Carers are family members or friends who provide regular unpaid support and care at home for an older person or a person with a disability, chronic condition or mental illness. Carers may care full time or for a few hours a week. Managing the person’s medicines is often part of the role. There are several things that can make the role easier.

This article is most relevant if you are looking after a person who is unable to make decisions about their health or manage their medicines. If they can make decisions, you will need their consent to become involved in such decisions.

Get to know their GP and pharmacist well

Good two-way communication with the person’s GP, pharmacist and community nurse (if relevant) is essential.

Let the GP and pharmacist know that you are the person’s carer, and that you are responsible for managing their medicines.


The GP and pharmacist will need you to tell them about the health and well-being of the person you are caring for, any changes in their condition, and how they are responding to their medicines.

In turn, you will need the GP and pharmacist to give you clear information and instructions about the person’s medicines, and how and when to administer them.

If you find it difficult to remember everything you need to ask or tell the GP or pharmacist, write down the information or questions, and give it to them at the start of the appointment. 

Don’t hesitate to ask the GP or pharmacist to write down any information or instructions you may forget. Also, feel free to ask them if they can give you any written information or refer you to other sources of information.

If you feel uncomfortable saying some things in the presence of the person, consider asking if you can speak to the doctor without them being present. This may also be a good opportunity to raise any concerns you may have about their health and what may happen in the future.

Know their medicines

Understanding what medicines the person you are caring for needs and why they need them will help them get the best out of their medicines. 

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Don’t hesitate to ask questions if you are uncertain about anything. 

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Ask the GP to make a list of all the person’s medicines: prescription, over-the-counter, herbal and natural medicines. Take the list with you when the person sees a doctor or pharmacist, or goes into hospital. 

The list should include

• the active ingredient and the brand name of the medicine
  
• what it is for
• how and when to take it
  
• side effects to look out for
• other medicines, including any over-the-counter, herbal and natural medicines, it may interact with.

Read the medicine labels, and don’t hesitate to ask questions if you are uncertain about anything.
You can also ask the pharmacist for the Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) leaflet for each medicine. CMI leaflets contain comprehensive information about how the medicine works, how to take it, side effects and when to seek help. Keep the leaflets in a safe place, so you can refer to them later if necessary. 

Consider asking the GP to organise a Home Medicines Review. This involves a specially trained pharmacist coming to your house to discuss the person’s medicines with you and the person you are looking after. The pharmacist will explain what each of the medicines is for and anything else you need to know about them. They can also answer any questions you may have. 

Keep track of their medicines

Keeping track of the medicines of the person you care for will help to ensure that they get the right medicine at the right time, and help to prevent medicine-related problems.

If the person takes several medicines, consider using a medication organiser. These are containers that store a day’s or a week’s supply of medicines in a series of small compartments. 

Medication organisers make it easier for you to give the person each of their medicines at the right time. They also make it easy to see if a dose has been given already. This is particularly helpful if several people are involved in giving the person their medicines. 

Your pharmacist can put a week’s supply of medicines in a medication organiser (eg Webster-pak) that stores each dose in a separate sealed compartment. All you have to do is remove each dose from its compartment and give it to the person. 

If more than one family member is involved in giving medicines that are not in a medication organiser, get each person to write down on a chart (eg in an exercise book) what medicine they gave, how much they gave, and when they gave it. If each carer checks the chart before giving a medicine, you will minimise the risk of missing doses or giving doses twice. 

In some situations, such as if you suspect that the person is experiencing a side effect, it may help to keep a diary of the person’s symptoms to give to the GP. This will help the GP determine whether the symptom is a side effect or a part of their health problems.

Look after yourself

Caring for another person is stressful and tiring. It is vital that you look after yourself and your health, because you can’t look after someone effectively if you are not in good health yourself. 

Some suggestions that have helped other carers include

• try to continue doing at least some of the activities and outings you enjoy
• take respite breaks from caring from time to time
• try to get some regular exercise
• eat regular healthy meals
• get enough rest and sleep
• ask for help when you need it.

Other sources of help

Many services exist to help carers and the people they are caring for. Such services include help with showering and dressing the person, help with housework, support groups for carers, and respite care at home, at a day centre or in a nursing home. 

 

To find out about the services in your area, talk to

• your GP, local council, local health or community workers
• Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre 1800 052 222
• Carer Advisory and Counselling Service 1800 242 636
• your state or territory Carers Association 1800 242 636.

Quick quiz Test your knowledge of the quality use of medicines issues covered in this edition of MedicinesTalk. Are the following statements true or false? Carers can ask their GP to organise a Home Medicines Review in their home. The Adverse Medicine Events Line (AME Line) is for doctors to report problems with medicines. You can take unwanted medicines back to the pharmacy you bought them from for safe disposal. You should stop taking all your medicines before going in for an operation. Answers True. This can be a good opportunity to learn more about the medicines taken by the person you are caring for. Ask your GP or pharmacist for more information. False. The AME Line is specially for the general public, so they can report problems with medicines to the government. There is another reporting system for doctors. True. However, it doesn’t have to be the pharmacy you bought them from. False. It depends on the medicines, your health and the type of operation, but in most cases, no. Make sure you find out from your surgeon, well ahead of time, whether you need to stop any of the medicines you take.