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When your parents get older, you slowly have to assume a bit of responsibility to guarantee they take care of themselves. The biggest obstacle—especially if you don’t live locally—is having them take their medication correctly and on time. While a home aide ultimately can assist you with their routine if need be, here are a few strategies to try with your senior parents when managing their medication routine.

Tips to Get Your Senior Parent to Maintain Their Medication Schedule

1. Use a Pill Box

For seniors who have memory issues, a pill box can be a valuable tool for remembering to take medication. They are typically compartmented into days of the week and times of day, which helps alleviate the possibility of unintentionally taking multiple doses of the same prescription. To further create a schedule without the assistance of a home aide, you can have your parent leave the pill box in the same place in their home, and set a recurring alarm as a reminder to have them take their pills.

2. Set Your Own Reminders

If you’ve noticed that your parent’s medication schedule is sporadic at best, you might gain peace of mind by telling them yourself. Set alarms for their medication times on your phone, and call them when they go off to remind them about their medication. If you live locally, you can also set a reminder to visit them at the end of their pill box cycle to refill their prescriptions for the next week.

3. Cut Out Redundancies

If a senior has needed to resort to a pill box, odds are they are swallowing a number of medications, which can make the process even more difficult. When refilling your parent’s prescriptions next, chat with their pharmacist to see if there are any overlaps in their medicines that could be causing issues like lethargy or mental instability. If they note redundancies, discuss them with your parent’s doctors to try and streamline their medication regimen.

Also, ask them about any non-pill alternatives if your elderly loved one is struggling with the sheer number of pills they have to take. Some other strategies can be flavored chews, dissolvable capsules, or tablets that can be crushed into powders—home aides will often mix them into pudding to make them more palatable. Always consult a doctor before proceeding with other options, as some medications—like time-release tablets—must be taken in pill form to work correctly.

4. Enlist the Help of a Home Aide

home aideIf you think your senior parent is still failing to take their pills even with alarms, phone calls, and other strategies, have a professional caregiver stop in during their medication times to assure they are following their schedule. Often, this option is best for elders who are increasingly forgetful—namely unable to remember the day of the week. A home aide can physically be there to hand them the correct pills they need for the corresponding time and confirm that they take all of them.

 

If you decide to opt for a caregiver’s help with your parent’s medication routine, you want to find a home care agency with superior service and a compassionate spirit. In New York’s Finger Lakes region, families depend on Lifetime Care for their loved ones’ home aides. Named a Top Agency of the 2016 HomeCare Elite®, the company provides comprehensive home health care, hospice care, palliative care, pharmacy services, support groups, therapy, and workshops for clients and their families. For more information about their home aide services and locations, visit their website, call (585) 214-1000, or connect with them on Facebook.

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