Mother has been out of her dementia meds for 4 days. We pay $375 for nurses to manage her meds at the facility. What should we do?

Please come back and tell us what the DON says.

This should not be happening and you should not have been the one to have to tell the DON. These should be in blister pks. When they are distributed the nurse should be signing off that the med was given and when. Someone has either given Mom her med 4x too many or her med is being stolen. If too many times, a nurse is not signing off. This is serious because the State checks these records.

I'm assuming you pay extra ($375./mo.) for medication administration in her facility.

I'm not sure how you know that she missed 4 days (nurse told you, mother told you, you looked at the date on the bottle, you called the pharmacy?).

I would have a discussion with the DON (director of nurses). This is not acceptable for your mom to miss her meds, especially since you are paying extra for a service you're not getting.

When you pick up her meds, record on your calendar when she should be taking the last pill. Put a reminder alarm on your cell phone to alert you one week before she runs out so you can call in the refill.

Unfortunately, people with dementia don't have the ability to remember events accurately. If your mother told you she hadn't received her meds, she may have forgotten right after she took them. My mom forgets seconds later.

You pay $375 for what? Her meds? Isn’t that covered by her insurance? Do you mean the nurses are in charge of reordering her meds? How did you find out she hadn’t had her meds for 4 days? Are you certain this is the truth? If you are, you need to go directly to the Director of Nursing, in person, and demand to know why your mom hasn’t had her medication. I would also notify the facility administrator.