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I help manage my parent’s care from afar. We were doing well with blister packs but have discovered that they often confuse days or even times. Looking at automated medication dispensers with alarms and drops medications automatically. Father is visually impaired but the most functioning in home. Mother has declining memory.

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At this point, I suspect that these two will still confuse days and times even if they have a medication dispenser. They may not heed the alarms or know what they are for. The meds can drop right in front of them, and they will have no clue what they are. You could call and ask if they've taken their meds, and they may say they have but haven't. Believe me, this happens. I'm a veteran of caring for both parents, another relative, and my husband.

Please consider assisted living and/or memory care for them. When a patient no longer can manage meds, doctors will recommend that they move to a facility where meds are overseen as part of their care. This is so important because once confusion sets in, patients are in danger of overdosing or underdosing or not dosing at all. All three circumstances can unalive or seriously injure them, and you don't want that!

The only other thing that could help is hiring someone to come to their house and administer the meds, but if they take meds morning, noon, evening and bedtime, that's four visits. You're not likely to find someone reliable enough to do that. I'm mentioning this only because my sister-in-law, an RN, was hired to do this for a neighbor. She wasn't paid very well, and it tied her down because there was no backup if she wanted to be away for a while. She had to stop when she got dementia herself!

I wish you luck with dealing with this.
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Reply to Fawnby
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My experience has been that a person with dementia can't really process what the alarm is for, or even which electronic thing in the house the beeping is coming from.
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Reply to Slartibartfast
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My in-law POA recently spent about $300 on a fancy medication system/dispenser with timer and alarm to get my in-laws with dementia on track with taking meds on time. Sorry, I don’t know the name of it. It was returned within weeks as they couldn’t process what it was for or how to understand what it was expecting them to do. I hope you find something that will help in your situation
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Reply to Daughterof1930
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If they can't manage blister packs, they won't handle any other aid that they need to operate or understand.
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Reply to MargaretMcKen
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Sandra2424 Aug 9, 2026
Strongly agree. It is time to accept that they need close, direct supervision and probably some sort of personal care. They would need to be more functional, both mentally and physically, to actually use a dispensing device and handle taking the meds, after they are dispensed.
They are becoming generally less independent as time goes on and need help. It is time for you to step up to this challenge.
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Hi--Usually at this point, where there's confusion around time, the person's cognitive impairment has reached a point where external cues get ignored. It may be time for a move to assisted living or at least have an aide in to help them manage meds. You need a reliable way to ensure the pill gets into their mouth, not just dispensed. You might be able to set up something with video like an Echo 'Show' with a dispenser, but these short term solutions don't work very well.
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Reply to ElizabethY
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When my mother reached that stage we had to hire an aide to come in for a few hours a day to make sure she not only took her meds but also that they didn’t end up in her cheek and then on the floor. With both parents needing meds there is much more room for mix ups and taking medications that could be dangerous if the wrong person takes them. The aides also helped with other things as well.
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Reply to Animallovers
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With situation as you describe, it would seem parent need to be more closely monitored. Before moving forward, get cinference with their doctor. Itvwould seem they are moving closer to assited living or someone coming in on a regular basis to make sure meds are being taken.
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Reply to Memories42
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If the reason due to memory nothing works as a long term solution except for a person to give the medicine and ensure they are swallowed or fully administer any injection necessary.

My mother was phenomenal at pocketing her meds in her mouth and then hiding them under pillows or cushions.
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Reply to AMZebbC
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We tried the automated medication dispenser with my aging mother and the only issue we found was she never realized that she dropped some of it. We found several of her small pills on the kitchen floor.
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Reply to Jmbljbvb
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Agreed with the above. I think you are going to have some eyes on them. It sounds like it's at the point where remote monitoring isn't going to work any more. It's hard for us, as children, to come to that conclusion, and accept it.

Part of it (speaking for myself...) is we are not wanting to change our own lives to deal with their issues, as we know it's not going to be a short term thing, and we're used to the way our lives are now. It's not fair that we have to deal with it. This is very human, I think. We don't expect to have to upend our lives to take care of our parents, but unless they have some kind of plan in place, and most don't, that's quite often what it comes down to.

I had to help my dad, with dementia, and now my mom (who I was never close to) with cancer and altzheimers. There is no way either of them could handle meds on their own. I too found pills all over the place (on the floor, stored by their bed and in the kitchen....). Not sure what I'm going to do when I get older, as I don't have any kids...not that that's any guarantee of assistance, of course.

I guess I'll cross that bridge (or not) when I get to it!
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Reply to michelle7728
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