Hi, My mum has vascular dementia, last weekend. my mum became very confused, when i asked if she was taking her tablets(warfin and heart tablets) she couldn't remember that she need to take them or why. I suggested that i take over the control of them and got a dosset box. Giving her 6 days worth on thursday evening, as she day already taken thursdays i left this empty. On sunday she had taken 2 extra days worth and said i had not given her enough. Tonight she has accuse me of taking her tablets and mixing them up. I don't know what to do for the best.I was worried she would either not take them or take too many.
MEDICATION MIX UP
- Thread starter dapps
- Start date
When mum became unable to deal with her medication herself, she had opened every window in a dosette box and taken the lot, we went to social care who arranged for carers twice a day to give them to her. We also had to get a safe so she couldn't get to the dosette box herself.
My mother-in-law was like this. She lived on her own and the only way to resolve this was for the physical presence of someone to prompt her. We had carers in eventually
Hi thanks for replying, she was assessed a few months ago and on that particular day she was 'good'.I think i will phone the dementia team in the morning and ask their advice. I feel Iam out of my depth at times and yet other times I seem to get it right.
When I contacted SS for help with meds I was told it wasn't something they did on its own. It could only be done as part of a care package. The alternative was to self fund a private care agency. This was a few years ago now so things may have changed.
My mum was offered a mechanised 'dosset' box that was to be filled by the local pharmacy and gave off a sound when tablets were due and the tablet compartment remained accessible for 30 minutes then closed and would remain closed till it moved on to the next dose.
I think it could give multiple reminders in the 30 minute time frame while the tablets were available in case the PWD was out of the room etc when it went off the first time.
It was offered after a SS assessment and free of charge, 2 of these would have been given so the pharmacy always had one ready to replace an empty one.( pharmacy deliver weekly)
It wasn't suitable for mum due to hearing problems but might be a solution for you. As others have said, next option is carers to prompt, this is what happened with mum, she didn't trust me and so external help was needed.
It only took a day or so for SS to arrange it, mainly as at the time mum hadn't had a financial assessment and so SS were picking up the tab for carers to come in, essentially for a few minutes for prompt meds and complete paperwork 3 times a day, it must have cost a fortune but l refused to get involved at that stage (now thankfully passed) as anything l did was wrong or looked on suspiciously as she felt l was trying to make her crazy to get my hands on her money/house etc
I think it could give multiple reminders in the 30 minute time frame while the tablets were available in case the PWD was out of the room etc when it went off the first time.
It was offered after a SS assessment and free of charge, 2 of these would have been given so the pharmacy always had one ready to replace an empty one.( pharmacy deliver weekly)
It wasn't suitable for mum due to hearing problems but might be a solution for you. As others have said, next option is carers to prompt, this is what happened with mum, she didn't trust me and so external help was needed.
It only took a day or so for SS to arrange it, mainly as at the time mum hadn't had a financial assessment and so SS were picking up the tab for carers to come in, essentially for a few minutes for prompt meds and complete paperwork 3 times a day, it must have cost a fortune but l refused to get involved at that stage (now thankfully passed) as anything l did was wrong or looked on suspiciously as she felt l was trying to make her crazy to get my hands on her money/house etc
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As @Ohso did I bought my dad an automatic pill dispenser which worked well for some time until he needed more care. Also, with his GPs agreement, he took all his pills at the same time so I could just check the box when I visited each day
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/TabTime-...&ie=UTF8&linkCode=df0&psc=1&tag=googshopuk-21
Above is a link to the machine I got for him.
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/TabTime-...&ie=UTF8&linkCode=df0&psc=1&tag=googshopuk-21
Above is a link to the machine I got for him.
I agree with @Beate
The pill box worked for my dad as someone was going in every day and could check he'd taken the pills. After a while he did ignore the box and alarm and we had to give him the pills which, by then, he was reluctant to take as he thought there was nothing wrong with him!
But in the early days it meant he was taking the right pills at the right time as the pills had been taken when we arrived and he didn't double dose which had been a problem before.
Eventually he started to take the pills out and leave them on the coffee table so he'd still get them - when someone got there - so mid morning ish.
