By Tom Ratcliff

Today there are 38 million seniors in the USA and by 2030 that number will rise to almost double that – 75 million.  On average, seniors 65 to 69 years old take nearly 14 prescriptions a year and individuals aged 80 to 84 take an average of 18 prescriptions per year.  The two greatest dangers to seniors who are taking that many medications are Polypharmacy side effects and not taking their medications as prescribed by their physicians.

As a result of the aforementioned dangers, seniors are suffering from a pronounced increase in serious adverse drug events. A serious adverse drug event means an event that resulted in death, disability, hospitalization, or a life-threatening occurrence that required medical intervention to prevent harm. Seniors who are taking so many medications on a daily basis can be easily overwhelmed and confused by their hard to manage drug schedule. NOW, there is a valuable pharmacy service that can literally save lives. The service is called AccuPax – a specialty pharmacy that sorts, combines and packages a thirty day supply of medications in individual packets for each date and time of day, all in accordance with doctor instructions. Prescriptions are first pre-sorted and packaged by dose time using a high-tech, highly accurate computer software system, and are then double and triple checked personally by a Pharmacist and a Pharmacist Technician.

The AccuPax system can help to reduce the chances of any medication interactions.  With one Pharmacist to oversee all of a patient’s medications (often from multiple Physicians) as well as vitamins, supplements and non-prescription medications, possible problems can be identified easily.  And because each day’s dosage schedule is separately packaged with clear instructions on the package, there is no longer any worry about taking too little or too much medication or when to take it during the day – each packet has the dosage time clearly marked.  The easy open packets even have a pre-cut notch requiring little hand strength/flexibility for opening.

The AccuPax service is provided by a registered pharmacy. Seniors can just turn their doctor’s prescriptions over to them like any other pharmacy except they are delivered directly to their door already “prepackaged” for safe administration. The company accepts most major insurance carriers, including Medicare. Medication pricing is equivalent to that at a retail pharmacy. The only additional charge is the $7.95 monthly fee for postage and handling, which can even be waived in some cases, such as for multiple clients at the same address (in an Assisted Living Facility, for example).  Shipping may even be covered by insurance in cases where the patient has limited mobility. It is well worth the cost when considering the potential costs of serious side-effects caused from errors or omissions in a senior’s daily medication regimen.

The benefits of the AccuPax system, along with the services offered by home health care providers and Geriatric Care Managers, can make it possible for people to safely stay in their homes for a lot longer, and offer great peace of mind for their families.

Please visit their website to learn more about this service and how to sign up for the ACCUPAX program.

The perfect cocktail for elderly residents to keep in touch with their families, (who are often spread out across the country) involves a little new and a little old fashion technology.  For example:  Many seniors are “offline.”  They don’t use a computer, let alone email, but would like to stay in touch with faraway family members on a regular basis. Now, there is a service available through the internet that makes it possible for them to be “connected” without having to learn new, complicated processes.

Co-founder Matt Ahart was inspired when he found himself sending e-mails to his mother so that she could print them out and show them to his grandmother. What if there were a service that could facilitate electronic correspondence between people and their grandparents?  In April 2009, with co-founder Jim Whiting, Sunnygram was born.

Sunnygram provides seniors with a special email address so that all of their loved ones can send personal greetings, gossip, news, and pictures. The service compiles all of the email messages once a week and mails it to the client in an easy to read newsletter called a “Sunnygram.” Seniors can even respond to messages with the included prepaid envelope and stationary to fill out.  Upon receipt, Sunnygram scans the response letter and emails it to the recipients – all of this for a low monthly subscription price of $12.99 a month.

The service is easy to use and anyone with an email address can quickly share news or information with elderly family members. There is no need to sit down and go through the hassle of printing photos, searching for writing paper, and a stamp and envelope. They even provide special decorative Sunnygram’s for birthdays, holidays and special occasions.

Sunnygrams also make a wonderful gift for seniors to feel involved in the lives of their loved ones. Each new client receives a Welcome Pack in the mail, complete with a welcome letter, a cute card with a personal message from the purchaser, a brochure describing thoroughly the service, and a colorful keepsake folder for saving Sunnygram’s.

To learn more about this innovative service click here to go right to their website.