My mum has to take medication three times a day. Neither my daughter or I live near, so every day we give her the three lots in big, marked envelopes, 'TUESDAY WITH BREAKFAST' 'TUESDAY WITH FOOD DURING EMMERDALE' TUESDAY BEDTIME' but when we go there the next day, she gives us back the envelopes, with the tablets still in them. We don't know if this is her latest attention seeking idea, but whether it is or isn't, can anybody suggest a method of getting her to take them. We are going to try ringing her at the appropriate time and getting her to actually take them while we are on the phone, but we know that in the past she has said she is doing/has done something but hasn't. Social Services are not yet involved with my mother's care, but I have already been told that they won't administer medication. HELP!! someone please!!!! (I'm sure this will be the first of many postings - sorry guys!)
Taking medication
- Thread starter salinsouthwales
- Start date
I think your phone idea sounds the best. Is there a kind neighbour who would call in at the appropriate times? Failing that I would suggest social service have someone call in, not to administer the medication but to remind her to do this. Has she a careline service who might buzz her to remind her?
My mother has careline. They phone her at 8 am each morning to check on her. Yesterday she didn't answer them. They tried again several times, could hear the tv on in the background but couldn't get her to reply so in the afternoon they phoned me whilst I was at my husband's care home.
I did a detour on my way home, borrowed a key (my key was at home)from a neighbour and went in. She was nowhere to be found so I had to sit and wait until she turned up. She came in about half an hour later with her shopping!
She had left the TV on to keep her pet bird company! I told her to please buzz the careline if she ever missed their 8am call. We'll see how many more times she forgets this.
xxTinaT
My mother has careline. They phone her at 8 am each morning to check on her. Yesterday she didn't answer them. They tried again several times, could hear the tv on in the background but couldn't get her to reply so in the afternoon they phoned me whilst I was at my husband's care home.
I did a detour on my way home, borrowed a key (my key was at home)from a neighbour and went in. She was nowhere to be found so I had to sit and wait until she turned up. She came in about half an hour later with her shopping!
She had left the TV on to keep her pet bird company! I told her to please buzz the careline if she ever missed their 8am call. We'll see how many more times she forgets this.
xxTinaT
Hi there,
Has your mother been diagnosed with dementia?
If she is having difficulty remembering or understanding things like taking her medication then you really do need to involve Social Services so that they can come out and assess your mother & her needs.
If she needs help in the home they can arrange carers to come in to help her. You can arrange with surgery & chemist to have her tabs put in a nomad tray and if she has carers coming in they will be able to give them to your mother and prompt her to take them.
T
Has your mother been diagnosed with dementia?
If she is having difficulty remembering or understanding things like taking her medication then you really do need to involve Social Services so that they can come out and assess your mother & her needs.
If she needs help in the home they can arrange carers to come in to help her. You can arrange with surgery & chemist to have her tabs put in a nomad tray and if she has carers coming in they will be able to give them to your mother and prompt her to take them.
T
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My MIL never remembered her medication so first we tried with the pharmacy dispensing it in a pack with tablets for each day and time in a blister pack marked "Monday breakfast" etc. But it didint work, she took them randomly taking no notice at all of the days and times marked, sometimes taking too many , sometimes not at all. When we contacted social services they arranged for a "Telecare" service which includes a fab automated pill dispenser. I fill it up once a fortnight and every time a dose is due the box rotates revealing the correct tablets and sounds an alarm. If she doesnt take the tablets within a specified time (up to an hour, but can be altered to suit) then the box automatically contacts the Telecare staff over a wireless link. they then try to call her and tell her to take the pills. Only if they get no reply do they then contact me. To start with we had lots of calls but now she seems to be getting used to them telling her what to do and obeys them. Another good thing is that the box is lockable so she cant access any of the controls or take too many pills. we were away for a week recently and it worked perfectly and all the tablets had been taken correctly.
Yes, get social services involved. For the last 6 weeks they have sent in carers to my Dad the have prompted him to take all his med's. Now it's my job but they would have carried on if I was not able to do it for him.
"Thanks for that. Do you know who runs these Telecare services? I'm getting no help here at all."
