There’s a good chance that many of you will be traveling or having visitors over the next month and a half with Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, New Years and extra time off. As we make our lists and prepare for our holiday adventures we rarely think drug safety. Jessica Bickford of Healthy Lamoille Valley shares why this should be a top consideration, “Safety is about context. We often keep our homes safe according to who is living there. When we had toddlers, our house was toddler proof… it isn’t now. This same principal often applies to our medicines (prescription and over the counter). That bottle of Tums on the nightstand would be appropriate in some homes, but would be an open invitation to a young child.” So, here are a few tips for drug safety while traveling or having guests…
- Talk to your hosts or guests about keeping their medicines secured. Explain that drug safety is a priority for you. They may be in the habit of keeping medicines on their nightstands or side-tables. Encourage them to lock or safely store all prescription medicines in a secure location.
- Talk to your children or teens about not touching medicines or eating anything not set out in a candy dish… many medicines look like candy to young children.
- Scout the space before leaving children unattended. Check the spaces where the kids are going to be and then point out or remove any items that could be unsafe. Look at the room from your kids eyes – you may catch that bottle of Tylenol that rolled under the TV stand!
- Depending on your children’s ages -travel with children’s medicines. Do not assume that adult doses will be safe for your children – even half doses.
- Read more about drug safety at: www.healthylamoillevalley.org/resources/rx/
