Today Celebrates Self-Care Day

OTC medications, including healthcare packaging, comes into play on Self-Care Day

Today marks the first international Self-Care Day event in the United States. Hosted by Consumer Healthcare Products Associations (CHPA), this event highlights how over-the-counter medicines empower consumes to practice self-care and in turn save the US healthcare system $102 billion each year.

“There has never been a more urgent need to focus the world’s attention on the importance of better self-care,” Erica Mann, WSMI chair and president of Bayer HealthCare’s Consumer Care division, said. “Empowering consumers and patients to become active shapers of their health and well-being is the single most effective, common-sense way to improve health, reduce healthcare costs, and relieve the growing burden on health professionals.”

Better self-care relieves the pressure on healthcare professionals, but places that pressure on healthcare packagers to make their products safe, convenient and easy to use.

With the increasing need for packaging to be senior friendly, many OTC packaging must be able to open easily and help promote self-care.  Research has shown that senior consumers prefer packaging that has course ribbing and is easy for them to grab and use themselves. The reasons for this preference links back to the ridges being bigger and fitting their hand better. Packaging can impact whether someone can participate in better self-care, especially when consumers age.

To see how senior-friendly packaging really makes a difference, click here.