What are the pros/cons of automatic medication dispensers?

Sorry I don't have any personal experience but one problem I have seen mentioned is that although medications are dispensed on schedule there is no way to be sure they are actually being taken, I imagine it wouldn't be unusual for someone to set them aside to get a drink or grab a snack and forget about them.

Cwillie is correct: just because the pill comes out of the dispenser in the right amount on the right day, doesn't guarantee it will make it into your LO's mouth. My MIL had short-term memory problems. Over the phone I would "walk her through" opening up the pill case, getting the water, putting the pill in her mouth and then swallowing it. She would tell me she was doing it. When I went to her house I found the pill on the table. A dispenser may work for a limited time but it won't be a permanent solution.

If your MIL takes blood pressure medication or digoxin, they should be managed by a living person. You don't want her taking her medications if her heart rate for blood pressure are out of whack.

Hi, I highly recommend Phillips Lifeline dispenser . They will do initial set up. it's easy to use. moms ran bout 70.00 per month. you get alerts if something goes wrong or meds not dispensed. However moms dementia got to the point where she would push the button to dispense meds then she would forget to take them or did not want to take them, hide them or throw them out. Just returned unit. So now i have to stop by (45 min away) 3 days a week and give her only 3 of her most needed meds. The Doc said something is better than nothing. Best wishes

I too have shopped the automatic dispensers and also a concern is if the person is taking all the pills.
Most dispensers I have seen run on batteries. No pills are dispensed if the battery is dead. Just a thought.

Another good point IFS.
I think they are a good option for people with MCI or who just have a hard time remembering pill schedules, and perhaps for those with early dementia who can still function being on their own while the caregiver is at work, but they are in no way the solution for those who are not fully on board or for those with dementia who for whatever reason aren't being checked on daily or at least several times a week.

I bought and used MedReady for my dad when he was in Independent Living. It was a great device, simple to use and really helped him use his medications correctly. I would fill it and set it up. Then every morning a little alarm would sound so he would take his pills. It only allowed access to that day's pills so that he wouldn’t get confused. The one I bought could even be managed from my home and I could see if he took the pills or not. It could run on electricity or battery. Now that we no longer need it I would love to sell it. There are a lot of them on eBay.

I tried numerous automatic dispensers and if there is a glitch, and you're not around, the whole system grinds to a halt. I had one of the most expensive ones on the market and returned it after 5 days, as Mom was confused by it and would call me as she couldn't remember if she took the pills or not and I had to recheck the unit. I found a nonelectronic pill dispenser that held up to 8 weeks of pills (8 separate weekly fillers). This way I filled it up and we could easily track if Mom took the pills based on the day of the week. Another issue with electronic dispensers, is that it becomes a problem when the doctor changes the prescription. With Mom, her coumadin med would change almost daily and I had to run over to the house to ensure she didn't take the former dose. Also tried the prepackaged meds from the pharmacy, and if the dosage changed, that was another issue. I also had a Nest camera in her home and used it to chat with her and "watch" her take her pills (for my peace of mind).

I bought my mom the MedElert a few years back. The cost was just under $100.00. You program it to coincide with how often your parent takes pills.
It's round with little compartments to put the pills in. When it's time to take a pill, it will ring to alert. It stops ringing when the pills are taken out...but will continue to ring for 1/2 hour if pills are not taken out. When it's time to take a pill again, it rotates around so that those particular pills can be dispensed. I bought it through Amazon. It was one of the best purchases I made to help make sure mom was taking her meds. Thankfully instructions for setting it up and programming it were very clear.

It kind of depends on your MILs state of mind. The automatic dispensers are great if someone just is forgetful about taking pills but if they are the type that gets easily distracted (takes the pills in hand but puts them down to grab the tea kettle) or just is at the point where they look at the pills but don't seem to take them.... well, then they can be pretty pricey and very much useless. You can of course also install cameras to see if the pills are taken but if the person get out of camera range or if you are 100 miles away even a phone call may not get them back on track.