As people age, they sometimes develop conditions that require medications to manage their diseases and to keep them healthy. Sometimes the number and frequency of these medications can become daunting. The complex medication schedules may lead to mistakes: missing doses, taking incorrect amounts, or taking medicines at the wrong times. And these types of mistakes could lead to unnecessary doctor or hospital visits, illness and even death.
As a nurse in the hospital setting, I cared for seniors who had experienced reactions or injuries related to medication mismanagement. A 2011 study from the Centers for Disease Control found that each year nearly 100 thousand adults over 65 end up in the emergency room because of the wrong combination or dose of their medications.
The traditional “pill boxes” or organizers that allow dispensing medications up to 4 times a day for a week at a time, may not be an effective tool if a person has cognitive impairment and needs reminders and supervision to take their medications at specific times.
Today there a number of different automated technologies to help seniors and their families manage their medications more safely.
Personal Automatic Medication Dispensers, also known as electronic pill dispensers, are programmable, locked devices that will automatically dispense a dose of dry medications at predetermined times. These devices also act as multi-alarm medication reminders that alert the person when it is time to take their medication with audible alarms, lights, text and voice messages. Some of these devices also have on-line monitoring capabilities that track the user’s dispensing activity and can contact caregivers or a monitoring service when medications are not dispensed per the prescribed regimen.
Several different companies offer these types of products including Philips, Med Pro and Life Station and can be purchased online and from vendors such as Nurture Connect, a company who provides technology products and services.
You must log in or register to post a comment.