Forgetting to take medication

[Grandma Joan]

MIL has been diagnosed with dementia for appx 2 years now.
Initially managed medication herself
then we got tablets dispensed in a blister pack weekly
then we found we had to put the dates by each individual blister to help her
now we find that unless we ring or visit then she doesn't take them, or last week she took Saturday's twice because she opened the Boots delivery and took Saturdays for this week and next. This is worrying, particularly as she is on Warfarin.

Should it be part of the GP service to provide a Community Nurse/Health Care Assistant to visit her home and administer the medication?

Or is it down to the family to provide this service either themselves or employ (& pay for) local carers to go in?

I'm just curious about what level of service I should expect from our GP ..?

 

[ITBookworm]

Unless something like injections or changing dressings are involved most GP's won't arrange for the district nurses to 'just' give pills. The normal solution is for social services to arrange for a carer to come in to give them as required.

Whether this carer needs paid for will depend on MIL's finances and what her local social services charge for or provide free.

Hope that helps.

 

[stanleypj]

I'm sorry that I don't have answers to your questions. But this must surely be a big problem for many carers who don't share a house with the person they care for.

Forgetting to take medication is easy, even for people who don't have dementia.

I can see how it is more significant in your mum's case as you mention she os on Warfarin.

I do hope someone who can answer your questions will respond.

 

[legolover]

MIL had exactly this problem. Our locality has a "Telecare" system which provided a tablet dispenser linked to an alarm system. I fill the dispenser for her once a fortnight (there are 28 spaces in the dispenser so it depends how many times a day meds are needed). Then you program the dispenser for what time you want her to take the tablets. Each time they are due the carousel rotates and out pops the tablets and an alarm rings. It will ring for up to an hour until she takes the pills. She got the hang of this quickly and rarely misses a dose. Because in her case the dispenser is linked to the Telecare centre by a phone link, if she fails to take the meds the centre will first phone her to prompt, and then phone me.

Even if you havent got a Telecare service in your area, its possible to buy the dispenser. eg online retailer look up "automatic pill dispenser"

Hope this helps

 

[Linbrusco]

My Mum couldn't manage blister packs. They were too confusing.
I have a 7 day week pill box, and fill up Mums meds for a whole week.
There is one tablet at night that she can't afford to take twice, as she has done before mixing days, so I have to take it over every night, and make sure she has taken the mornings dose. No major medications so no drama if she hasn't.

A pill dispenser wouldn't work with my Mum either.
I have seen her drop them and/or take them out put them on the kitchen bench and then walk away.
When she starts to take double the doses or evenings in the morning, I will have to have a rethink.
I cannot rely on my Dad to help Mum, as one time as a joke he hid her meds and told her she had taken them. Boy did he get a telling off from me.

 

[Ann Mac]

A pill dispenser wouldn't work with my Mum either.
I have seen her drop them and/or take them out put them on the kitchen bench and then walk away.

We had the same issue, when we tried the circular pill dispenser - Mil would take the tablets out, put them on the side, wander off to get a drink - and forget what she needed the drink for. We also had problems as when the batteries started to go on the dispenser, it would continually buzz - and it drove her mad, to the extent that we would visit, and find the dispenser hidden in the conservatory, on a chair and covered in cushions, blankets and anything else she could pile on the deaden the sound. Which meant that she took no meds at all for however long it was 'hidden for' - maybe as much as 2 days.

We also tried, once we returned to the blister packs, ringing to remind her - but, same issue - she could (and did) take the meds out, put them to one side - and forget them. If she found them later, we strongly suspect that she would take them, even if she also had her next dose to take at the same time

For the last couple of months that she lived 'independently' , she finally agreed to carers going in once a day, just to 'help' with meds. This at least ensured she had the morning dose always - and if she had forgotten the evening dose, they could dispose of it and that at least stopped her 'doubling up' - but it wasn't ideal or fail safe.

It sounds, from what you say, Granny Joan, that the most useful help for you would be a carer coming in at least once a day to make sure the warfarin is given - we accessed the day carers initially through Mil's SW. Mil did have to pay for the care (7 x 30 min visits per week, at around £14.50 an hour ), which she objected to - but for our peace of mind, it was worth it.

Good luck with getting this sorted xxxx

 

[bilslin]

Hi grandma Joan my mum started to get missed up with her meds forgetting to take them wrong days from the blister pack etc. so I got ss involved then and cares started to come in in the mornings to prompt her to take meds. Might be time for you to do the same. Good luck a.Linda xx