How Technology Can Encourage Medication Adherence

When people miss taking prescribed medication, it can quickly become a problem. Not only can they relapse into a more acute stage of their condition requiring further medical intervention, but it may also lead to accidents or falls and even deteriorating mental health. Some of the most common conditions and illnesses that require medication include diabetes, chronic pain, hypertension, Alzheimer’s, and high cholesterol.

While many older adults receive home health care services to help them maintain good health, using technology has proven to be a proactive way to focus on medication adherence and prevent critical health events caused by medication mismanagement.

There can be many reasons why a person becomes non-adherent when it comes to medication. In some cases, it may be because a person is frustrated or fearful of a recent diagnosis or it may simply be because they feel overwhelmed by the thought of managing their medication on their own. Some home health care services that offer personal support at home programs are now taking advantage of technology to encourage medication adherence.

Using Technology To Support Adherence

Most people, even older adults, are already using technology to enhance or support many aspects of their daily lives. When you add health care to the ways they use technology, you can make it easier for them to manage their medication, which provides a better chance of successful adherence.

iCare Home Health provides people of all ages with home care in Oakville, Mississauga, Milton, and Burlington. We created our Health Espresso app to help clients and their families track medication adherence and body vitals to prevent a critical health event.

Some of the tools that Health Espresso offers to support medication adherence include:

• Voice reminders for medication using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. This not only helps remind people to take their dose, but also helps them eliminate uncertainty if they can’t remember if they took the dose or not.
• The same Artificial Intelligence technology is used to remind people of doctor’s appointments, which can be critical to ensuring proper dosage and monitoring medication side effects.
• Automated medication refills to the user’s selected pharmacy.
• Ability to alert a family caregiver, family doctor, or assigned secondary user of any misuse or non-compliance of a medication schedule.

The popularity of digital health tools and health apps show no sign of slowing down, and as such, iCare Home Health released our Health Espresso app to the public in an effort to help Canadians be proactive in caring for their health.

Be Proactive About Medication Adherence

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when it comes to making sure that you’re managing your prescribed medications. It can make a big difference to start any medication management by creating a plan. This starts with your medical team clearly outlining why the medication is required and what may occur if the medication is not taken as needed.

Once the medication requirements are clear, patients and their caregivers can take advantage of some tools for success, such as medication apps and caregiving services. Remember that you don’t need to manage everything on your own.

Finding home care in Oakville or your local area can be a great first step to ensure that there is constant support and education to successfully manage health conditions. Contact iCare Home Health to learn more about our services and how we use technology to build a plan for our clients that supports their happiness and quality of life.