Guides for families managing a parent’s medicines
These plain-language guides cover the questions families often have about a parent’s medicines: is Mum or Dad on too many tablets, and how would you even know? Nothing here replaces your family member’s own GP or pharmacist. The guides draw on community-pharmacy experience and explain the Home Medicines Review program in practical terms. For the full picture on the program itself, see HMR pharmacist Melbourne.
7 signs your parent may be on too many medicines
Everyday things you might notice before anyone calls it polypharmacy.
Noticing the signsMedicine side effects or dementia? What families should know
Confusion and memory changes aren’t always what they seem — medicines are worth ruling out first.
Getting helpHow to organise a medication review for your parent (Australia)
What a Home Medicines Review actually involves, and the steps to get one arranged.
Getting helpHome from hospital: the riskiest weeks for your parent’s medicines
Why medicine lists get muddled after a hospital stay, and what to check first.
Getting help10 questions worth asking about your parent’s medicines
Simple questions to bring along to their next GP or pharmacy visit.
Noticing the signsFalls and medicines: the connection families should know about
Some medicines make a fall more likely — here’s how a review looks for them.
UnderstandingWebster packs help — but they don’t fix everything
What a pre-packed dose really solves, and what it can quietly hide.
UnderstandingPolypharmacy: when five or more medicines deserve a second look
The plain-language explanation of a term your parent’s GP might use.
UnderstandingWhat the research says about Home Medicines Reviews
A straight look at the evidence behind the program, sources included.
Getting helpWhen English isn’t the language of the medicine cabinet
How language can shape a medication conversation, and what a planned bilingual review would cover.
Take the worry off your list.
Send an enquiry about the medicines or referral pathway and I’ll explain the next step.