Discovering that your loved one hasn’t been taking their medications properly is cause for a scare. Although a senior may downplay the severity of forgetting to take their medications or accidentally double-dosing, even minor changes in their drug regimen can yield dangerous or even deadly results. As your loved one gets older, their ability to appropriately manage their medications may slowly decline. This could be due to a change in their mental status or physical condition, or it could be brought on by a growing number of medications and increasingly complex dosing schedules. Regardless of the reason, mismanagement directly affects your loved one’s safety and is a red flag that they need some assistance.
Implementing a medication routine isn’t always met with enthusiasm, so caregivers often have to get creative with the ways they ensure their loved ones take all prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, and supplements as directed. Members of the Caregiver Forums hare their tips and tricks on how verbal encouragement, fancy pill boxes, and your loved one’s favorite treats can alleviate the struggles of the infamous “pill war”.
Verbal encouragement and redirection
“Every time I give my mom her medications, I tell her what a great sport she is. Somehow that seems to work. As she is taking them, I talk to her about something really good coming up after she takes the pills, such as eating a muffin, which is her favorite.” – suddenlysally7
“A technique that I see staff use regularly with my dad and others in his memory care unit is, when the patients say they don’t need or want their medication, the staff just ‘forget’ about it and go away. They come back after a couple minutes and start a conversation about something the patient can discuss, like their life as a child or a trip they remember enjoying, anything that will get them remembering and talking about something. Then, while they are sharing and talking, the staff member will just hand them pills and a drink without saying anything. They often just go along with taking them, because their mind is already focused on something else. If it seems as though they are going to focus on the pills, the staff member just asks another question about what the patient was just discussing. You may have to walk away and come back a few times for this to work. It’s called diversion. For those with dementia, it works really well to calm agitation and defuse anger. By the time you come back again or get them focused on something else, they have totally forgotten what had them upset.” – Joannes
