One key to living independently for as long as possible is using tools and devices that can make personal care tasks, like taking medications, more manageable. For many older adults, keeping track of their medication schedules can be a challenge to their daily life and independence. Medication errors can cause serious health complications ranging from nausea to confusion to death. Understanding the options for increasing medication adherence can truly be a lifesaver.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 70% of adults use at least one prescription medication daily, and about 22% use more than five prescription medications each day. As the number of prescription medications increases, so does the risk of experiencing a medication error or an adverse drug event. Seniors might forget to take medications at the correct time or in the correct dose, or they might skip taking their medication because they can’t open the bottle or have difficulty swallowing pills. In any case, medication mismanagement can be unhealthy and lead to emergency situations.
Fortunately, there are resources and devices that can empower older adults and their family caregivers when it comes to managing medications. Here, we explore some options that can increase medication adherence in older adults.
Medication reminder alarms
Perhaps the simplest intervention to assist seniors with medication management is setting alarms. A recurring alarm that reminds older adults to take their medications at the correct times can reduce the chances that they miss a dose. You can set these medication reminder alarms using an Alexa or Google Home device. You can also set alarms on smartphones that give audio reminders and can include notes indicating the correct medication and dosage for each alarm.
Using high-tech, integrated devices can be helpful for seniors who already have them or are willing to integrate them into their lives. Those who want simplified reminder tools can benefit from some of these other types of devices. This alarm doubles as a pill organizer and can be set to remind a person to take medication at appropriate times. Medcenter’s Your Minder alarm allows the user to set up to six custom voice alarms that can prompt someone with messages like, “It’s time to take your evening medicine.”
Buy the TBSoon seven-day pill organizer with alarm on Amazon
Buy the Medcenter Your Minder medication reminder alarm on Amazon
Pillboxes
A pillbox can be a good solution for older adults who find opening prescription bottles challenging due to pain or mobility. It can also simplify medication time for those who don’t want the hassle of sifting through each of their bottles to find the right medications. Pillboxes organize medications into compartments for specific days and times. They also serve as visual reminders: If the appropriate compartment is empty, the older adult will know they have taken their medication already, and if it’s full, they’ll know they have yet to take the medicine. There are a variety of pillboxes that address different issues, so you can choose one that suits the needs of the older adult in your life. You can find them online and at your local drugstore.
Some boxes have containers for morning and evening doses for each day of the week. There are also monthly systems: This monthly organizer has individual boxes for each day of the month with sections for morning, noon, evening, and night. It even has an alarm to cue the older adult to take their medications.
The key to choosing the correct pillbox is to ensure it is easy for your loved one to use and doesn’t add to any confusion. For example, colorful boxes might be too overwhelming, or a pillbox with a tiny clasp might be difficult to open for someone with arthritis. Push-button pill organizers like this one might help meet the challenges of arthritis or limited dexterity, for example. Be sure to choose a pillbox that best suits your loved one’s preferences and needs.
Buy the Ezy Dose seven-day a.m./p.m. pillbox on Amazon
Buy the Medcenter monthly pill organizer on Amazon
Buy the Ezy Dose seven-day push-button pillbox on Amazon
Smart medication dispensers
A smart medication dispenser, such as the Hero, offers seniors independence and family members peace of mind. These devices dispense only the medication needed at specific times of the day. You’ll need to fill the dispenser with prescription medications and set the appropriate schedules, but the device will take care of the rest. It sounds an alarm to alert the senior that it is time to take their medication. The older adult then pushes a button on the machine, and it dispenses the correct medication at the correct dose into a pill cup.
The Hero system also includes an app that family caregivers can download to keep track of their loved one’s medication schedule. If the older adult doesn’t push the dispense button at the correct time, the app will alert a designated family caregiver so they can follow up with a phone call or visit.
Buy the Hero smart medication dispenser
Pill bottle and blister pack openers
For a senior who knows when to take medications but struggles with opening bottles or blister packs, a device to help access the medication could be an effective fix. Many options are available, so you’ll want to find the one that works best for your loved one. For example, bottle openers make gripping and twisting the top easier, while pill punchers make it easier to get pills out of foil pouches. Depending on your loved one’s needs and their medication’s packaging, you can choose a product to help them with medication adherence.
Buy the Jokari easy-open bottle opener on Amazon
Buy the Kingmall pill puncher tool on Amazon
Pill crushers
Pill crushers can be a great help to older adults. Some pills are large and difficult to swallow. A pill crusher turns the pills into a fine powder so the senior can take their medication mixed with applesauce, pudding, or a small amount of another type of food rather than having to swallow the pill whole.
A simple pill crusher requires the older adult to twist the two halves of the device until the pill is crushed. The senior then untwists the two parts and pours the powder out of the crusher.
If the older adult struggles with grip strength, has arthritis in their hands, or has dexterity issues, you might consider a different style of pill crusher. For example, with B&C Home Goods’ pill grinder mill, the user inserts the pill into the top section, holds the grinder with one hand, and with the other moves the elongated handle in a circular, churning motion, similar to how a pepper mill works. This pill grinder also has a larger pill capacity and a clear window to see the pill grinding progress.
If manual pill crushers are too difficult to operate, there are also many electric and battery-powered pill grinders that make pill crushing a breeze. With this electric pill grinder, the user can crush two pills in under three seconds by placing pills in the well, putting the clear plastic cap on top of the device, and pressing down on the cap to activate the grinder. It is portable and small, so you can leave it anywhere it can be plugged in, such as on the kitchen counter or next to the chair where you take your medications.
It’s essential to keep in mind that not all medications can be crushed. For example, extended-release medications cannot be crushed. Crushing destroys the timed-release mechanism or coating and will administer too much of the medication at once, which could be extremely dangerous. Be sure to consult with a physician to verify which of your or your loved one’s medications can be crushed.
Buy the CVS Health Deluxe Pill Crusher at CVS
Buy the B&C Home Goods pill grinder mill on Amazon
Buy the Srutueo electric pill crusher on Amazon
Automatic prescription refills and delivery
Some older adults struggle with getting to and from the pharmacy to refill their prescriptions. In this case, an automatic refill and delivery service can bring the prescriptions right to their front door. Your loved one’s pharmacy might already offer this service, but you can also look at services through Express Scripts or Amazon Pharmacy if they don’t.
When setting up a delivery service, ensure the pharmacy has your loved one’s updated physician contact list. Also be sure to ask what options are available for how the medication arrives. For example, they might offer your medication in both pill bottles and blister packs, so you can choose whichever you prefer.
Explore Express Scripts’ prescription delivery service
Explore Amazon Pharmacy’s prescription delivery service
Medication management visits
Even with all the different medication adherence products, a hands-on approach works best for some older adults. Home care agencies often offer medication management visits during which a home care provider comes to the home to provide medication reminders and cues for taking the right medications at the correct dose and time. In addition to promoting proper medication adherence, these services can be a wonderful stepping stone for older adults who might be in need of other home care services, allowing your loved one to form a relationship with the visiting home care representative.
Ensuring medication adherence in older adults
Medication management can be tricky, even for the most active senior. Finding a device or service that eliminates some barriers to success can enhance independence and ensure safety. With proper planning, you or a loved one can remain independent at home while staying healthy and safe. Be sure to explore the options listed above to choose the right intervention for you or a loved one.
