Medication list for an elderly parent
How often should I update a parent's medication list?
Every time something changes. The CDC's words: “Update this list any time you make a change to what you take.”
The CDC’s form says: “Update this list any time you make a change to what you take.”
- After every appointment where something was started, stopped or changed.
- After a hospital stay: check the discharge papers against the list.
- When a refill changes: a new strength or a new name on the label.
- Change the date at the top each time, so everyone can tell which copy is current.
If a change comes up in conversation, a quick note helps you remember to update the list later: Centis keeps those notes from what you say out loud.
More questions caregivers ask
- Where should I keep my parent's medication list?
- What should go on a parent's medication list?
- Should the list include medicines my parent stopped taking?
- All the questions
From Centis, a free care notebook you talk to. A way to keep the list, not medical advice: questions about the medicines are for the doctor or pharmacist.
Further reading
- My Medications List (opens in a new tab), from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention