How to Organize Pills for Seniors for Daily Medication Management
Trying to learn how to organize pills for seniors is not rocket science. Family caregivers responsible for a loved one with a chronic medical condition need to learn the pill routine and put a system in place to keep it simple. Basic pill boxes get the job done. Set up a mobile app with notifications for daily reminders. Use a calendar for prescription refill reminders. Save doctor contact information to reach out to them when needed. Select a pill organizer that meets the needs of the senior and their home.
Organize a Daily Pill Schedule for Seniors
Review the quantity and times per day for every medication that a senior is taking. Write them down on a piece of paper or create an excel sheet if you like to manage information on your computer. Document the name of the medication, number of pills taken, frequency/time of day taken, and any special comments such as take with food or avoid before sleeping, etc. It is a good idea to also include the prescribing doctor and the number of pills in the container, and what is the refill schedule. A 90-day supply or 30-day supply is most common for refills.
Use Google Calendar or another application that allows adding events and setting them to repeat daily, weekly, etc depending on the medication schedule. These reminders are either done silently as a gentle reminder or include an audible alarm that notifies the senior that it is time to take a medication and what med to take. Certainly, there are additional pill management-specific solutions and even smart pill boxes that stay locked and dispense only the meds needed for a specific time. A simple notepad schedule works for most until the number of medications and caregivers increases. At that point using a more sophisticated system helps resolve the potential for problems to occur.
Organize Senior Medications with a Pill Container
The simplest approach to organizing medications for seniors is using a pill box. Each compartment contains the pills for each specific day and time of the day. Family caregivers, professional organizers for seniors or the seniors themselves can prep a week or more in advance. Avoid carrying a big bag of prescription pill bottles with hundreds of pills for short trips. A pill container easily fits into any day bag allowing a senior to easily keep their meds with them.
Avoid Medication Errors
Medication organization saves lives. According to the National Library of Medicine, every year, in the United States 7,000 to 9,000 people die due to a medication error. Along with, the countless number of people that have adverse reactions to other medication complications due to not properly managing their daily pill regimen.
Features of Pill Organizers for Seniors
The best pill boxes are a solution to the majority of at-home medication problems. Keep track of daily meds. Contain all the pills in one or two containers for an entire week. Easy to open for seniors with arthritis. Automated dispensers with built-in reminders and locks with digital pins add a layer of security to the pill box. An automated dispensing solution is advised for seniors or homes that require extra precautions with medications.
An organized pill container eliminates the medication errors that occur with taking too much or too little of medication or missing a dose. All of these, create serious medical problems for the elderly managing a complex chronic condition.
Daily Pill Organization
The container should have at least 7 compartments one for every day of the week. Some models will have two or even three rows for the week. This additional space is helpful for medications that are taken twice or three times per day.
Pill Box Capacity
A problem with many pillboxes is they are too small. This may work for managing a single or two medications, but certainly not for several meds or larger pills. Vitamin supplements or fish oil pills can be quite large. A pill organizer with extra large storage spaces is required to fit big pills. The additional space of larger boxes also makes getting the meds out easier for frail hands or people with arthritis.
Alarm Reminders
Sophisticated pill boxes that are electronic may dispense meds at a specific time with an audible or visual light alarm notifying the senior that their meds are ready for use. Alternatively, setting up a reminder on a smartphone to provide daily reminders for specific medications is very helpful. Reminders set for monthly or 90-day refills assist family caregivers in managing the meds.
Pill Container with Locks
Family caregivers supporting an elderly person with dementia or Alzheimers benefit from locked pill boxes. This removes the chance of overmedicating. A locked container will use a physical lock or a pin pad with a number lock to open the box.
Portability of Pills
The pill box is easy to pack and take with you. No longer will you forget to bring your meds for that day trip that accidentally gets turned into an overnighter. Big ziplock bags full of pills are no fun to bring on short getaways. Use a pill container for all your trips unless you really need to bring the full supply and leave them in the medicine box.
Automatic Pill Dispensers
Getting mom or dad an automatic medication dispenser takes a lot of pressure off family members that are not with loved ones 24/7. Load the machine with pills and set the dispensing schedule and the medications are offered when they are needed and in the right amounts. No longer do you have to worry about a family member with early onset dementia forgetting to take their essential meds.
These medication dispensing machines are very sophisticated. As an example, they connect with mobile apps via Bluetooth. Also, include locks to prevent tampering with the contents. Ultimately, while the device is expensive compared to a traditional pill box they come with many benefits. Such as notifications, alarms, refill reminders, and many additional features that make staying on top of a senior’s prescriptions easier.
Managing Prescription Medication Refills
It is very important to stay on top of medication refills. Set reminders in your google calendar. It is suggested to call in refills at least 5 days, but 7 days is even better. This advance notice eliminates problems from occurring when a med needs additional authorization from the prescribing doctor or your insurance provider.
Many pharmacies offer free delivery for prescription refills. Take advantage of this offer instead of waiting at the pharmacy for every single refill pick-up. This is another reason for calling in ahead of time.
There are many ways to consider how to organize pills for seniors, however without a pill box and a documented schedule it is very difficult. With these two simple systems in place though, a family caregiver managing the medications of a complex med schedule of any loved one is made simple.