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Poll: Many grandparents do not store medication safely away from children
According to a recent poll, one in four grandparents revealed that they keep their prescription medications in easy-to-open containers or pill boxes, raising the risk that their grandchildren will accidentally ingest or even divert the drugs.
“Prescription medicines, and even over-the-counter medicines and supplements, can harm children and teens who find them in grandma’s purse or on grandpa’s kitchen table,” Preeti Malani, MD, director of the poll and chief health officer and professor of medicine at the University of Michigan, said in a press release. “Meanwhile, opioid painkillers and sleep medicines can be diverted for recreational use by teens. No matter how old your grandchildren are, you need to think about medication safety.”
According to the University of Michigan, about 40% of accidental ingestions among children involve medications that belonged to a grandparent.
The poll, which included more than 1,000 grandparents aged 50 to 80 years, showed that 97% had medication in their homes, including over-the-counter medications (94%), prescription medications (89%) and vitamins or supplements (86%).
Almost 30% used different containers for their prescription drugs, and 83% of these grandparents reported using easy-to-open containers or pill boxes — or roughly one-quarter of all respondents.
Prescription medications were most often stored in a cupboard or cabinet (61%), on the counter or table (18%), in a purse or bag (7%) or other areas (15%).
Most (84%) kept medications in the same place when grandchildren came to visit, potentially making it easier to access the drugs since they know where to look.
Alison Bryant, PhD, senior vice president of AARP, suggested in the release that grandparents should be reminded to keep medications “out of the reach of little ones.”
“Make sure you explain to them, and their parents or older siblings, that it’s important to stay away from your medicines, that those pills are for you and you alone,” she said.
Bryant added that grandparents should also have the national Poison Control phone number readily available in case of ingestion. – by Katherine Bortz
Reference:
University of Michigan. National Poll on Healthy Aging: Safely storing medication around grandchildren. https://www.healthyagingpoll.org/report/safely-storing-medication-around-grandchildren. Accessed July 1, 2019.
Disclosures: Infectious Diseases in Children was unable to confirm relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.