Prescriptions can be the key to a longer, fuller life; but if not handled properly, they can also cause serious problems. To help us all use prescriptions properly and minimize risk, Right at Home is celebrating “Talk About Prescriptions” Month, organized by the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE), a coalition of over 125 diverse organizations whose mission is to stimulate and improve communication of information on appropriate medicine use to consumers and healthcare professionals.

Educating patients is critical for promoting healthy use of prescriptions, as people tend to see many different doctors for various conditions instead of one primary physician. Seniors are at an even higher risk than most for serious side effects and other medication risks. Right at Home is taking advantage of this month-long awareness event to educate our clients and all seniors so they can protect themselves against these risks.

According to NCPIE, two out of every three doctor’s visits result in the prescribing of a medication, with a total of 3.5 billion prescriptions dispensed every year. Prescription education is particularly important for seniors, who tend to take more medications on average – 50 percent of seniors take an average of eight medications or more regularly, according to a news release from the National Council on Aging and CVS Pharmacy. Since the risk of experiencing side effects increases with the number of prescriptions taken, most seniors have a high risk. As bodies change and age this can cause the body to react differently; so a senior may start to experience a side effect from a prescription even if they have been taking it for years without any issues.

NCPIE advises all prescription users to “Be MedWise” and practice safe medicine use by focusing on the “3Rs”: risk, respect and responsibility. Right at Home recommends these top 10 best practices for senior medication safety:

Always keep a complete, updated list of medications, including prescriptions, over the counter medications, vitamins and supplements. Give a copy to family members and others who may need to know in an emergency, such as a close neighbor or medical proxy. Show this list to all physicians you see at every visit.

Use one pharmacy. People usually see several doctors to address different problems, so prescriptions can’t be managed through a primary physician as they used to be. Going through the same pharmacy for all prescriptions will create one more checkpoint to make sure prescriptions won’t mix dangerously.

Smith is president of Right At Home of Southwest Florida.