Medication reminder calls for aging parents

How medication reminder calls work

The idea is old and simple. Among the National Institute on Aging's medicine tips for caregivers of people with Alzheimer's: if the person lives alone, call to remind them to take their medicine. A reminder call service makes that call on a schedule, for every dose:

1. You set the times for each medicine, from the prescription labels and the doctor's or pharmacist's instructions.
2. At each time, your parent's phone rings. A voice names the medicine and asks whether they've taken it.
3. Your parent answers, usually with a simple yes or no.
4. If there's no answer, or the answer is no, the service can call again after a wait.
5. If a dose still isn't confirmed, the family can get a text or an app alert, so someone can check in.

Reminder calls, pill organizers, alarms and apps

The NIA lists many ways to remember medicines: tying doses to meals or bedtime, charts and calendars, weekly pill boxes, timers, and smartphone reminder apps. Each one suits a different person.

These work well in pairs: an organizer holds the right pills, and a prompt, whether an alarm, an app or a call, says when to take them.

When reminder calls help most, and when something else fits better

Reminder calls tend to help when

• your parent lives alone, and the family wants to know when a dose isn't confirmed;
• they reliably answer their phone but don't use apps or notifications;
• they take several medicines at different times of day;
• the family can't make every reminder call themselves.

Something else may fit better when

• timing is critical. Calls can be late or missed, so don't rely on them alone for a medicine where timing is critical; ask the doctor or pharmacist what backup to use.
• your parent needs hands-on help. A call can't see whether a pill was swallowed or notice side effects. If your parent needs help taking medicines, talk with their doctor about care at home.
• they often can't hear the phone, or keep it off. A call they don't hear helps no one; an organizer or a person checking in may work better.
• cost is the main concern. An organizer and a phone alarm cost little or nothing.

Setting up reminders that work

1. Make a complete medicine list. The NIA recommends listing every medicine, including over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and supplements, with the amount, the time, the prescribing doctor and the reason, and keeping one copy at home and one in a wallet or purse.
2. Check the timing with the pharmacist. Ask what a label like "four times a day" means: four times in 24 hours, or four times while awake. The NIA suggests asking exactly that.
3. Use one pharmacy, so the records are in one place and the pharmacist can catch a new drug that might cause a problem with another, as the NIA advises. Medicare drug plans also run safety checks for drug interactions before a prescription is filled, and must offer a free medication review, called Medication Therapy Management, to people who qualify.
4. Fit the times to your parent's day, like breakfast and bedtime, which the NIA suggests as natural reminders.
5. Save the reminder service's number as a contact, so call filters and screening let it ring.
6. Agree who hears about a missed dose, and what they'll do: usually a friendly call to your parent first.
7. Look back together each month. Missed doses are a reason to talk, not to scold. Don't stop or change a medicine without the doctor; the NIA advises against stopping a medicine before talking with a health care provider.