Is there anything I can do to prevent my grandmother from dropping her pills and forgetting them?

You are right, using those small white paper cups [ketchup holders LOL] would be a great help. Buy some and see how that works. Order them on-line or see if any of the local drug stores carry them. Now, the big challenge is to get Grandma to use those cups.

As for the AM/PM pill organizer, as great as they are, your Grandmother will still drop the pills and claim they were from yesterday.... [sigh]. Hopefully there are no pets in the house that would get into those dropped pills.

Do you know what your grandmother's primary ailment is? Are you able to discuss the problem with her doctor? Does the problem seem to be equal between manual dexterity, poor vision and poor memory? I'd try to figure out what the primary problem is. If she has cognitive decline or dementia, then it wouldn't surprise me that she is forgetting to take her medication.

And she may be refusing to use the pill organizer, because it may confuse her. When there is cognitive decline, it's really not possible for them to learn new things. The pill organizer may be just too overwhelming for her. 

Sometimes, depending on the condition that is causing the problem, it's just up to the caregiver to supervise them taking their meds. We may not be able to rely on them to remember or do it correctly, nor to correctly report what they took. Is there someone available to do that? There is also the danger that they forget what they took and take too much medication.

There are pets in the house 2 cats but I try to check under her seat after she takes her mess in the morning and evening. The cats don't eat the pills lol thank goodness. The AM/PM organizer would help her because she has two different medications that look exactly the same to her. She's been keeping one in the bottle and leaving it on the table so she remembers to take it. She is very independent, she's only really living with us because she was 3 1/2 hours away and we decided it was time to move her closer to more family. She does most things on her own, except she doesn't drive anymore. Her car didn't come with her when she moved as she gave it to her son who needed it. It's better for her anyway because she didn't know the area too well. Now she's getting the hang of it lol. She has trouble seeing but she keeps her eyes and mind sharp by reading everyday and doing word searches (both large print so she can see better). She has glasses but only wears them when she's doing those two activities, never when taking her pills. She is not showing any signs of dimentia...in fact I think her memory is better than mine lol! I am blessed to have a grandmother in such good health, she just messes up her medication and it worries me.

Be very careful about the cats, because if Grandmother had handled any food products and didn't wash her hands before taking out the pill, the smell of the food product can transfer to the pill. And cats can be pretty quick.

I know its hard when a parent or grandparent is very stubborn and wants to be independent. But since she is dropping her pills, I would take them away completely for her and have a family member administer them to her daily. I'm not sure if a home care nurse could come daily to give her the pills and make sure she takes them.

I also tried to leave the pills on a spoon for my dad.

I would have her pharmacy package her pills in blister packs, this helps the patient know which pills to take and it helps their family/caregivers keep track of any missed doses. Tell her that it is the pharmacy's new policy for all their seniors.
Setting her pills on a tray may also help so that any fumbled pills will land there instead of on the floor.

I don't recommend promoting the use of the pill organizer. I am 86 years old. Although I don't think I lack manual dexterity, the pill organizers I have bought all have front surfaces that slant inward slightly, making it difficult for me to grasp the pills. Also, I find it unpleasant to see and differentiate the different white pills. I'm not suggesting you do what I do, but just want to mention it. I remove each pill from its original container and take it. Then I turn the container upside down, so if the phone rings or there is some other distraction, I know that I've taken the pill. This method also alerts me to notice when I need to reorder pills. I recommend that you don't let your grandmother take her pills by herself.

Arianne, instead of trying to reach into the pill organizer you could simply tip them all out into your hand or a small bowl. Though I can see that the pharmacy supplied blister packs can be a challenge to open for some.

