Dementia and Medication Adherence: How to Help Those With Dementia Take Their Medication
By Madelyn Heikkila, pharmacy intern at Network Health
Medically reviewed by Lauren Lubinski, pharmacist at Network Health
Originally published 11/25/2024 | Updated 11/2/2026
Caring for a loved one with dementia is challenging for many reasons. Someone with dementia may struggle remembering to take their medication or may even resist taking medicine.
Ensuring that medications are being taken as prescribed may be challenging as a caregiver. As a person’s dementia progresses, different techniques and ideas can be tried.
Importantly, a person with dementia requires a well-rounded care plan and a supportive health care team to assist during disease progression.
Members of the health care team that are beneficial to dementia 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, the pharmacist can be a helpful resource.
Creating a dementia care plan to help assist with their medical, emotional and social needs can be highly beneficial. 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.
What Makes Taking Medication Difficult for Those With Dementia and Their Caregivers
Making sure that someone with dementia is taking their medication as prescribed is an important part of their care but can be difficult. Medication errors are often intentional. Someone with dementia may forget a dose, be uncertain if they have already taken their medication, find it hard to follow a routine or have difficulty keeping track of changes to their medications.
It’s difficult for caregivers too. Schedules get busy. Caregivers might give their loved one’s medication and then forget they gave it and give it again. Think about it… Have you ever forgotten to take your own medication? It happens, but there are things you can do to keep it from happening to your loved one with dementia.
Recommended Tips to Ensure Patients Take Their Medication as Prescribed
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 as prescribed include the following:
- Pill box
- Bubble Packing
- Mobile apps like Medisafe
- Automatic Medication Dispensers
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.
Automatic medication dispensers offer additional safety features and greater support for medication adherence than traditional pill boxes. They simplify medication management by organizing and dispensing medications at the right dose and the appropriate time each day.
Check out this Network Health brochure that discusses additional ways to remember to take your medications.
What Happens If Medications Get Missed?
You might think that missing a dose every so often isn’t a big deal, and in fact, sometimes the consequences are minor. In other cases, however, missing medication can have serious outcomes, especially if it keeps happening.
For example, missed medication doses can result in:
- Admissions to the hospital
- Dizziness
- Falls
- Urinary tract infections
Don’t wait for your loved one to miss a dose. Learn about their medications, why they take them and what can happen if they don’t. Keep a record and contact their pharmacist if you have questions.
Are There Over-the-Counter Options That Should Be Added to the Medication Regimen of Someone With Dementia?
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. Most over the counter supplements have not passed safety or efficacy studies to prove that they will benefit someone with dementia. Some supplements may even interact with prescription medications and may cause more harm than benefit. It’s best to consult with your loved one’s personal doctor or pharmacist before starting a new medication regimen with this intention.
Dementia is challenging for both those living with it and their caregivers. Remember to utilize the support system around you, including local partners like Fox Valley Memory Project and your loved one’s healthcare team. Establishing medication adherence strategies, such as using reminder apps, pill organizers or automatic medication dispensers, can help promote safety and independence. Working together, we can all help create better days ahead for dementia care.
