Hi,
I am looking for any advice/recommendations. My dad has parkinsons and has started mixing up his medication. My mum already has the pop out windows that the pharmacy arrange but she is enquiring about an electronic pill dispenser ie one that can be programmed and will only open up and allow access to set pills at set times. Any recommendations or experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Sorry, I don’t know of anything quite like that. There are electronic pill reminders, but I don’t know of any which lock the medication until due.
I had a similar problem with my mother, who had Alzheimer’s. I think it is a very common problem with dementia, even mild dementia. Ultimately, the only solution was to remove the pills then dole them out at the right times.
Thank you. Much appreciated.
Hello @MJBairn and a warm welcome to the forum community.
I am sorry to hear about your dad’s problems with medication. I see Jane_L has already offered some helpful information and I’m sure some more of our helpful members will be along to offer information and share their experiences soon.
In the meantime have you tried the Parkinson’s uk shop? https://shop.parkinsons.org.uk/ They stock a whole range of daily living aids for people with Parkinson’s and they may have something suitable to meet your dad’s needs.
Alternatively our helpline advisers may have more information or helpful suggestions. Our helpline is free and confidential and our advisers can answer questions and provide support on all aspects of life with Parkinsons. We are open Monday-Friday 9am-7pm and Saturday 9am - 2pm (closed Sundays and Bank holidays). You can contact our helpline on 0808 800 0303 or at [email protected]
Take care
Corinne
Forum moderator
Hi @corinnek
Thank you for your reply. I have passed all this information from yourself and the previous reply on to my mum. It was very helpful. Someone I know has suggested speaking to the pharmacy that provides the medicine, maybe they can help. Most of the time my mum is around to dish out the tablets he needs however the problem occurs when she is working all day and has to leave up to three sets of tablets out for my dad. I’m sure it is a common problem. Thank you again for the kind information.
Hi @Jane_L
I now have the time to reply properly. Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts. I am not surprised to hear that this is a common problem even in mild dementia. My mum does dish out his tablets however the problem is when she is working all day then she has to leave up to three sets of tablets. He often takes two doses within a short spell of each other. This usually results in him being what I can only describe as overactive, he won’t sit down and insists on doing ‘jobs’. He does have a pill reminder for his wrist that beeps however his skin was breaking out with it so it may mean we have to try a different one. Thank you again for your help.
If the pill reminder your Dad wears is causing problems with his skin does it have a metal back? If yes you could try painting it with a coat of nail polish to keep the metal off your Dads skin or a strip of band aid.
