Managing medication

[JillAnn]

Hi.
I've been caring for my Mum who has Dementia, COPD and Agoraphobia for around 18 months. We're kind of getting by (Mainly due to pacifying her, ignoring he dirt and just going along with things). She doesn't see anyone else apart from the window cleaner and paperman. However, I am concerned that she isn't taking her medication correctly-she's misunderstood how to use her Inhaler and is hardly getting any of the medication in it into her lungs. When I've tried to tell her she says she's been shown like this-she hasn't. She's taking at least 3-4 Amitriptyline per day when she should be taking 1-2. This has all resulted in her recently running out of her medication suddenly and then having trouble waiting 48 hours for the GP/Pharmacy to process it.
I was wondering what the best way to resolve this would be as she really can't go on like this. Would it be her GP or another health professional who sorts this out? Thee must be a better system.
Thanks for reading

 

[MorryLou]

Hi
I'm in the same position as you. My Mum has COPD and a host of other problems and though she lives with me, I work so she is by herself most of the day.
For a while, my Mum has been managing with a dosette box of her tablets. The tablets come from the pharmacy in organised, day specific, time specific lots in a weekly pack,that she just has to break each blister. Her inhalers are a different story and these can be ok then a bit random. She doesn't appear to take too much, but rather too little.
As her dementia is progressing I'm having to check more and more and eventually I will have to get in carers through the day to make sure that she has eaten, drank and taken her meds.
I think this is the only way to monitor things. Having said that, she swore she had taken her tablets last week, then when I checked a pocket before putting in the wash, there was a stash.
It's not so easy for us, but we can only do our best.

 

[Duggies-girl]

I check dads pills every day and he seems to be ok as long as each packet has the same amount of pills remaining.

He started the donzepil a month or so ago and I had to give it to him every evening which was a pain as he takes his others in the morning and could not get the hang of it.

Then the memory clinic agreed that he could take it in the morning along with his others and as he had a delivery of his other meds around the same time as he started his new pack of denezepil I took his few remaining old meds away and gave him 5 fresh packs to start at the same time.

I just hope he doesn't drop one on the floor again.

 

[Amy in the US]

Hello, @JillAnn. I'm sorry to hear about the medication problems with your mother. I have been there with my own mother (not COPD meds but a number of both prescription and over the counter medications) and it is tough.

When my mother got to the point where she couldn't manage her medications any longer, we tried pill sorters and dosette boxes (the US equivalent) with no success. She needed help and supervision for her medications. Sadly, I had to wait for the crisis for desperately needed care to happen, and hope you don't have to as well.

This may be the case for your mother as well. Does she have a care package and carers coming in? Has she had a needs assessment? Do you hold PoA?

It is very difficult and all we can do, is the best we can do. Best wishes.

 

[DollyBird16]

Hi
Sorry to read about the trouble with medication, I can empathise.
I’ve just asked the GP to do night and day blister packs.
I need to get the packs into a locked box, does anyone know if these are provided or do I buy it? I don’t want to get the wrong thing.
Mum has now become as keen as @JillAnn Mum and wants to take more tablets than necessary!