Saturday, December 13, 2008 Patti asks

Q: My husband refuses meds at facility. How can he be made to take them.

He has been in the assisted living facility for 6 months. He is 67 and diagnosed with degenerative dementia. His behavior was violent before medication calmed him down. Now he is very resistant and flatly refuses to take any. The people in the facility know that they should back off and not persist when he says "no". What can be done to get him to take his meds. Reasoning doesn't help, he just knows he doesn't want to do something and everyone is telling him to do something he doesn't want to do.

Thanks for any advice offered.

Answers (2)

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Christine Kennard

12/16/08 7:26am

Thank you for asking this question. As has previously been mentioned you can grind up some types of medication. However this can affect the absorption rate of the drug or cause side effects such as gastric problems so medical advice is required. Some types of medication do come in syrup form so his prescription may need to be renewed.

There is also an issue of human rights that all good care homes will be aware of. To give a drug against someone's wishes is of concern. When this occurs a doctor must be involved in the decision making process to advise and give permission for care home staff to administer the drug. This safeguards patients, staff and relatives. A doctor will also be able to offer advice on any legal issues if it is necessary.

I know it sounds complicated, especially when we all know that most medication is very important and gives someone with dementia a better quality of life, however...

Christine

Rosy

12/15/08 12:44pm

My husband can no longer take pills and I grind them up and mix them in ice cream or applesauce and he will take them this way. Check with the doctor to be sure they can be given this way as some medications may be time-released. Also antibiotics may be bitter, see if liquid forms could work. Rosy

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Q: My husband refuses meds at facility. How can he be made to take them.

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