By PSS | Posted: Tuesday March 21, 2017
Careful medicine management has made a huge difference for Walmsley House resident Enid McCauley - and her daughter is heaping praise on the care she is receiving.
When Enid McCauley moved into Walmsley House she was taking eight
different medications.
Eight years on and she is down to one or two medications, is happier in herself, is able to get out and about weekly to spinning club and, at 77 years of age, she is generally much more independent.
“When Mum went into Walmsley House she was suffering from depression because she was grieving. She wasn’t able to get off that medication for a long time, but now she is, and she’s happy – she says she feels perfectly normal,” Enid’s daughter, Tania Faulkner-McKenzie says.
“When she first went in she was withdrawn, she didn’t want to go out, but now she’s out and about every week, she can take herself places – with Driving Miss Daisy - and she has made good friends.”
“It gives us, as her family, such peace of mind.”
Medicine management is a key part of the Enliven Southland philosophy of ensuring people are always the focus.
Nurse Practitioner Margaret O’Connor works across Enliven Southland with nurses and residents, and has dramatically reduced the number of medications being used.
“It’s about polypharmacy, which is medication use that is excessive or unneccesary,” she explains.
“The more medication someone is on, the higher the risk of adverse effects. So at Enliven we look at what medication someone is on, what it’s used for and whether they still need it. That’s the key – whether they still need it.”
“What it provides is a good environment for ongoing monitoring when you’re changing medications and many residents are seeing immense benefits from this approach.”
To find out more about Enliven Southland see www.enlivensld.nz, email enquiry@enlivensld.nz or phone 03 211 8200