Medication management is one of the most critical issues facing seniors who live independently. It is a real safety concern for those whose everyday health and wellbeing depend on taking the right dose of the right medication at the right time.
According to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, more than one-third of medication-related hospitalizations are due to patients not taking their medicines as directed. Additionally, medication non-adherence has also been associated with as much as 40 percent of nursing home admissions, notes the American Pharmacists Association.
Medication management can be a pill box to a complex medication dispensing machine. Sometimes a person cannot manage a pill box due to eye sight or memory issues. This may be time to start to think about the dispenser or an aide to come in the home and make sure the right meds are taken.
When I am asked about dispensing machines the first question I ask is what does your loved one need? If I am told it is significant memory issue where the person is forgetting to take the meds I talk to the family about what the medication dispenser can do and what it cannot do.
What it cannot do is make sure those meds get into the mouth. It can send signal to the family if the dispensed meds are not picked up from machine but no family can be assured that if they meds are picked up they made it to person's mouth. Sometimes seniors will take the meds off dispenser go into another room sit the cup down and forget to take them. This behavior means you need an aide, a physical person to come into the room and watch the person take them.
If you have questions feel free to contact me. The medication dispenser is helpful but with all care we need to talk about what does the loved one really need. Often what we think will solve the problem does not. Talking it out we can come up with creative solution to solve the problem usually.
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