Babyboomers.com

Eva Mor PhD,

Author of “Making the Golden Years Golden”

Over the last few years, my mother’s best friend has shown signs of dementia, first mild forgetfulness and then some increasingly worrisome signs of “something gone wrong.” She did not have close family to step in, so my mother and I were her support system. Neighbors began calling my mother, complaining that her friend was leaving the television on very loud for days and nights. She was walking out and leaving the door to her apartment open. She was found on occasion leaving her house inappropriately dressed, and she began calling my mother multiple times, repeating the same conversation as if there was a new issue. Being that she had been functioning quite well up until that time, and the change was acute and swift, we felt that action should be taken.

Finding the solution

We started with taking my mom’s friend to her personal physician for a full evaluation, in which her doctor referred her to a neurological evaluation. My mom and I met with the doctors, but were very disappointed. None came up with any physical justification for her signs of dementia. We went back to her personal doctor and were reviewing each of her health issues and the treatment she was receiving for them, when the doctor asked her when and how she was taking the prescribed medication. She could not clearly say, and did not even remember if she had taken her medication for that day. It was clear that she was not taking her medication properly, maybe taking too much at one time or not taking any at another time. For that reason, we put in place a system that provided her with safe and timely medication taking. We purchased a medication dispenser for weekly supply, marked by day and time. Compartments were clearly marked for day of the week, as well as morning, noon, evening, etc. If a dose was not taken, it would buzz to remind the person to take it. In my book Making the Golden Years Golden I have a few suggestions as to different options for medication dispensers.  For more info – www.goldenyearsgolden.com