Medication reminders

Quick ask from Burlington: my grandma’s mostly independent but meds are getting messy. She’ll say “I took it,” but later we find a tablet in the pocket of her robe. Mornings are fine; evenings are when routines fall apart. We can nudge her on FaceTime, yet we can’t always be there to actually see the pill go down. Has anyone set up short home visits just for reminders and a quick confirm? Curious how that works day-to-day and if it actually keeps things on track.

 

Jumping in because we just set this up for my dad in the Upper Valley. We did a simple home visit first, then built a plan around an evening stop: the aide preps the pillbox row, offers water and a snack, waits, and then notes “taken” in a little log on the counter. If something seems off, they text the family contact. A nurse checked in after week one and nudged the time earlier to catch his best window. I originally found TLC while mapping out travel nursing in New England; their site helped me understand how reminder visits, light meal help, and quick pharmacy runs can live in the same block. Tip: keep the meds list printed and date-stamp changes so substitutes aren’t guessing.

 

Dropping a neutral thought as I scroll: a couple of tiny tweaks helped my neighbor stick to meds even before any outside help. Big-font labels on bottles, a day-by-day pill organizer parked next to the kettle, and a single alarm that says which pill it is (“evening blood pressure pill”) cut the confusion. We also put a glass of water and a small snack where she usually sits after dinner. Nothing fancy, but the more you anchor the habit to a place and time she already likes, the fewer reminders you end up needing.