11 Ways to Get Someone with Dementia to Take Medication

Many caregivers find it challenging to give medication to those with dementia or Alzheimer’s. This is often due to multiple factors, including feeling confused, being afraid, or experiencing anger or resistance over the fact that they’ve lost control over so many areas of their lives.

Obviously, medication is important and cannot be stopped, even when it causes stress or is difficult for both the caregiver and patient. The following 11 tips can make a big difference in convincing someone to take their medicine:

1. Create a calm, quiet environment. Before you try dispensing medicine, make sure there aren’t any loud sounds (like television) or too many people around. You could turn on soothing music to create the right ambience. Prepare yourself by taking some deep breaths so you remain calm, since the individual will pick up on any frustration or agitation you’re experiencing and will be less likely to cooperate.
2. Be sensitive to side effects or illness that cause discomfort. Know which medications cause unpleasant side effects such as nausea, stomach aches, dizziness, or agitation. If those with dementia begin to associate taking medication with feeling sick or uncomfortable, there’s a good chance they’ll begin refusing to take it. They may not even be able to express to you what the problem is. If this is the case, talk to the doctor about what steps to take. If a senior is usually good about taking medicine but suddenly stops being cooperative, be on the lookout for other medical issues such as a sore throat, urinary tract infection, cold, flu, sore gums, or poorly fitting dentures.
3. Discontinue any medications or supplements that are no longer necessary. Find out from the doctor if some medications are no longer needed and could be safely discontinued. Often doctors forget to review a senior’s medication list periodically and continue to prescribe medicines that aren’t essential. You’ll encounter much less resistance and hassle during medication time if there are fewer pills to swallow.
4. Figure out how to make pills easier to swallow. Talk to the doctor or pharmacist to find out if any of your older adult’s pills could be switched over to liquid, or if you could crush some of the pills and add them to applesauce or yogurt. This could make a huge difference with pills that are large or hard to swallow. It’s important to check with a medical professional, though, before crushing a pill, because doing this can make some medicines less effective or even unsafe.
5. Don’t try to explain or reason, and use only a few words. It’s generally a waste of time to try to convince those with dementia why they need to take their medication, or to reason about what might happen if they skip doses. Instead, speak in short, direct sentences that give clear instructions. For example, you could put a pretend pill in your mouth to demonstrate what you expect, then hand them a pill. After they put the pill in their mouth, you could simply say, “Big drink of water.”
6. Eliminate anything that triggers distress. It might not be taking the medicine itself that stresses the person out. Do a little detective work to figure out what the real problem is. For example, it could be that seeing a lot of pill bottles causes them anxiety, in which case you could simply hide the bottles away until it’s time to take medicine. It could also be stressful to see a handful of pills that need to be taken. A solution could be to just hand the person one pill at a time.
7. Take your medication at the same time. Become a “medication buddy” by taking your own medicine at the same time they take theirs. If you don’t take any medication, you could pretend by using a piece of candy like an M&M or a Tic Tac.
8. If at first you don’t succeed, try again later. At times nothing you try may work. The older adult may simply refuse to take medication. If this happens, don’t try to force the issue. Give each other space so you can both calm down and focus on something else. After a break (15 minutes or more), you can try again.
9. Pick the best time of day. It’s common for those with dementia to have good and bad times of day. For many, “sundowning” symptoms make late afternoon or evening a particularly challenging time to attempt taking medication. Unless the doctor requires medication to be administered at a certain time of day for medical reasons, it’s best to consider what time of day the person is typically in his or her best mood, and try giving medication then. Of course, before making any changes to a medication schedule, it’s important to check with the doctor to be sure it won’t cause any problems.
10. Stick to a daily routine. Those with dementia usually thrive with a routine, since they know what to expect each day. If they have a regular schedule for taking their medication, they will get used to it and become more cooperative. This routine should take place at the same time each day, in the same location, with the same cup of water. Everything should be familiar and predictable.
11. Offer a reward. It can be very effective to offer a treat as a reward for taking medication. If you put a piece of chocolate in front of the person and say it’s for when they finish taking all their pills, it could serve as a powerful incentive. Even better, it could take away any bitter aftertaste from the medicine.

By doing your best to associate something positive with taking medicine and by removing any threats or unpleasant aspects of the process, you will have your best chance of success as a caretaker in getting your older person to swallow their pills!