Most older adults in the U.S. (8 out of 10) take at least one medication and many older adults take three or more medications each day. This increases the risk for drug interactions, mix-ups, and the potential for harmful side effects. The good news is, many of these risks can be prevented if you are armed with information about safe and appropriate medication use and how to get the most from your medications. The toolkit below provides educational materials on avoiding medicine mishaps, managing side effects, and improving medicine use knowledge.

  BeMedWise Seniors: Medication Use Safety Training (MUST) for older adults

NCPIE’s Medication Use Safety Training for Seniors^TM (MUST for Seniors^TM) toolkit provides educational materials on avoiding medicine mishaps, managing side effects, and improving medicine use knowledge. 

• Juggling multiple medications? What you can do to stay safe. 
• Talking about cost: Don’t let medication expenses cut into your treatment. 
• MUST remember: 10 tips to help remind you to stay on schedule. 
• MUST ask: What you need to ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about your medicines
• MUST know: Be familiar with these 10 medical terms to take your medicines safely
• MUST booklet: a comprehensive resource guide for older adults with useful information and helpful tips to get the best results from medicines and avoid problems
  • MUST PowerPoint
  • Notes for PowerPoint
     

Be Acetaminophen-Savvy: older adults

Acetaminophen is the most common drug ingredient in America, in more than 600 different prescription and OTC medicines. It is safe and effective when used according to the directions, but taking too much can cause liver damage. Older adults take to make multiple medicines each day, so maybe at greater risk for accidental acetaminophen overdose. Learn more about managing medications that contain acetaminophen with this toolkit.

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Additional educational resources

• Visit BeMedWise’s library for more free, downloadable health education tools and tips 
• Visit our YouTube channel for educational videos on key health topics