Medicine noncompliance is maddening

Beauchene105

My mom, a dementia patient, began having absence seizures after a fall resulting in concussion six years ago. She has been on Vimpat ever since, but for the last six months has become increasingly noncompliant with medications. It is a daily battle twice a day for the AL staff and caregivers. She will not listen to me. She is non-compliant ~50% of the time. After an emergency room visit/release this weekend (the ER took bloodwork and is getting a neurologist appointment for her), she is as noncompliant as ever.She spits out the medicine, hides it in her food, puts the pills in her pocket, etc. We have tried every trick including crushing the medicine, letting her take it in her room in privacy,  and having a little reward like a Hershey's kiss. Today the nurse will crush it into a tasty solution and try using an injectable syringe that she may "accept". At least two of her falls resulting in broken bones have most likely been from standing and having an absence seizure. I'm frustrated that POAs have zero rights to try and help a PWD survive and thrive. 

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M1

Ask about a liquid formulation that you can put in a drink and don't even tell her she's taking it.

Beauchene105

Thank you for your input. I'm not terribly optimistic about her accepting the syringe, but we'll see. Ice cream might do well; I'll tell the nurse. Thankfully, I do have a therapist and support group.  My mom has managed to come back from the brink numerous times, and while "thrive" is a relative term, thriving to her means feeling as good as possible. I'm painfully aware that she is going downhill, but she's very strong-willed and won't "go gently into that good night". I hate for her "going" to include more falls, pain, and hospital stays when simple pills could help. SO frustrating.

dayn2nite2

Even PWD who don't have seizures progress to falling, so in the context of her disease, this is normal.  All you can do is change the formulation to something that can be put in food or drink that she might accept and otherwise let it be.

If she is in her 90s, her life is coming to its end anyway, and some have a more gentle end than others.  Best thing to do is to take the path of least resistance and create as little agitation and conflict in this last phase of her life as possible.

prov1kenobi

my brother likes to drink coffee or tea in the am.The meds he takes will dissolve in hot water, so it is easy to administer those meds that way. one morning i had to dissolve respiradone in hot water and put it in his oj. it worked just fine

Beauchene105

Thanks prov1kenobi. The home health nurse is exploring whether her seizure medicine comes in liquid form. The AL nurse is thinking of putting the liquid form in her iced tea in a very small glass (since she doesn't ever finish a glass).

CRGeez

Hi I'm a Newb out here.  Glad I found this site.  I'm struggling personally trying to give my mother the best care possible, but she is now refusing to take her medications.  She has become very combative over recent weeks and confrontational with staff at the Independent Living facility where she lives.  She also thinks I'm in on some grand conspiracy to withhold medical information from her along with the doctors at the local ER (she's called and ended up there 3 times in as many weeks).   They have found nothing medically wrong with her until the Neurologist looked at her last 2 MRI's over the last week.  The are saying they are leaning toward Vascular D.   From what I can gather from online information, a patient cannot be forced to take medication that absolutely refuse to take.   The Independent Living place is suggesting to add a Medication Management service, though they say they cannot force her to take it either.   Due to other medical issues my mother has, it is really important for her to get her blood  pressure medications and blood thinner.  They have told me, however, that if she refuses to take her meds, they cannot force her to.   Any ideas?  I would not be person giving her meds as she needs them twice per day, and I am "a caregiver" but it would be medical staff administering her meds, not me.  We have not started this service yet, as it just happened.

Angelisloved

Hello I’m in Arkansa  I have two parents the have been divorced for fifty years

My dad has been living with me since 2019 has 

Dementia it’s getting worse he was once doing pretty

 good with namzaric but for some reason The manufacturers 

Wasn’t able to keep up the demand was out of them for

A month doctor prescribed two medications to replace 

Them but they’re not really working to me we had a 

MRI yesterday doctor want see if brain that’s what making 

Him declining mean while my mom is fallen a lot since 

January  the last time in October she broke her femur 

My children help me take care of father 26 year old girl

And 31 year old son I’ve been back forth to Chicago 

To see after my mom and finally after 

Cartwheels and acrobats I convinced her to come stay with me

As a vacation she is very combative about taking her medication

And she is experiencing cognitive decline 

Angelisloved

Part 2 of my post

She has not been classified as having dementia she is refusing to go to the doctor since she’s been here her coverage from Illinois is not here in Arkansas she is on a walker she has been continuously reminded to use it for this to eat she doesn’t want to eat the trick to that I give

Her food I don’t ask her she gets mad with family members when they remind her of conversation she hasn’t paid her mortgage in 7 months so she might be losing her home two of my siblings work on of them is on drugs .