iSavta | 15.06.2020

One sign our clients are experiencing dementia is their refusal to take medicines. Many who are in their golden years naturally become frail - physically and even mentally. Many times, this can cause stress not only in the part of the caregiver, but also of the client. Even if our clients seem to get disoriented with the time or with the place, they can still easily pick on the emotions we project as we care for them. Once we are embittered and our actions make them feel rejected, we also get the same vibe from them, and the cycle goes on giving birth to other cooperation issues in the future.

 

So how do we manage this? How did you go about it in the past? Was it that effective? Here we’ll share some tips to consider when dealing with refusal to take medicine by geriatric patients.

 

BE GENTLE

 

While our clients might be radiating a sense of suspicion to us and the medicines we are about to give them - refusing the medicines and even throwing them away; we have to remember to be gentle to them. The way to get into their hearts is still through maintaining our patience. Remember, we are dealing with people who could be experiencing dementia, so we have to adjust and understand them. If he/she continues to refuse, allow them to calm down for several minutes and try again. The process may really take several attempts, so walk the extra mile of patience.

 

DETERMINE A PERSON THE CLIENT WANTS TO PLEASE

 

This could be a doctor or any individual that he/she wants to please. You can probably show your client a note and explain that this person advises him/her to take the medications. He/She most probably would follow just because they want to please that doctor or individual.

 

OTHER FORMS OF THE SAME MEDICINE

 

Because of their age, swallowing could also be an issue. Check with your pharmacy if there are liquid forms of the same medicine. Giving them medicine in syrup form could be easier for them than those in tablet or capsule form. If there is no liquid form available, consider crushing the tablet into powder form or opening the capsule, then including either the powdered form or contents in the person’s pudding so as to disguise with the taste. 

 

ONE AT A TIME

 

Our goal is for the client to take his/her medicine in the safest possible way. Taking medicines one at a time does not only allow our clients to take the medicines at a pace that they are capable of, but also in a way that is safe and avoids choking. Because there is still a chance our client will refuse participation in the middle of the process, it is wise to prioritize the most important medications first.

SIT BESIDE THE CLIENT INSTEAD OF STANDING

 

Managing this kind of situation is our goal, but being bossy wouldn’t help much. Standing in front of the client, though might not necessarily mean anything to us, might be seen by the client as a silent way of bossing around them. Many of them can still think that they are well-achieved and that we caregivers have not yet even reached the summit they’ve had in their lives, so they would generally refuse being bossed around. Sitting beside them seems to be an act that means we are not power tripping, it is rather neutral and could be seen as an act of caring.

Our clients’ medicines are very important to maintain their health, especially if they already have issues with hypertension and diabetes. In dealing with people with dementia, this could even become more taxing on the part of the caregiver. Even so, we have to maintain gentleness and patience to our clients which will definitely have a positive effect either now or in the future. With experiences in the past, we can now learn from the best practices of others in the field, and have better approaches. I’m sure you would all agree that acting with wisdom means better likelihood in achieving success, and we hope for everyone to attain it!