"Social Services - who are they????????? Still waiting in the wilderness I'm afraid, no help here whatsoever."
Try your mum's GP - the community pharmacist set my mum's up in the first place, then it was refilled and delivered by the local pharmacy according to Mum's prescription from the GP.
My mum was on several different medications through the GP, not just Exelon via the Psychiatric Consultant for her dementia, so they had to liaise.
Do you have a Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN) via the Psychiatric Consultant if your mum's meds are presribed by the consultant? If so, the CPN might be of help.
Here is a link to the website for the Pivotell dispenser which might help to show the SW or GP:
http://www.pivotell.co.uk/Order_PivoTell_Dispenser_and_Accessories.htm
As you'll see, they are expensive but a number of people on this site have had them provided by NHS; some have bought their own (even from that online auction site!)
My mum was on several different medications through the GP, not just Exelon via the Psychiatric Consultant for her dementia, so they had to liaise.
Do you have a Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN) via the Psychiatric Consultant if your mum's meds are presribed by the consultant? If so, the CPN might be of help.
Here is a link to the website for the Pivotell dispenser which might help to show the SW or GP:
http://www.pivotell.co.uk/Order_PivoTell_Dispenser_and_Accessories.htm
As you'll see, they are expensive but a number of people on this site have had them provided by NHS; some have bought their own (even from that online auction site!)
In our area its provided by the council as part of the Directorate of Adult, Community and Housing Services ie Social services for vulnerable adults. She was initially referred for Community Occupational Therapy who looked at all her safety issues, fitted stair rail and toilet frame, and then passed her on to the Telecare provider. We have to pay £14.40 a month but its cheaper for council tenants. And for that she gets the pill dispenser, a wrist alarm, a smoke alarm, a recorded message box at her front door, all linked to the alarm center which is manned 24/7.
It looks like the same pill dispenser that nicoise posted, which still might be useful to you even if you didnt have the telecare link available
hope that helps a bit
this is such a difficult thing to do for dementia sufferer as the person struggles to remember what day it is, let alone the time of the day! We have pills in little box labels on Monday to Sunday etc but i have to stand over him and watch him take them. Some people have to be watched taking medication and cannot possibly do it themselves as often they drop a pill onto the floor, cannot bend down, and promptly forget about it. Then the only thing that would be full and rattling around would be the vaccuum cleaner!
Medication dispenser....
As frazzled1 says, memory plays such an important part in medications on the right day & time.
Mum was trained early on in her dementia problems with this machine ... but it did become just another one of the pieces of "sticking plaster" - used to sort a problem for a period of time until it just couldn't do the job well enough any more once further decline had happened.
We also found an issue that the batteries did start to run down after 6 months - causing erratic working with the dispenser, but the problem only became obvious after a few days of missed meds - which wouldn't always be noticed by the carers. Then the problem would be the lack of medications (Parkinson's ones in this case) which could be very serious as it led to much worse functioning and risking bad mobility, not eating, falls etc.
So it can be a short term solution to a problem, but won't sort it forever. And most carers aren't allowed to give medications, just oversee that they have been taken.
As frazzled1 says, memory plays such an important part in medications on the right day & time.
Mum was trained early on in her dementia problems with this machine ... but it did become just another one of the pieces of "sticking plaster" - used to sort a problem for a period of time until it just couldn't do the job well enough any more once further decline had happened.
We also found an issue that the batteries did start to run down after 6 months - causing erratic working with the dispenser, but the problem only became obvious after a few days of missed meds - which wouldn't always be noticed by the carers. Then the problem would be the lack of medications (Parkinson's ones in this case) which could be very serious as it led to much worse functioning and risking bad mobility, not eating, falls etc.
So it can be a short term solution to a problem, but won't sort it forever. And most carers aren't allowed to give medications, just oversee that they have been taken.
"Port Talbot. The CPN has apparently referred me to Social Services and the Occupational Therapist, but I've had no support as yet. This is all very confusing and I just feel that we are being left to our own devices. The 'help' just seems to be lip service and the wheels move VERY slowly!"
Sal, one thing you learn...never rely on others to make the calls, they get distracted. Phone Social Services directly and yell and demand ( politely) for help. regards...Maureen.
