Taking pills! What do I do when she no longer knows how to take her pills anymore?

Please call your mom’s doctor and ask him what you should do about your moms inability to swallow the pills.

A speech therapist was able to show my mom how to better swallow pills. It involved putting her chin down to her chest, rather than stretching her neck up.

Def call moms doc and explain that she has forgotten how to swallow pills.

My husband is having trouble swallowing pills, but he still swallows food just fine. It doesn't seem to me to be a sign that the end is just around the corner.

Trouble swallowing pills is different from trouble swallowing food and drink.

Just one probably useless suggestion about Medicaid. Have you checked with your local senior center? They might know of some free or subsidized care you could use.

Can you afford to pay for someone to come in just three hours a week? You deserve at least a small break once in a while.

Please buy a pill crusher and mix a favorite with it. We use applesauce or pudding and it works great! Good luck

Thanks for replying, lotsokittycats. It is most likely that she is losing her ability to swallow because of her advancing dementia.

If you’re able to get a call through to her doctor or the pharmacist who fills her prescription, see if you can get her meds in crushable pills or liquid form.

If you can, you mix the meds into puddings, smoothies, Jello, yoghurt, or heavy milk shakes, served to her in small amounts so that you can be sure you get enough of the meds into her.

Hoping you find something that helps soon.

Thinking of you.

I AM the one who monitors her pills, and I DO make SURE she takes all of them! MAYBE I didn't make my post CLEAR.... she's forgetting HOW TO THEM!

My mother can't swallow pills either, I put them in apple sauce and she can eat the apple sauce. takes a bit of time but it works.

Did you read the answers you received about how to get your mom on hospice, here https://www.agingcare.com/questions/how-to-get-hospice-care-for-an-alzheimers-mother-456325.htm ?

So, are you saying your mom cannot swallow pills? If so, she may have reached a point where Hospice is now required due to her failure to thrive. This often happens with Alzheimer's. Hospice will take her off of her medications, and instead provide her with comfort care in the last days/weeks/months or year of her life. With Alzheimer's, quality of life diminishes to the point where everyday life vanishes; they forget how to eat, how to use the toilet, how to do the basics, and then their bodies forget how to breathe, resulting in death.

Have a chat with mom's doctor and see if he can order a hospice evaluation for her now (if she's forgetting how to swallow). That may be your best alternative at this juncture.

Wishing you the best of luck moving forward

lotsokittycats, please do not crush pills without consulting the pharmacist as the effectiveness of how some pills work is affected by crushing or splitting...plus they are usually super bitter. Also contact pharmacist to see if the meds come in dermal patches or suppositories. Hang in there!

Have you asked your pharmacist if any of her pills come in a liquid? Or if they can liquify them? Can you crush them and add them to a favorite food?

Have you asked her doctor about how imperative these medications are considering the situation and her age?

I hope you find a solution that works for you both.

The OP lives with her mother (She’s a regular poster) and I believe this isn’t a matter of her mother forgetting TO take her pills. She’s forgotten how to SWALLOW them.

Just so I understand, when you say she forgets how to take them, do you mean that she doesn’t follow the schedule of what pills at what time, or does she have trouble swallowing them?

Do you live together? If so, you will need to manage her pills. If u don't live together this will be a problem. I know Phillips has a machine u can fill for a week or more. It locks so Mom can't get to her pills. You set the times. A voice will say, time for ur meds. If Mom does not push the button that dispenses the meds, u will get a call.

I would go thru Moms meds and see if she still needs them all. Diabetic, of course. Cholesterol at 90 not so much. After a while cognitive meds are useless. BP needed. Heart, of course.

At that age and with her health issues plus dementia, your mother should not be responsible for taking or remembering when to take her medications. You will need to set a time of day for YOU to give her the meds. Set a timer if you need to.