Eventually the only solution was carers and a safe but the automatic pill box saved us some money for over year as we could delay getting carers.
The pill box worked for my dad as someone was going in every day and could check he'd taken the pills. After a while he did ignore the box and alarm and we had to give him the pills which, by then, he was reluctant to take as he thought there was nothing wrong with him!
But in the early days it meant he was taking the right pills at the right time as the pills had been taken when we arrived and he didn't double dose which had been a problem before.
Eventually he started to take the pills out and leave them on the coffee table so he'd still get them - when someone got there - so mid morning ish.
Eventually the only solution was carers and a safe but the automatic pill box saved us some money for over year as we could delay getting carers.
Dad takes all of his tablets in the morning so I used to put them out at night ready for him while keeping the remainder in my bag. It worked quite well but I had to visit twice a day anyway for breakfast and dinner anyway.
I couldn't trust him to keep the packets at home because he would fiddle with them by removing the pills to count them and arrange them little piles.
He has someone there 24/7 now so his pill taking is supervised. He couldn't cope with it.
I couldn't trust him to keep the packets at home because he would fiddle with them by removing the pills to count them and arrange them little piles.
He has someone there 24/7 now so his pill taking is supervised. He couldn't cope with it.
Mum had the pill dispenser unit, when the alarm went off she would take the pills, then it got where she would take the pills out the put them in her pocket, dad had to prompt her, then the carers had to, now she has a placement in a CH for 4 to 6 weeks, from what I'm seeing the dementia has evolved and can't see her going home.
Thanks for all the advice, we have SS coming to speak to mum this week,they were very helpful when i phoned last week.Listened and phoned me back within 2hrs.They did mention the problem with medication needs only and may not be able to offer a carer for this. Few days she has been fine with a few days only taking certain tablets out and leaving the rest. Luckily I noticed and made her take them. Today she was meant to make 2 appointments hairdresser and doctors, yesterday she didn't want me to do them she was capable to do them herself, wouldn't write them down. tonight it was all my fault. All I get is a sigh and 'oh I don't know people keep changing things'.
If your mum is showing the problems you mention she will probably need help wth other things, but unfortunately some of them they may not be the things SS is willing to help with (e.g. doing the laundry, shopping, appointments). SS help is generally confined to dealing with things like dressing/washing/providing a meal. So you would need to help identify things other than medication where SS could have input.
However all that said, if your mother tells the SW she doesn't need any help, you won't see them for dust. People with dementia tend to think they don't need any help (as you can see re the appointments yesterday) and SS will not give help if the person says it isn't needed. I went through this with my mother - lovely SW, but mother convinced him she was absolutely fine and he closed her file. If it's at all possible, try to be there when the SW meets your mum.
However all that said, if your mother tells the SW she doesn't need any help, you won't see them for dust. People with dementia tend to think they don't need any help (as you can see re the appointments yesterday) and SS will not give help if the person says it isn't needed. I went through this with my mother - lovely SW, but mother convinced him she was absolutely fine and he closed her file. If it's at all possible, try to be there when the SW meets your mum.
My experience is that SS put in carers just to deal with mums medication,(she didn't need or accept personal care and meals were then delivered by Meals on Wheels) as there was no-one else to ensure she took it, at the time she was in her paranoid stage so wouldn't trust me, this actually suited me fine as I didn't live with her and her medication was three times a day, so having carers in actually relieved me of lots of stress and enabled me to take a step back and repair our relationship ( all good now 
) I also 'refused' to get involved with her newly prescribed insulin so that is another level of 'care' that has also worked out well, they go in first thing in the morning so would alert me if she wasn't well etc.
The carers were put in initially following discharge from hospital but I dont see why SS wouldn't agree care is needed if meds are being missed/forgotten/hidden etc
) I also 'refused' to get involved with her newly prescribed insulin so that is another level of 'care' that has also worked out well, they go in first thing in the morning so would alert me if she wasn't well etc. The carers were put in initially following discharge from hospital but I dont see why SS wouldn't agree care is needed if meds are being missed/forgotten/hidden etc
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