Elderly patients are often taking several types of pills during the same period. Sometimes, the medications are taken at varying times of the day with some even being taken at night. Such complicated prescriptions confuse lots of patients and caregivers.
This often leads to failure to adhere to the medication process or, worse, administration of the wrong pills.
If you have a relative taking several pills at the same time, you need to purchase the automatic pill dispenser. If you have a business involved in medical caregiving, here are a few ways the dispensers could also help your staff and clients.
Variety of reminders
Forgetfulness and confusion are among the top reasons why patients fail to adhere to their medication regimen. The automatic pill dispenser allows you to set alarms to alert the patient or caregiver when it’s time to take a specific medication.
Previous dispensers usually used the sound just like an alarm clock. This proved unhelpful for patients that have hearing problems.
The automated version has a variety of reminders:▪ Alarm sound▪ Flickering/flashing lights▪ For some brands, compartment with pills rotates creating a vibration▪ Alerting patient on the phone▪ The dispenser can be set to alert caregiver via once the alarm period is exhausted
Alerting the caregiver not only promotes medication adherence but also lets them the patient may be in need of medical attention.
An automatic pill dispenser can be locked
Even with timely reminders, the patient can easily forget what specific pills they were meant to take. The modern automated pill dispenser is designed such that only the compartment with the specific medication is open the time that pill is meant to be taken.
This feature has been shown to reduce cases of medication error tremendously thus improving the treatment process. It also prevents instances of intentional and accidental overdosing or abusing the drugs.
If the patient is known to want to abuse medication, the dispenser can be locked such that only the caregiver or designated pharmacist can open.
It also protects any children or pets living with or near the patient.
In caregiving establishments, sometimes there are several caregivers taking care of the same patients in shifts. This can happen even for home-based caregiving services. The reminders also make it easier for caregivers to take care of their patients without confusion. The patients are also safer from administration or wrong medication.
In conclusion
It is important for patients to take prescribed medications as prescribed. This is especially important for people taking multiple pills at the same time. For instance, some of the pills may be intended to cancel the side effects of another pill. Failing to take such a pill could, therefore, lead to unexpected and dire consequences.
An automatic pill dispenser will help synchronize theadministration of such pills, making the treatment process more efficient and successful. As a result, many elderly patients cantake care of themselves at their own homes.
