Need a little help to take your pills as prescribed?
No matter your age, taking medication as directed is an essential part of a healthy life.
It feels like the older you get, the more tablets and capsules you may have to shake out of your pillbox. If you have certain kinds of illnesses, have some memory loss, or are just feeling overwhelmed with keeping track because of your busy life, you may need a reminder to take your medication regularly.
Perhaps your vision isn’t getting any clearer and it can be difficult to read the captions on the bottle. Or maybe you’re on a fixed income, your budget’s getting tight, and you’re starting to think you can’t afford your prescription anymore. Regardless, all of us need to know when it’s time to refill our medications and a list of them readily available as a safety precaution.
No matter your situation, there are resources available to help make sure you are getting the correct medication, at the correct dose, and at the correct time.
Take a step beyond organizing your pillbox
You might feel like the only solution is to have someone tap you on the shoulder each time you are supposed to take the next dose. There are, however, many options to create easy reminders, make bottles more accessible, and get help paying for your prescriptions.
Accessible medicine
If you can’t get to the pharmacy regularly, you can arrange for your pharmacist to send your medications in the mail. If you need some help reading the little orange bottles, you can request them to be printed with larger text or get a special magnifying glass. Or, if you prefer, you can request bottles printed with braille. If you struggle with those hard-to-open lids, there are special, easy-open bottles available for homes without children.
Technology to help your memory
There are plenty of new gadgets that can help you remember to take your prescription. Some cell phones and watches have alarms you can set as a reminder. Voice-activated devices (like Amazon Echo and Google Voice) have medication reminder options. If you have a family member willing to help, but they live further away, they can help check on your medications with a remote-monitoring system. You can even get a special, talking pillbox to help you remember which medications to take when. You can explore more technological solutions at Tools for Life or ask empowerline about how to access assistive technology options.
