How to make sure the medicine goes down?

[Librarymaid]

My brother, aged 68, was formally diagnosed in 2012 with early onset Alzheimers. By the time of diagnosis, it was discovered (after MRI scan) that the illness was probably at least three years into the process.

With varying ups and downs, his wife and family have soldiered on taking the good days along with the bad. My husband and I do what we can to support them; we visit every week and will phone or text throughout the week. We've been able to take them away for a short couple of breaks this year, as holiday trips are not so easy to arrange - especially when my brother is uncooperative about getting to meals on time and getting him to a toilet is difficult for my sister-in-law (until she recently acquired a RADAR key to use disabled toilets!)

However, in the last few weeks, the bad days have far outnumbered the good ones! The issue now is that my brother is rejecting everything his wife says, to the point where yesterday she had to ring me and ask me to speak to him on the phone to tell him he needed to take his tablets. That seemed to work! However, today he was having none of it!

He doesn't recognise her as his wife and gets annoyed with even the simplest requests and cajoling and even when I went round today to see if he would respond to a different person asking him he was polite but non-compliant.

Eventually, a couple of hours after I'd left, she texted me to say he'd finally taken his tablets and had a drink - but wouldn't eat and just kept going back to bed.

I want to support my sister-in-law but I'm at a loss to know how best to do that, other than big hugs and a shoulder to cry on. We think contacting the Admiral Nurses might be one way forward to see if they can suggest anything or provide support.

Does anyone have any ideas how to ensure he takes his medication? My sister-in-law is at her wit's end and I fear for her own emotional health.


Many thanks, in advance!

 

[Beate]

Does he like yoghurt, mousse or jelly etc? You could hide the pills in there. I do that with OH's pills. It makes them easier to swallow too.

 

[Amy in the US]

I forget where I heard this advice (maybe a Teepa Snow video or a workshop I attended) but they recommended putting the pill in a spoonful of jam, favoured flavour of course. The sweetness of the jam is appealing and the texture with the fruit in it can help disguise the tablet.

You might talk to the GP and/or pharmacist to see if any of the medications can be given in liquid form, or if it's okay to crush tablets, et cetera. That can sometimes make it easier to disguise medications or put them in beverages, et cetera.

I wonder about having someone (a carer) come in to administer medications. Sometimes the PWD (person with dementia) will go along with an "official" person where a family member can't get something accomplished. A uniform or name badge may help, or not, depending on the person.

I agree with contacting the local Admiral Nurses to ask for help and support.

Wishing you all the best.

 

[CollegeGirl]

Hello Librarymaid and welcome to Talking Point.

My dad has to give most of my mam's medication covertly, crushing them up and hiding them in her food. He puts one of her crushed tablets on a corner of her morning bread and honey, for example, and gives her that corner first until she has eaten it, before giving her the rest, so that he knows she's had it.

If you think crushing them might work, it's best to check with the doctor to make sure that it's okay, as some tables should not be crushed as it affects the way they are absorbed. You can buy pill crushers quite cheaply in chemists.

Also, as far as supporting your sister in law goes, don't underestimate the effects of a hug and a shoulder to cry on, as I've been told here myself! It's a valuable role, and you're doing a great job.

xx

 

[Shedrech]

Hi librarymaid
good idea to contact the Admiral Nurses
https://www.dementiauk.org/how-we-help/admiral-nursing/
and to suggest your SIL talks with their GP about this and any other changes in your brother's behaviour
you say the family are soldiering on - alone? - do they have support? - if your SIL hasn't already contacted their LA Adult Services, suggest she does, to have an assessment of your brother's needs - it may be that a home care visit might help, as some people accept support from someone else when they won't co-operate with family
I did find with my dad that if he refused meds it was best to then back off immediately, making no negative comment, giving no explanations, not reasoning or cajoling; if I did that he just became more stubborn and set in his ideas, and the conversation went round and round in circles validating his view that taking the meds was not a good idea - so I'd take them away and try again 10 minutes later, if possible with him in a different room/situation so it didn't seem like a re-run of the previous refusal; and I never mentioned that I'd tried before, I just behaved as though I hadn't mentioned meds at all and as though it was going to happen so he didn't pick up any negative vibes
I also checked with his GP and consultant which meds were absolutely necessary and which we could skip once with no major concern - the consultant agreed that it was better to back off and not raise dad's anxiety levels rather than create a battle which wasn't going to be won by either of us - definitely check before crushing any pills as some shouldn't be given that way as they are meant to be slow delivery in the body; but some can be given covertly and even in drinks
best wishes to you all

 

[Peirre]

We have good and bad days with medication, I tend to administer the pills, on good days he will take them no problem. Sometimes he will chew them like sweets taking ages to take them all. On bad days he will flatly refuse to take them, so I tend to leave it a while & let him settle down before re-trying

 

[Librarymaid]

Thank you for all the advice and ideas - I will pass these on! Today I had a text from SiL to say my brother had got up, been showered, dressed, had breakfast AND TAKEN HIS TABLETS!! SO perhaps today will be one of his better days! ;-)