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My Mom is suffering some form of dementia. She can't remember very much at this point in her life unless she wants to, which is maddening. She should be taking two medications a day and her vitamins and an aspirin. Even though, her medication schedule is far from demanding, she can not manage to get through a week taking it all properly. I have tried many different pill boxes and approaches with her. She currently has a pill box that separates into four different times during the day. I call her every night to remind her about the nighttime pill and she says yes she took it but many times she hasn't and the vitamin and aspirin which she should take after lunch, I had to give up on. She gets agitated if I remind her too much and acts like she is 10 years old. She also hides pills that she hasn't taken at various places in her house. Her pills are not life or death but they are important to aging well. Does anyone have any suggestions?

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Your mom is likely embarrassed about her confusion. Dementia isn't just about memory, but confusion about what to do no matter how many times things are explained. I remember putting an antibiotic out in a divided pill box for my mother-in-law. I visited daily, but not 3 times a day and that's what her meds dictated. When I visited the second day she'd piled most of the pills together in several sections of the box - others were empty. There was no way to tell what she'd taken - it was like a shell game. She didn't do it on purpose. She just couldn't keep the reason for the pill arrangement in her brain. I don't think your mom is doing this on purpose, either. And she gets upset with constant reminders because she is tired of feeling wrong.
You've tried many different pill boxes which made sense, but she may not be beyond her ability to figure out meds. If none of them are life-threatening, maybe you could give her vitamins, etc. when you see her and just try the two daily medications in the pill container to make it easier. Otherwise, you'll have to decide how important the pills are and when you need to find a routine where her meds can be monitored.
Good luck,
Carol
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