Managing Medications: Online Pharmacy divvyDOSE makes life Easier for Caregivers
For many caregivers, regulating a loved one's medication can be overwhelming. divvyDOSE offers a convenient solution with pre-sorted doses and a caregiver feature that allows caregivers to ensure their loved ones are taking their medications correctly.
It’s a pivotal point for all caregivers, especially those caring for someone with dementia. And at first I suspected there would be an easy fix, but it was too late for that.
Dad had become very confused and erratic to the point where I was so overwhelmed I didn’t know what to do but call 911. When he was taken to the hospital, the doctors told me to bring in all the bottles of his medications.
I found at least three dozens of bottles of pills stuck in every nook and cranny of his room. It was obvious that none of the medications had been taken correctly. I determined this by judging by the labels, dates, and remaining supplies.
I thought the hospital would get his medication regulated and he would be able to come home. That didn’t happen. He went from the hospital, to a nursing home, to memory care, to a nursing home.
For my dad, it would have been impossible to regulate his medications. He was at that point he was too much for one person to handle.
He had behavioral-variant frontotemporal degeneration. This is a disease, which causes its victims to act outrageously and sometimes violently. The disease was in the late stages even then.
For many caregivers, regulating a loved one’s medication, is an easy way to keep them happy and healthy.
When people have dementia, or get up in years, they can become forgetful. Remembering when to take which medications becomes overwhelming.
An online pharmacy called divvyDOSE offers a remarkably effective solution. I wish it had been around for dad many years ago.
Introducing divvyDOSE:
· Pre-sorts doses into convenient packages.
· These packages come on a perforated roll.
It also offers a “caregiver feature” . This allows caregivers to make sure loved ones are taking their meds properly.
When it’s time to take a medication, a mobile phone app will notify the patient. The patient clicks a button telling divvyDOSE that the dose was taken.
If they don’t, the caregiver is notified in about 30 minutes later. That gives the caregiver, a heads up to give the patient a:
· Nudge
· A phone call
· A text
· A personal visit
Reminding them to take their medication. When the patient clicks the button saying they’ve taken the medication, the caregiver is notified for that, too. It gives them peace of mind.
divvyDOSE calls it “a friendly nanny.”
Secondly, and I personally think this is so important. Once the patient authorizes someone as his or her caregiver, that caregiver has total access to the account.
For example...
An elderly person with dementia has an Rx for Depakote changed to Seroquel. The doctor may have written that Depakote prescription with three refills.
In theory...
The doctor will let the pharmacy know that the Depakote prescription was stopped. And now the patient is prescribed Seroquel.
In reality, that doesn’t happen.
The original prescription often doesn’t get cancelled.
And the pharmacy doesn’t realize that. The Depakote keeps getting filled in addition to the Seroquel. Until no refills are left on the Depakote.
This can cause serious problems.
This turned into a nightmare situation with my dad. With the divvyDOSE caregiver function, the caregiver can go right into the account. Either online or over the telephone. And make sure a medication is marked as stopped.
In fact, 125,000 deaths per year occur in the U.S. due to people not taking their medications correctly. That’s the equal of three 747s going down every day.
We know... as caregivers that being proactive and getting involved early in our loved one’s care... can save a lot of grief down the road. It also can put off placement in an expensive facility. Which the patient themselves usually hopes never will happen.
To find out more about divvyDOSE, PLEASE LINK TO THIS PAGE www.divvydose.com or call 844-693-4889.
Our Resources section can help you find the information and tools that you need. We have courses, videos, checklists, guidebooks, cheat sheets, how-to guides and more.
You can get started by clicking on the link below. We know that taking care of a loved one is hard work, but with our help you can get the support that you need.
Click here to go to Resources Section now!
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Diane Carbo
