Designing for the Life Span Segment 4
Designing for the Life Span Segment 4 
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[D]
Medications require special attention with regard to their location in the home. Prescription drugs that require attention to timing and sequence and will be taken at times of the day when a person may experience weakness, dizziness and other physiological problems. Drugs should be transferred from the bathroom into the kitchen- especially if a phone is located in a kitchen- or nearby that area of the home. Fainting and falling in a bathroom presents too many hazards and little doorway access for assistance.
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Generally, medications are more appropriately placed in the kitchen than they are in a bathroom. It is unlikely that there is a phone in the bathroom and medications should be taken in proximity to a phone. They should also be taken in relationship to meal times - either prior to, during or after. A clear schedule in large print for those with reasonable vision should be placed on the cabinet housing the medications. Bottles and containers should be clearly marked - something that is difficult if standard containers are used. It might be possible to mark each medication with colored tape and have the afore mentioned schedule also marked with the colored tape. Blind older adults have a special problem and either Braille or some other form of tactile identification must be used to identify medications.
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