Family caregiver's guide to medication management

One of my most time-consuming and stressful tasks as a caregiver was managing multiple medications and supplements for my parents. Being responsible for getting their prescriptions filled

and doggedly ensuring there were no adverse drug interactions or side effects was difficult. Tracking and sorting all of the pills, liquids, creams, nasal sprays and eyedrops, and

administering them all, was exhausting. How did I survive? By finding practical ways to organize and track it all. Here are my top tips for making medication management easier. ORGANIZE FOR

MORE THAN A WEEK Many years ago I helped my parents get set up with pill organizers so that Dad, who had Alzheimer's disease, and Mom, who'd had a stroke, could better track their

daily intake. For a time, Dad filled the boxes; my sister Susie filled them when it got too confusing and stressful for him. When I moved to Arizona to care for my parents, I took over the

task. I soon realized that by the time I got all the supplies out and filled one week's pillbox, it didn't take much more time to fill up a second week. Eventually I was filling

two months’ pill organizers at a time — a great time-saver that also made for fewer shopping trips or online orders. If I didn’t have enough pills for two months, I made notes and taped them

to the boxes so I could fill them in later. If any medications changed, I removed those pills from the box (which didn’t happen very often). The biggest problem I've had through the

years has been finding a pillbox that had individual compartments big enough to accommodate the plethora of pills my parents took. Before she passed away, Mom took various drugs five times a

day. At one time, after her heart attack, she was taking an alarming 23 medications. I felt that was far too many drugs for her 85-year-old body to deal with. I was dedicated to whittling

that list down — “deprescribing”, as it’s called — and I worked with her doctors to do so over time.  For Dad, who took pills twice a day, I used giant pill organizers with four rows. Each

two rows held a week's meds. I'd fill four of those mega-organizers at a time, for an eight-week supply. Another time-saving option is presorted pill packets delivered directly

from a pharmacy. Most of the major chains offer a 30-day supply, with each packet containing all pills to be taken with each dose. Some offer this service free-of-charge. There are also many

technology-based pill organizers and dispensers that can help you plan (see below).