My mom insists on filling hr own pill case with 8 different meds. She is very secretive about it and is always asking the Dr. if she can take less pills. he has just added a pill and I can't be sure that she is taking it. She has hidden the bottle so I cannot count remaining pills. Any suggestions?
Why not fill the pill box anyway once a week then keep it out of sight.That way everything is ready to tip into her glass and you have saved yourself time.
Sherridene next time she pulls that stunt call 911 and send her off in the ambulance with a note that she is non complient and a list of all her meds. Give to the EMT as she will hide it. tell her you will come and get her when she has followed dr's orders but other wise she can sit there. (You can actually do that you won't get arrested or anything)
I explained to her that drugs of any kind can cause reactions and problems as we age despite how long we have taken them.
I further explained that as she lives with me I needed to be familiar with her drugs, the dose, the timing, the effects they had on her etc. in case of emergency.
There were drugs my mother decided NOT to take. I told her that if that was her decision I needed to know why so I could back that decision with the doctor.
Many of the pills her doc prescribed were not necessary and not helping.
She was correct.She now takes 1 pill a day, her mood, bowels, everything is better.
She wasn't wrong not to take the pills and her health has improved.
My mother would not allow a pill dispenser. She said she would smash the thing with a hammer if I brought one in, but she was making a mess of taking her medications. I let things ride until we reached crisis points caused by the drugs. Then I would take charge of the medications one by one. She would allow me to put her dosage in a bottle on the table, then she would take it with meals. Now I manage all her medications. It have to put out the pills three times a day, but it works for us. The way things are now I don't know if a pill dispenser would work for her. She is very good at ignoring things like that.
I think that knowing your parents and what will work for them is important. It may not all happen at once because of control and trust issues. We can do what they let us do when they let us do them. We have to keep our eyes open for the moments of opportunity to step in.