An elderly friend of mine had the same exact problem. He was blind due to macular degeneration and he frequently dropped not only his pills but other stuff. Drinks often got spilled, and about the only thing you can do is keep picking up after the person. I'm not sure if medicine cups will do much good, I've seen how my blind friend fumbled around feeling for stuff only to knock things over that he was looking for along with other stuff. Yes, he was pretty clumsy. About the only thing you can do regarding the pills and start by first keeping them locked up if the elderly person has a tendency of making claims that the pills are stolen. My elderly friend did this and here connecting the dots, it was really him knocking his pills on the floor all along. They made an arrangement for either his nurse or aid to go into the lock box and retrieve the meds and refill his pill boxes as needed. His help also helped him with his pillboxes and administered his meds but he didn't always take them all right away and these were the ones that got knocked on the floor. One thing I noticed is since he was blind, he should've never been allowed to have any kind of motorized wheelchair or scooter. He was very notorious for getting his oxygen tank caught on stuff and just pulling loose. He did this a lot and even ran into things. I don't know why someone didn't act before they actually did, but by the time they did the apartment was totally destroyed by the power chair alone, and now I know what really started the housefire of the house he used to own (and I don't think it was his son who set the fire)! I think what really happened is he kept running into the walls until the walls fell apart exposing the wiring inside just like what happened in the apartment. He even tore up a socket that was close to the floor, he tore it up so bad it had to be removed. He should've never been allowed to have any electrical motorized type of chair because he was a danger not only to himself but other people because he nearly ran down several different people.
There are some cases where someone just needs to be in a proper facility or have in-home round the clock care, they should never be allowed to be on their own in some cases. My elderly friend who since died was one of those cases but excellent came too late. They caught him in the last weeks of his life or what seemed like it. It seem like shortly after they put him into a facility he died shortly after but I think he was in the dying process anyway because he was sleeping more than usual and even calling out to people in his sleep.

I agree with cwillie. My husband takes 12 pills a day. Our visiting nurse suggested we sign up with a company (Exact Care) who prepackages the daily dosage of pills in a plastic bag. All he has to do is cut or tear the top and tip them into his mouth. There is no extra charge for this service and it works!

If possible have her take pills at table when there is more likely to be either you or your mom there too - ask her to make this change because 'a pill dropped and the cat was playing with it' nobody wants that cat hurt - that much med will kill a cat because of how small they are percentage wise as to a human -

I personally put my meds out on a cute little dish that i keep just for this purpose so maybe do the same for her - you will be able to see her take those meds at dinner - the kitchen floor would more likely make a sound when something falls plus you could start a habit of sweeping floor after dinner so all pills would be seen right away & you can say that it couldn't be last night's pill because you sweep the floor every night after dinner - good luck

cwillie -- Thanks for the tip. However, since my pill organizer is horizontal, I think the pills would scatter. Also, it's important for me to repeat the names of the medications out loud because it helps me memorize them. I find most doctors rush through my visits, and I like to be able to keep up with them. I also memorize the alternate names for medications that have them. We are all individuals and do best with what works for us.

I made my own "blister packs" when I went on vacation.
I took a "seal-a-meal" type food saver and made a large bag then turned it sideways and sealed long pockets. Then I pushed each days worth of pills down the sealed "tube" and when they were filled all the way across I sealed that then continued with the next row. Time consuming but I got 4 weeks worth of pills done and did not have to worry about doing it again for a month. I do not know what the pharmacy would charge to do the blister packs or if it would be covered by insurance.
Another option would be the little snack size zip top bags. They are smaller than the sandwich size.
I would be concerned about leaving pills in a little cup for several reasons.
Humidity is not good for some.
Light is not good for some medications.
The cats could fine little pills in a cup irresistible, for some reason my cats live to stick their paws into cups and bowls to play with whatever is there.
And the little cups are easy to tip over.

arianne, I do something similar with my pills. Whenever I take a pill, I put the bottle on a shelf, then comes evening, any bottles on the shelf go back into the drawer, and the night pills come out and go on the shelf as I take them.

I know what you mean about doctors asking if you are taking this pill or that pill, and they usually use the generic name which is 20 letters long.... wish they would use the brand name which is so much shorter and easier to remember. Too many times I am sitting there thinking "say what?" when a pill name is mentioned. Since then I carry a typed sheet of the pills and amounts recommended.

Oh, one catalog had these yellow plastic things that go around a pill bottle. One can write down whatever they want on the plastic and snap it to the bottle. Like the name of the brand pill, handwritten it would be in larger print [now a days the print keeps getting smaller and smaller on the pharmacy tag].