"thanks for that link, very useful products. The CPN isn't a great deal of help, and one tablet is prescribed by the consultant, the others prescribed by her GP. Nobody seems to be keen to take any sort of responsibility really, I'm very disillusioned with everyone involved at the moment to be honest."
persevere
My Auntie was diabetic so had medication 3 times a day. I lived too far away to do anything about this.
I did get social services involved, had an emergency social worker, don't think anyone else was ever allocated. (she was very helpful)
Auntie B had to pay for carers, but they came to get her up and dressed, change wet bed, put washing on and sort breakfast. Made sandwich for lunch time.
Progressed later to 4 visits so they came at lunchtime sorted lunch, put washing out to dry.
They came to sort evening meal
They came to put her to bed.
The carers couldn't give medication but the way around that was for me to put medication in one of those plastic boxes with the days and times on and wrote a note and signed it for them to give the tablets to Auntie B to take herself, basically I took responsibility off them.
Later on I discovered that the pharmacy could put the medication into popper packs with the days and times on and deliver it 4 weekly to her with the start date of each pack. The carers were ok with that too. Worked really well. Pharmacy sorted with GP when next prescription was due too. Great and no charge!
I communicated with the carers with a shorthand notebook on the dining table, we just put the date and message. They told me if she needed any shopping etc. I made sure there was bread, marg. jam etc for lunch, Long life milk, coffee.
I arranged a monthly delivery from Wiltshire Farm foods of frozen meals and deserts. Carers left me note of which ones she preferred. The delivery instructions also included that they were to put them in the freezer. (Auntie left them on the side once!) I ordered by phone and paid by credit card then got reimbursed
I registered Power of Attorney so that I legally could make all the decisions on her health, welfare and sort her household bills for her.
I've gone on a bit but I hope it's all helpful to you, don't be afraid to ask for help, be strong and don't let them pass daily things back to you. Delegate, easier said than done I know.
Good Luck and remember us carers have a right to our lives too.
Best Wishes
My Auntie was diabetic so had medication 3 times a day. I lived too far away to do anything about this.
I did get social services involved, had an emergency social worker, don't think anyone else was ever allocated. (she was very helpful)
Auntie B had to pay for carers, but they came to get her up and dressed, change wet bed, put washing on and sort breakfast. Made sandwich for lunch time.
Progressed later to 4 visits so they came at lunchtime sorted lunch, put washing out to dry.
They came to sort evening meal
They came to put her to bed.
The carers couldn't give medication but the way around that was for me to put medication in one of those plastic boxes with the days and times on and wrote a note and signed it for them to give the tablets to Auntie B to take herself, basically I took responsibility off them.
Later on I discovered that the pharmacy could put the medication into popper packs with the days and times on and deliver it 4 weekly to her with the start date of each pack. The carers were ok with that too. Worked really well. Pharmacy sorted with GP when next prescription was due too. Great and no charge!
I communicated with the carers with a shorthand notebook on the dining table, we just put the date and message. They told me if she needed any shopping etc. I made sure there was bread, marg. jam etc for lunch, Long life milk, coffee.
I arranged a monthly delivery from Wiltshire Farm foods of frozen meals and deserts. Carers left me note of which ones she preferred. The delivery instructions also included that they were to put them in the freezer. (Auntie left them on the side once!) I ordered by phone and paid by credit card then got reimbursed
I registered Power of Attorney so that I legally could make all the decisions on her health, welfare and sort her household bills for her.
I've gone on a bit but I hope it's all helpful to you, don't be afraid to ask for help, be strong and don't let them pass daily things back to you. Delegate, easier said than done I know.
Good Luck and remember us carers have a right to our lives too.
Best Wishes
I really would phone the Social Services yourself - I find that the CPN for my mother isnt a lot of help.
I am under Swansea Council so I phone the intake team there and they take info and pass it onto a Social Worker to come out to you and assess needs. Once that happens things go into gear quickly.
Good luck.
I am under Swansea Council so I phone the intake team there and they take info and pass it onto a Social Worker to come out to you and assess needs. Once that happens things go into gear quickly.
Good luck.
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