Prescription Medication Home Care Path

The community network of hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes employs the medical model practise. The medical model uses medication, treatment, and education to improve the seniors health. The provider uses physical assessment, interview, and data review to determine a medical diagnosis and prescribes the medication, treatment , and education to improve health.

The purpose of medication is to modify existing physiological function. The most common mechanisms by which prescribed medication act to modify physiological function fall into these predictable categories. A medication can act to replace a function. Insulin helps remove sugar from the blood stream. A medication can enhance function. Bronchodilator expands the airways. A medication can impede the function. Cardiac medication decrease heart rate and blood pressure. A medication can destroy tissue. Chemotherapy and radioactive iodine. A medication can destroy an infection or infestation. Antibiotics destroy infection. This is the therapeutic purpose of prescribed medication.

The effectiveness of swallowing pills can depend on the prescribed medications bioavailability. Bioavailability means the rate at which the body can absorb the prescribed medication. If the medication is not being properly absorbed the senior will often complain the drug does not work anymore. The doctor can prescribe a similar medication with a higher bioavailability rate.

The pharmaceutical industry has shown seniors have physiological changes that require consideration when prescribing medication. Seniors normally have a decreased glomerular filtration rate, cardiac index, maximal breathing capacity, and hepatic blood flow. As the body ages the percentage of fat increases and the percentage of total body water decreases. These physiological changes mean that a greater portion of lipid soluble medication may accumulate in the body fat, a higher plasma concentration of water soluble medication may be noted, and metabolism by the liver and excretion by the kidney may be diminished. Prescribing providers have been taught to accomodate the changes associated with increased age.

Providers utilizing the medical model have a long history of successfully improving the health of individuals in the community. Home Care Path www.homecarepath.com staff provide nonmedical in home custodial care for seniors in South Central Wisconsin. Home Care Path staff assist seniors with follow through in the home setting.