By Madelyn Heikkila, pharmacy intern at Network Health
11/25/2024
Taking care of a loved one with dementia has its challenges, and one of those can be ensuring they are taking their medication as prescribed. Someone with dementia may struggle remembering to take their medication or may even resist taking medicine.
So, as a caregiver, how can you help ensure they are sticking to all their prescribed medications regimens? The answer to this question may evolve as a person’s disease progresses, however, we can offer some helpful ideas to try.
But first, it’s important to remember that a person with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia requires a well-rounded care plan. Ensure that they have a supportive healthcare team to assist during the disease progression.
Members of the healthcare team that will be beneficial to an Alzheimer’s patient include their personal doctor, neurologists, geriatricians, geriatric psychiatrists, clinical or neuropsychologists, speech, physical, and occupational therapists, nurses, home health aides and pharmacists. When it comes to medication questions, your local pharmacist can be a helpful resource.
Patients with Alzheimer’s can develop a dementia care plan to help assist with their medical, emotional, and social needs. Fox Valley Memory Project has Memory Link, a free grant-funded service that can connect you and your loved one with a Resource Navigator to assess individual needs, establish goals and objectives, and identify support systems.
There are a variety of tools to help with medication adherence, but there is no one-fits-all solution. You may have to try multiple methods before finding one that suits you and your loved one.
Some common methods to help those with dementia remember to take their medication (and take it as prescribed) include the following.
Each of these can help ensure the medication is taken on the right day at the right time. A pill box can be as simple as separate containers for each day of the week or can be more complex, with separate containers for morning, noon, evening, and bedtime or one box for each day of the month.
Mobile apps like Medisafe can be used to remind those with dementia to take their medication. These apps allow caregivers to set pill reminders on a smartphone accompanied by an alarm or alert sound, and often come with other features like drug interaction tracking, refill reminders and more.
Another method to help with medication adherence includes having a family member, friend, or caregiver help manage the medications. If there is another individual helping with medication adherence, they can utilize any of the adherence methods as reminders to administer medications to their patient.
Check out this Network Health brochure that discusses additional ways to remember to take your medications.
When working out a medication adherence plan, it’s also important that medications are only taken as prescribed. A pill box or pill calendar helps with that, but there are times when caregivers or patients may turn to over-the-counter (OTC) supplements with the hope they will be effective in treating dementia. It’s best to consult with your or your loved one’s personal doctor or pharmacist before starting a new medication regimen with this intention.
For example, Prevagen® is a commonly known OTC supplement that claims to help with memory. The main ingredient contained in Prevagen® is apoaequorin, a substance that is from a jellyfish species. A clinical study to evaluate the effectiveness of Prevagen® did not include any patients with Alzheimer’s, so the results are limited and cannot be applied to those with Alzheimer’s.
Dietary supplements, like Prevagen®, are not intended for the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. If you are experiencing early signs or symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, it is important to contact your primary care provider to discuss prescription treatment options approved by the Food and Drug Administration to help with symptom management or potentially slowing of disease progression.
[Read more: Is It Possible to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?]
Dementia is challenging for both those who have it and their caregivers, so remember to utilize the support system around you, including local partners like Fox Valley Memory Project, and the health care professional you interact with regularly. Working together, we can all help create better days ahead for dementia care.