Solving the Medication Organization Challenge

For people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), multiple medication bottles and inhalers are part of everyday life. Keeping them organized can be a challenge for them and their caregivers, which is why the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reached out to other caregivers to find out how they manage everything from the best places to keep everything to safe storage and proper utilization.

The Best Room

While bathrooms are convenient, many caregivers suggest they aren’t the best place to store medicines, particularly pills and other medications that are impacted by fluctuating temperatures and humidity levels.

“The kitchen is often a convenient place to store medication. Just make sure to keep medication away from heat sources, such as stoves and ovens, or even a sunny window,” states the NHLBI in its COPD Caregiver’s Toolkit. “Placing daily medications near items the person uses to start the day helps act as a reminder to take medications.”

Safe and Convenience

Safety is just as important as convenience when deciding where to store and organize medications. In particular, they should be kept out of the reach of pets and children.

Notes and Reminders

Caregivers should work together with the person they’re caring for by taking notes on using medication, oxygen, and other medical devices. These notes can act as reminders for future use. Be sure to also write down proper techniques for using oxygen devices or other medical devices.

“For new medications, such as a new type of inhaler, consider taking a picture and placing it with the notes to create a step-by-step usage guide,” suggests the NHLBI.

Storage Solutions

Finally, NHLBI offers the following storage solutions for safer medication management:

• Use a pill box to sort and store medications by the week or month and consider separate pill boxes for morning and evening pills.
• A small drawer unit with each drawer labeled is helpful if other family members are also taking medications and/or if medications need to be stored in the refrigerator.
• Try open baskets or bins that are clearly labeled to separate vitamins, cold remedies, and medications so no mix-ups occur.
• Open, stackable bins can save shelf space and allow more medications to be stored at eye height or a safe but reachable level.

More medication safety information can be found in NHLBI’s COPD Caregiver’s Toolkit, available here.