My hubby is a liver transplant patient--went from taking a multivitamin (sometimes) to being on several drugs. We use the AM/PM snap tight containers--most pharmacies carry them, they are pretty large and the writing on them is HUGE. Hubby sets out his pills for the week, snaps them shut and off he goes. (The snap tight thing doesn't last forever, so I buy new ones all the time....then I know they're not going to pop open in his pocket).

Now, to say he's 100% compliant is not true, as the MOST IMPORTANT drug he takes (his antirejection med) is so tiny--and it's the kind of capsule that gets "staticky" and he will often drop it as he throws back the mouthful of pills. I'll find those little buggers everywhere. Thank goodness I clean a lot---I have 13 grandkids and so far, they have all been great about bringing me pills if they find them.

As "independent" as Gramma wants to be, she needs help in this dept. Someone has to step up and have the "talk" with her that she needs a little help with the meds. If you separate them out in small packages, labeled and she can open the container and take them on time, great, she's still independent! If you HAVE to, get the little white cups and "administer" them, the way the hospital does. Stand there and watch her take them, but chit chat with her--don't make it a "I'm making you do this" kind of a thing.

A side note, that is funny/sad: My FIL was in the last stages of his life and on 3 meds. 2 gave him terrible side effects and he was tired of taking them. I'd go all the way out to his house and give him breakfast, his pills, then go back in the evening for dinner and evening meds. I'd been handing them to him, as he sat in his recliner. Only after he passed and I pulled the recliner out to clean, did I find a huge pile of pills on the floor. It didn't matter at that point, and they weren't keeping him alive, but it gave me a chuckle. I remember thinking "dad, you won. you hated those meds".

In retrospect, even though I GAVE him the pills, I never once watched to see if he actually took them.

Good suggestions above. I agree that grandmother may want to be very independent, but, sometimes when they have issues that create a great risk to their safety, only they can't see it. It may be that this is just something that has to be supervised.

I don't know if this will help. I use the pill organizers when I travel, personally, I find them hard to use. One pill doesn't come out easy. I use a small lazy susan makeup table. I have the morning one together, and the evening ones together. If the morning ones are in front, I know I took them.

When I take the pills out of the bottle, I put them on a dark hand towel. That keeps them from rolling around and the dark towel helps me see the pills.

With Mom I used a shot glass. She could swallow 4 pills at a time. Mom spits hers out now so the CNAs put her pills in applesauce.

You or your mother MUST take over every aspect of her pill taking.
Look for a small, unbreakable pretty
container that she likes.
Beat her to the draw.
Hide all medications except the meds to be taken immediately with the liquid that she enjoys.
Present the pills in the container with her drink of preference.
Do not buckle.
Stand your ground
This may take five seconds or 60 minutes.
It depends on how important you believe pill taking must be accurate.

SDwyer12,

My mom has mid-stage (?) dementia and had macular degeneration, which really makes it hard to make sure she gets her pills. Last year I was at my wit's end, after trying all sorts of things (from the paper cups to the pill organizer) when I heard about Philips Lifeline from a friend. It's a medical dispenser that is monitored and you put the daily allotment of pills in it. When it is "pill time" the machine talks and says "time for your medication". Mom pushes the button and the pills drop out in a plastic cup with a lid on it. She puts the cup right up to her mouth so that she gets all the pills with no fuss. Since it's monitored, if she doesn't take the pills, I get a message on my phone. I'm not sure if this type of thing will help your grandmother, since you say that she has more of a habit of dropping the pills, but it might be worth checking out. I wish you the best of luck!

Check with your local pharmacy about pre-packaged medications. There are a few different types available. Medication on Time uses color coded blister packs. Some have a card that has all the medications for the week on one card and another has a separate card for the time of day the pills are taken. One of our other Pharmacies offers Healthy Living Pre-Paks which are individual sealed bags with the time of day and list of medications printed on each bag. The bags come in a roll inside a box and you pull up and tear off the bag as you need them.

Get two pill cassette cases of different colors. They will have 7 slots for Sunday through Saturday. Insert pills.