If you are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, you are probably managing a number of medications. This may also include a variety of vitamins and supplements. It can be quite a lot to manage.
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I recommend getting a large weekly organizer box, with as many divisions as they have medication times, like morning, afternoon, and evening. Set aside a time once a week when you can fill the box with the proper medications for each time of day, for the week.
Then each time, morning, afternoon, and evening, you just have to give them the pills from that section. This is much easier than dealing with the pill bottles each time and getting out all of the pills that are needed at this time.
I bought little medication cups, so they just felt like I was “the nurse” coming to give them their pills. This seemed to work well, and they never gave me any trouble about taking their medications. These are pretty cheap to buy in a pack of 100, and can have other uses for kid’s crafts, too!
And I even got little 5 oz. plastic cups for water to go with the meds. I found that they would down the whole 5 oz. cup of water with their pills, but when I gave them a larger glass, they would only take a sip. So, the little cup actually got them to drink more water. It also kept me from having too many glasses to wash.
Using these simple helpers can make medication management one of the simplest tasks of Alzheimer’s care.
Automatic Dispenser
If you want a more automatic solution, to make it easier for you or to help a loved one who is still living alone but needs help with the timing of meds, you can get an automatic pill dispenser. This one will light up and beep when it is medication time. The correct compartment will open and the current dose will be available, but all of the other compartments will be locked.
I recommend the solid white lid, so that the patient does not see the other pills that are for other times. If you are just using it to remind you to administer the meds, and the patient does not have access to the box, then the clear lid might be helpful for you to see how much is left in the box.
Other Helps
For more help with care-giving, visit the facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/awaytocare
For more help with caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease, check out:
https://away4you.com/category/a-way-to-care/
And for some stories of some of our experiences, go to:
How I Moved Parents with Alzheimer’s