In addition to medications and vitamins that patients take to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, patients are often prescribed medications for other ailments. All of these require management by the caregiver.

In the early stages of dementia, your loved one may be cognizant enough (with close caregiver supervision) to manage their own medications. If, for instance, the patient takes medications in the morning or evening, associating them with a practice, like eating dinner or breakfast, they may readily remember to take their medicines. Taking their medications can be attributed more to rote than to actual remembering, but it will allow the patient some regulated independence. They eat breakfast and take meds. They eat dinner, and then take their pills. In the same manner, a nighttime routine may act as a trigger to take pills at bedtime.

While some patients are able to “remember” to take their medications, caregivers must pay close attention to the process. Visual observation guarantees that the patient takes the correct medication and dose at the right time.

Just as failing to take prescribed medications is dangerous, overdosing is also a serious concern. Caregivers should keep a medication file handy to present at the hospital or poison control center in the event of an overdose.

Once it is determined that the patient cannot consistently administer their medications, the caregiver should immediately take over the responsibility. Take an extra precaution by ensuring the medications are inaccessible to the patient. Don’t assume that the child restraint cap is a sufficient deterrent.

Managing and Dispensing Pills

Coral all the medications into one place, perhaps on a Lazy Susan, in a lovely basket, or a small, sturdy box that will accommodate the plastic containers. Whatever you choose should be portable, so it can be easily carried from one room to another. You will not dispense the medications from the bottles corralled in your lovely basket or lazy Susan. It takes too much time and effort, and it’s also easy to make mistakes. Dispensing can be very confusing, given that some medications are prescribed multiple times per day or even once or twice per week.

The most effective way of keeping medications straight is to use plastic pill dispensers, also known as dose or pill planners. The pill planners have individual compartments labeled with the days of the week. Caregivers will transfer the number of pills required for each day into the segment of the pillbox labeled for that day.

Caregivers can further differentiate between pills by separating nighttime medication from daytime medication. Choose a darker-colored pill planner to place nighttime medications.

Using pill planners simplifies the process of dispensing medications. Caregivers plan out their loved one’s medicines once a week, or multiple weeks at a time.

Pharmacies sell the compartmentalized boxes, or you can purchase them online. Prices vary, but the boxes are very affordable.