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Which best describes their mobility?
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How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
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I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
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V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
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He holds them in his mouth, chews them and washes them down with water slowly. Has anyone had a similar problem and wonder if chewing the meds hurts their effectiveness?
Some medications say right on the bottle not to chew. You can verify with his pharmacist which are ok to chew and which are not. Have you tried putting his pills in some applesauce, and feeding them to him? You can probably better control how many he gets in his mouth at a time, and hopefully he would just swallow the applesauce and pills without chewing them. Towards the end of my husbands life, I had to give him his medications in applesauce, and for the most part they just went right down no problem. You can use ice cream, yogurt or pudding too. Good luck.
I've never heard of someone taking their pills by the spoonful. Are you giving them to him that way? If so, maybe you have to dole them out 1 or 2 at a time with water so he can maybe be better able to just swallow them down.
Many pills should not be chewed. I think (not sure) that it can mess up your stomach. Some pills are extended release and the capsule or coating on a pill lets it slowly get into their system and have longer lasting effects.
Maybe ask the doctor if any of these pills come in chewable or liquid form. That could be a long shot, but I would at least try to look into it.
Capsules and coated tablets should not be crushed. They may be either time released or designed to dissolve at a particular point in the digestive system or they may be a bit harsh for the system. Let his doctor know and discuss with the doctor or your pharmacist the fact that he is chewing the medications and find out if there are alternatives. Liquids, patches or crushable/dissolvable medications.
Your BEST source of information about this would be a pharmacist. Be sure to have the exact information about each medication that he takes. If possible, have the Rx bottle with you.
When mom was having difficulty swallowing, esp post stroke, I called the pharmacy these were ordered from. I knew some medications should not be crushed or chewed (hyperthyroid meds for kitties, was a big no-no), so I asked for the pharmacist there (CareMark.) It took a few transfers and a little waiting after asking, but the answer I got for one BP med was similar to one from againx100 (Some pills are extended release) Since her med was a capsule, I had asked if it could be opened, putting the contents into something like ice cream or applesauce. She indicated this was okay, BUT warned not to chew as this would negate the extended release.
I figured even if mom managed to crush a few of the contents (much less likely with ice cream, pudding, applesauce), at least she would get SOME benefit vs refusing to take them at all. Given dementia (likely vascular) and a stroke, keeping her BP under control was important!
I would definitely be concerned about him taking his medications this way. Not only concerns about chewing or crushing, but whether they are being taken correctly (i.e. right time of day, together, etc - some meds shouldn't be taken with others.)
If calling the pharmacy doesn't work, ANY pharmacist should be able to answer all these questions. Having the medication container is most helpful. as it would contain all the information they would need to provide the best answers.
(IF he needs to take these at different times and/or not together, get a timed/locked dispenser. Depending on how many different times during the day the medications should be taken, these can generally be set up for 1-4 weeks. Audible and visual alarms generally alert the user to take the medication. Only those needed at that time would be accessible. If any are the aforementioned time release capsules, you may have to intervene so that he stops chewing them.)
I had a nurse tell me recently that whenever I had a question about meds to ask the pharmacist because they are often more knowledgeable than doctors regarding drugs.
Every medication comes with its own Patient Information Leaflet. This leaflet will tell you whether chewing, splitting or crushing the medication is okay or not.
[It isn't only capsules which shouldn't be broken or opened - for example, some tablets are designed not to break down until they have got past the stomach, and these need to be swallowed whole too]
There are various ways to support someone who has difficulty taking medications independently. Is your husband happy for you to help him?
Yes, chewing some meds can effect how they work and how they interact and work with other ones. If he's chewing his pills and holding them in his mouth, then it's time to ask his doctor's if his meds come in a liquid form that you can put into a drink. Most of the time if pills have a line in them it means they can be split or even crushed up and put in food. This usually cannot be done with medications that are in capsule form. Talk to his doctors about liquid meds.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
Some pills can be crushed, while others need to remain whole.
Would your husband understand this concept?
Many pills should not be chewed. I think (not sure) that it can mess up your stomach. Some pills are extended release and the capsule or coating on a pill lets it slowly get into their system and have longer lasting effects.
Maybe ask the doctor if any of these pills come in chewable or liquid form. That could be a long shot, but I would at least try to look into it.
The capsules are usually time released and may have to be prescribed in pill or liquid form.
Use a syringe to place liquids inside cheek and hopefully he will swallow.
Let his doctor know and discuss with the doctor or your pharmacist the fact that he is chewing the medications and find out if there are alternatives. Liquids, patches or crushable/dissolvable medications.
When mom was having difficulty swallowing, esp post stroke, I called the pharmacy these were ordered from. I knew some medications should not be crushed or chewed (hyperthyroid meds for kitties, was a big no-no), so I asked for the pharmacist there (CareMark.) It took a few transfers and a little waiting after asking, but the answer I got for one BP med was similar to one from againx100 (Some pills are extended release) Since her med was a capsule, I had asked if it could be opened, putting the contents into something like ice cream or applesauce. She indicated this was okay, BUT warned not to chew as this would negate the extended release.
I figured even if mom managed to crush a few of the contents (much less likely with ice cream, pudding, applesauce), at least she would get SOME benefit vs refusing to take them at all. Given dementia (likely vascular) and a stroke, keeping her BP under control was important!
I would definitely be concerned about him taking his medications this way. Not only concerns about chewing or crushing, but whether they are being taken correctly (i.e. right time of day, together, etc - some meds shouldn't be taken with others.)
If calling the pharmacy doesn't work, ANY pharmacist should be able to answer all these questions. Having the medication container is most helpful. as it would contain all the information they would need to provide the best answers.
(IF he needs to take these at different times and/or not together, get a timed/locked dispenser. Depending on how many different times during the day the medications should be taken, these can generally be set up for 1-4 weeks. Audible and visual alarms generally alert the user to take the medication. Only those needed at that time would be accessible. If any are the aforementioned time release capsules, you may have to intervene so that he stops chewing them.)
I had a nurse tell me recently that whenever I had a question about meds to ask the pharmacist because they are often more knowledgeable than doctors regarding drugs.
They stay up to date on all drugs.
[It isn't only capsules which shouldn't be broken or opened - for example, some tablets are designed not to break down until they have got past the stomach, and these need to be swallowed whole too]
There are various ways to support someone who has difficulty taking medications independently. Is your husband happy for you to help him?