Need some help to remember to take medicine? Find that you or a loved one struggle to keep the pill schedule straight?
Fortunately, a variety of medicine organizers and technology tools are available to assist. First, consider the following in choosing the right solution for your situation:
- How much of a nudge to take your medicine is needed. A simple gathering of the medicine in one place? Scheduled reminders to direct you to medicine boxes? Or greater attention getting mechanisms, safeguards to limit pill access, or remote monitoring?
- The number of medications that you take and the sixe of pill compartments.
- Access to and comfort level with smartphones and other technology.
- What your lifestyle looks like. Are you always on the go and need portable solutions? Do you tend to be more of a homebody?
Non-Automated Pill Boxes
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These simple pill cases come in a variety of designs. The majority offer compartments for AM and PM Medications
This type of pill box is best for people who simply need a little help with organizing pills into one easy to access spot. You will need to rely on your own memory or reminders from separate devices to take medication on time.
Pharmacy Filled Pill Packets
Pharmacy fulfilled pill packaging represents a rapidly growing segment of the medicine organizing marketplace. Services such as PillPack, which is now owned by Amazon, sort and fill your pills in packets organized by date and time of day, then ship to your doorstep.
Medication Reminder Apps To Help You Remember To Take Medicine
Often non-automated pill boxes work best when paired with medication reminder apps. Hundreds of apps are available, but here are three that come highly rated by users and medical experts.
Available through Apple Store and Google Play.
- Input detailed medication information and health measurements such as blood pressure, weight, etc…
- Set alarms to remind you to take meds and get visuals of what the pills look like.
- Activate feature that allows friends or family members of your choosing to remind you to take medicines if you have not done so by a certain time.
- Get notifications when time to get prescriptions refilled.
- Receive alerts if app notes you are prescribed medicines that may interact with one another.
Also, available through Apple Store and Google Play.
- Offers many of the same alarm, refill reminder, and friend accountability features as MediSafe.
- Download logs of when medication taken and health diary information to carry with you to the doctor.
Yep, find through both Apple Store and Google Play,
- Appealing for people who want to track all sorts of healthy habits in one place, including taking medicine on time.
- Get rewarded for taking meds properly and maintaining other positive health activities. Earn points that unlock weekly raffles chances to win gift cards and make charitable donations on your behalf. If incentives make you work harder, here’s the app for you.
Automated Pill Dispensers
Especially for older adults and individuals taking a number of medications, automated pill dispensers offer other great options.
Medication aids such the LiveFine Automatic Pill Dispenser, 28-Day Electronic Medication Organizer enable:
- Alarms to come from the medication devices themselves with adjustable volume, flashing lights, and in some cases vibrations. Schedule of alarms is programmed through screen on pill dispenser.
- Motorized carousel that spins to present that time slot’s pills. Easily able to deliver more than a handful of times per day if needed.
- Strong latches to help deter taking medicine from other than the current slot. This feature is especially helpful for people with significant memory issues or who are easily confused.
A step beyond an automatic pill dispenser with self-contained features is one that is remotely controlled using technology. MedMinder’s Jon Model serves as a good example of that.
- Like the LiveFine Automatic Pill Dispenser above, this MedMinder pill box can be set so that only one compartment will open at a time. Unlike the dispenser above, this one comes with a built in cellular modem that enables remote setting and changing of medicine schedule. Also, the box can be set to alert caregiver(s) if medicine is not removed from the pill case within a set period of time after flashing lights and voice prompts.
- Caregivers can opt to record voice messages on the MedMinder portal so that pill dispensers play personalized reminder to medicine takers. Also, automated phone calls and text messages can be set up as reminders.
- Customers pay a monthly service fee to rent the pillbox and to access remote portal.
In Home Caregiver With Aid Of Medicine Dispensers
When devices and automatic reminders no longer provide the level of support needed to stay on a regular medication schedule alone, its time for a change. An in home caregiver or alternate living situation is called for.
In Conclusion
Finding the right combination of medicine organizers and the human touch can make all the difference in taking medication properly.
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