PariwellHelping elderly parents take their medicines on time
Simple ways to help parents remember their tablets: one medicine list, a weekly pill box, routines, WhatsApp reminders, refills and questions for the doctor.
Many older parents take several medicines at different times of the day. Doses get missed for ordinary reasons: too many tablets, a change in routine, a busy morning, a box that ran out, or simply forgetting. A few simple habits help a lot.
1. Keep one up-to-date medicine list
For every medicine, write the name, the dose, when to take it, what it's for and which doctor prescribed it. Keep one copy at home and a photo on your phone. Take it to every doctor's visit, and update it whenever something changes. This is also the list a hospital will ask for in an emergency.
2. Use a weekly pill box
A pill box with separate compartments for morning, afternoon and night, for each day of the week, makes it easy to see whether today's dose was taken. Fill it on the same day each week. If you're far away, you can check it together on a video call.
3. Tie medicines to daily routines
Link each dose to something your parent does every day anyway, such as morning tea, lunch or brushing teeth at night. Check with the doctor or pharmacist whether a medicine should be taken with food or on an empty stomach.
4. Use a reminder that's easy to answer
Alarms on a phone work for some parents. For many, a message on WhatsApp is easier, because they already use it every day.
Pariwell sends your parent a WhatsApp reminder at the times you choose when you sign up (morning at 7:30, afternoon at 2:00 and night at 9:00), in their own language, with one button to tap: Medicine taken. You can see which days were missed in the weekly report, and the Pariwell team follows up if the medicine replies stop.
5. Don't let medicines run out
Note when each strip or bottle will finish, and reorder a week before. Many pharmacies deliver at home, and some will set up a monthly refill.
6. Ask the doctor or pharmacist
- Can the schedule be made simpler, for example fewer doses a day?
- Is every medicine still needed?
- Could any of them be causing side effects like dizziness, sleepiness or an upset stomach?
- What should we do if a dose is missed?
When to call the doctor
Call the doctor if your parent often misses doses, feels unwell after starting a new medicine, or seems confused about their tablets. Confusion about medicines can be an early sign that they need more help day to day.