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Medication Management & Health Advocacy:
What a Difference an Intervention Makes!
Sam seemed to be declining too quickly and none of the doctors could pinpoint why. He did have
multiple medical diagnoses, but all of his symptoms were not accounted for by them. One of Sam's problems
was his limited speech, although he didn't have dementia.
Sam also had lots of medications with a very complicated schedule for taking them. His medications changed
frequently, which often caused him confusion about which medications he was still taking and exactly when
he was to take each one. This meant that Sam didn't always get the medication that he needed. Furthermore,
there was a problem of communication among the several doctors who were treating Sam. Since they didn't
always share information, there were times when Sam was taking medications that were not supposed to be
taken with other prescribed medications.
Sandra Goldberg (Sandy), RN and Clinical Director of Rona Bartelstone Care Management & Home Healthcare began to
make nursing visits to fill Sam's medication boxes and to monitor his health at home. Sandra also provided the
live-in aide with advice about helping Sam to communicate better, despite his speech limitations.
Because of all of the confusion about his medication and her concerns about his speech problems, Sandy did
several things. First she contacted all of the doctors to do a review of his medications and clarify the
schedule and dosages for each one. She was able to set up his medication boxes and train the aide to provide
the proper reminders, so that Sam could be compliant with his medication routine. Sandy also felt that we needed
to have a better understanding of the causes of his speech problem, so she arranged for Sam to be seen at a
Memory Disorder Center to determine the cause of this problem. As a result of this visit, the neurologist put
Sam on a new medication that helped to improve his speech to a limited degree. Although this was a small change
for Sam, it made a significant difference in the quality of his life and his ability to relate to his aide and
his family.
As a result of the work that Sandy did to better manage his medications, Sam's diabetes and hypertension are
better controlled. His appetite is improved and therefore he is eating better, which gives him more energy.
This has helped to ease his depression enough that he is able to be a little more social. Although Sam will
continue to become more frail over time, his quality of life has been improved by the ability to better handle
his daily medication, nutrition and activity. The results of better medication management and health advocacy
work provided by Clinical Director, Sandra Goldberg will continue to enhance the quality and wellbeing of his
life.
For more information on any of the above and how we can help you, please contact:
Rona Bartelstone Care Management & Home Healthcare
phone: 1.800.678.7224
email: info@rbacare.com
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