Several good responses so far. When my husband got to the point where he couldn't swallow his medicines any more, I started putting them in applesauce which made it easier for him. You can do that either crushed or whole depending on the person. Also you can have a picc line or midline put in their arm, so medications can then be put in that way. My husband had a pain pump, so he already had a picc line in his arm, so towards the end of his life, I had to administer his medications through the picc line. Wishing you the best.
If pill is able to be crushed (check with pharmacist) use a pill crusher and mix in applesauce or mix with a bit of water so person can swallow it. Speak to doctor about alternative medications ie gummies, chewable, or liquid. There are quite a few people who are unable to swallow a pill. If it is too large maybe use a pill cutter to make it into smaller pieces easier to swallow.
Just a bit more information about pills. If a pill is labelled ‘slow release’ (or if that’s what it says if you look it up on the net), it has a coating system that means it works over a period of several hours. Some are actually labelled ‘8 hours’. Those slow release pills shouldn’t be crushed or cut up, because the coating system is destroyed, the whole thing works immediately, and it can be quite dangerous. Just check, the pharmacist can tell you but you can always work it out yourself.
If you click on ‘Care Topics’ on the top right of the screen, you get an alphabetic list of topics. Scroll down to S for Swallowing, and you’ll find articles, questions and discussions about it. You are not the first to have this issue, and the Care Topic probably covers more ideas than you have ever considered!
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