In certain areas, the nearest pharmacy could be quite a distance away, and that journey takes even longer during an ice storm. Holiday weeks add another wrinkle, because many stores shorten their hours around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Senior Helpers knows that planning prescription refills before the holidays means you'll skip the scramble later.
Line Up Your Refill Dates
You might take three or four medicines, each running out on a different day of the month. That means trip after trip into town. Ask your pharmacist whether they can line up your refills so they come due together, an option some pharmacies call medication synchronization.
One monthly trip saves gas and a few afternoons, and getting prescription refills before the holidays gets simpler because there's only one date on the calendar to watch for when stores start posting their reduced hours.
Make a Holiday Calendar
A paper wall calendar, the free kind the feed store hands out, works fine. Note each run-out date and the holiday hours, then look for overlaps, like a refill that comes due on a day the store is closed, and mark those in red so they stand out when you flip the page.
A refill due on Christmas Eve is best handled a week early, after you check what your insurance allows for early refills. When a prescription has no refills left, call your doctor's office right away, since clinics are often short-staffed over the holidays.
Look at Mail-Order and Pickup Options
Some insurance plans offer mail-order pharmacy service for medicines you take every day. Many local pharmacies have drive-through windows. Ask which option your plan covers. Then ask how long delivery takes, and order well before the holiday mail slowdown. A package left on a porch during a cold snap is fine for most pills, but check with your pharmacist about any medicine that has storage instructions.
Please don't stretch pills to make your prescription last; it’s really best to get your refills before the holidays. Call your doctor's office instead and explain what's going on, even if it's the Friday before a long weekend and you'd rather not bother anyone with a phone call about something so ordinary.
Build a Small Backup Kit
Ice can close county roads for a day or two, and in some years a storm knocks out power and keeps rural drivers home well past the weekend. Prescription medications belong in an emergency supply kit, according toReady.gov's emergency kit guide. Use one bag. Keep it stocked with a printed medication list and a copy of your insurance card tucked in the side pocket.
Costs can worry anyone, and the National Council on Aging has articles on healthy aging and financial security as you get older. Your pharmacist can often suggest options you hadn't heard of, too.
We Encourage Getting Prescription Refills Before the Holidays
Short days make errands harder, and a closed road can throw off a whole week. Senior Helpers Northwest Arkansas offers medication reminders, prescription pickups, grocery runs, and rides to appointments in Fayetteville, Bentonville, Bella Vista, Cave Springs, and Summers. Contact us to get help lined up before the holidays.