My MIL has Al and short term memory, how to get her to take meds?

When I called for my mom when she was living alone, she took the meds while on the phone with me -- my mom had bad memory but was not Alz according to any of her docs, just stressed and alone cause the pandemic shut down a lot of her apt complex's activities. Sometimes I'd call and she's already taken them. Once I got into the ritual of the phone calls same time every day it locked into her head, Id cal a minute or wo late and she'd be reaching for her pill case. Disruptions in her schedules scatterbrained her (does the same to me) so, pandemic was/is a crap time. Lots of elderly left in isolation.

But Als is not the same as being bummed out cause all there is to do is watch TV and play microsoft solitaire all day. She should not be alone. The time is now. I'm sorry. In the meantime if it is possible to rally family for a tempporary assist this is it. Your MIL is not safe there alone anymore

https://www.agingcare.com/questions/how-to-get-my-husband-to-see-its-his-parent-in-need-of-care-not-mine-479712.htm

You wrote last week about MIL. She cannot be left alone with ALZ. She needs 24/7 care. If no one wants to be with her 24/7 then she needs to live with someone or go into a LTC facility.

Try putting pills in applesauce or pudding. But really, you can't expect what you want out of your MIL. Her short-term memory makes it she can't remember from day to day, hour by hour even minute to minute.

Now is the time for in home care or Memory Care Assisted Living. An elder with AD and no short term memory should not be left unattended, its way too dangerous.

My gut reaction is that someone with dementia should not be living alone.
You know she is forgetting to take her pills but ...
She could forget to turn the stove off
She could forget to turn the water off
She could adjust the furnace way up..or down...
Or she could decide to take a walk....and not know how to get back and if she takes that walk is she going to be dressed appropriately? (I hope she does not have access to a car)
Your choices are Memory Care not Assisted Living or getting caregivers that will come and stay with her so she can remain at home.
Other than the pills that you are setting up what else are you doing or other family members doing that make it possible for her to live "independently" in her home. If you are doing every day tasks for her then she is not independent.

I had the same problems with my mom. I'd give her her pills and tell her to take them. Half an hour later - another reminder. Oh yes, I'm going to take them. Right - please take them NOW. With dementia they just can't remember to do these things even with multiple reminders. I hired caregivers to be here 9- 2 (then 9 - 5) to do breakfast, pills, shower, dressing, etc. She mostly needed someone to push her to get it done otherwise she'd stay in her jammies and wonder what she should be doing.

So the time is NOW. Choose caregivers or AL. Either will do the trick. She needs help. They can also help with laundry, playing games with her, cooking (which your mom is probably not safe to do anymore), light cleaning, etc. I had a to do list for our helpers so they knew what was expected. They all liked it and I was happy with it too.

Best of luck.

momsthing, we had the same problem with my Dad. Dad lived in Independent Living at a senior facility. Dad would forget to take his pills which were important for him to take.

I was able to use the option of a "MedTech" which was supplied by the facility, at a monthly fee. The MedTech would come twice a day and the Tech would make sure that Dad took his pills.

Home care is expensive. But it sounds like your Mom may do fine with just one shift, like 9 to 5 which would have her take her evening pills before the caregiver leaves. Something to think about. You would still need to fill her pill box.