How to Manage Medications For an Alzheimer’s Patient

Before we start on how to manage medications for an Alzheimer’s patient, it is imperative that you understand that an Alzheimer’s patient has to take his prescribed medications. If the patient does not take the medications, it could lead to physical and mental problems and you find yourself making a trip to the emergency room.

How best to manage medications will depend on how much medications the Alzheimer’s patient is taking, how many times day, and the ability of the patient to manage the medications.

If the Alzheimer’s patient is capable of taking the medications on his own and just needs to be reminded, then you can buy some devices which remind him to take a particular medication at the prescribed time.

However, if the person is at a stage where he or she cannot remember when to take medications, then you or the caregiver would have to intervene. It is important that at the mid and later stages of Alzheimer’s you need to observe that the person is taking his or her medication. In addition, you need to keep a close watch when the person is eating as he or she will have difficulties swallowing as the disease progresses.

If the patient is in a nursing home and the medications are affecting the Alzheimer’s patient in a negative manner, you have to ask the nursing home to change the medications. In some nursing homes, it might be necessary to meet the administrator and let him or her know that you have noticed some changes ever since the patient started the medications. If the nursing home does not deal with the issue, you can call the long-term care ombudsman in your state. This ombudsman is a volunteer who are trained to advocate for and on behalf of patients who are residents in nursing homes. The ombudsman will take it upon himself to mediate between you and the nursing home.