Medication ManagementFor Visually Impaired Seniors (NAPSA)—In today’s society, medications—including both pre- scription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs—have become an important aspect of maintaining good health. Yet for the nearly 20 million Americans with vision loss, the lack of accessible label information poses a serious health risk due to the potential misidentification and misuseof drugs. To ensure that people with vision loss have ready access to the vital information available to all consumers via prescription labeling, enabling them to take medications safely, effectively and independently, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) has embarked on the Rx Label Enable campaign. The goal is to have policymakers develop stan- dards to ensure that medication labels and information are accessible to individuals with vision loss. As part of the campaign, AFB offers these tips for identifying and organizing medication: e Ask your pharmacist to For people with visual impairment, keeping medications organized and accessible is essential for day-to-day health. come with large-print and/or tac- tile labels. As necessary, ask a friend, family member or home health aide to fill your pillbox for you. attach large-print or, if necessary, Braille labels to pill bottles. e The size and shape of some containers—such as OTC cough syrups and topical creams—may be enough of a clue to help you recognize them. can help with identification. Practice feeling different pills in your leading an active, independent, e The size and shapeofa pill hand until you can recognize them. e Store medicines in different places that serve as reminders, such as the nightstandif it’s to be taken at night or in the kitchenif it should be taken three times a day. Use a weekly or daily pill organizer. These boxes generally For more tips on medication Management or resources on healthy life with vision loss, visit AFB Senior Site at www.afb.org/seniorsite. And if you or a family memberhas had trouble reading prescription or overthe-counter medication informa- tion, please share your story at www.atfb.org/labels.
