. Also find out what to stop, and what to
continue — including over-the-counter medicine, vitamins and herbal/natural
products. Ask any questions you might have, or write them down for the
next time you see a doctor or pharmacist.
Preparing for a doctor’s visit: Prepare
or write down any questions you might have. Take a list of all medicine
or take the medicine to review with the doctor.
Preparing to talk to a pharmacist or to pick up a prescription:
Prepare any questions you might have. Again, take a list of all medicine
or take the medicine to review with the pharmacist.
Poison control centres: The first page in the
phonebook (white pages) lists the poison information telephone number.
If you think there’s been an overdose, or if the child taking medicine
is having a bad reaction, call for information. Have the medicine handy
to tell the operator its name.
Brand name: The product name of a drug. Every
drug has both a brand name and a generic name. One example is brand name:
Advil; generic name: ibuprofen.
Generic name: The chemical name of a drug.
Every drug has both a generic name and a brand name.
What Information is Available on this Website?
Because medicine is now the most common health care tool, the safe use
of medicine is increasingly important and complex. Using medicine properly
cuts down on health problems later. This website is designed to provide
support, information and resources to caregivers of seniors and children
with chronic illness.
The Caregivers of Children with Chronic Illness
section has information that includes research reports and other resources.
The Caregivers of Seniors section is intended
to provide tools like a guide, a medicine chart and an information checklist.
Service Providers is designed to present
a workshop manual for promoting safe medicine use among caregivers of
seniors.
What’s New and What’s
New (archives) offer updates on the project and other developments.
Check the Need Help Now? section for other
useful areas of the website and various other organizations.
Information about the Project partners is found in Project
Partners & Sponsor.
Find out more about the project like the context, goals and objectives,
results and products in About the Project.
Your Feedback is your opportunity to share
your opinions, comments and suggestions about this website.
Other organizations and resources like poison control centres and government
departments can be found in Links.
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