Sample chapter from Resource Guide: THINKING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY FOR MEDICATION MANAGEMENT The Resource Guide to Assistive Technology for Memory and Organization, 2003 edition, provides over 150 pages of information to help you select and find appropriate technology. Medication reminders come in a variety of forms, from simple one or two compartment plastic pill holders to elaborate computerized automatic dispensing systems. In considering the requirements of the task of remembering to take medications, you might include the answers to such questions as: Are you taking tablets or capsules rather than liquid? Container pill reminders work only with solid forms of medication. If your medication is liquid, you can use reminder alarm devices, such as watches, alarms clocks, or paging services to remind you when it is time for medication. If once a day, a single seven day dispenser may work. If more often, you can try combining two or more different single seven-day dispensers. These single seven day dispensers can be found in many drugstores, such as CVS, or Walgreen’s, as well as in the pharmacy section of large stores such as Target or Wal-Mart. Catalogs that offer a variety of products for individuals with disabilities often carry pill organizers as well. MaxiAids and Independent Living Aids are two catalogs that carry them. There are also larger dispenser products with compartments for as many as four different times per day, for seven days for a total of 28 compartments. These can also be found in many of the same stores and catalogs. Dispensers come with several different compartment sizes, including some specifically designed for large pills or large quantities of pills to be taken at the same time. The very large sizes of these pill organizers may be more difficult to find, but may be found in Walgreen’s and some independent pharmacies that carry products from the manufacturer Apothecary Inc. In addition, catalogs and web sites for individuals with visual impairments also frequently carry very large sizes of pill organizers. For example, does it need to be taken with water or juice? Two new products, Beep N Tell (link) and Talking RX (link) provide voice messages to remind people how to take medications. Pagers such as epill’s medication paging service (link) can provide text messages about how to take medications. Next you might look at the person who will be using the technology and his or her particular goals, abilities and disabilities, and preferences. What type of cue or prompt do you need to remind you to take your medication? For some people, a simple non-electronic plastic pill reminder, placed in a strategic location, will be enough of a cue for them to remember to take their medication. However, some individuals may need an alarm to remind them that it is time to take medication. There are portable electronic pillboxes with timers and alarms built-in and with compartments to hold medication. Walgreen’s Remind N Time, the Aqua Pill Timer, the MedGlider System 1 and 7 (link), and the 4 Alarm Pill Box and Alarm Clock are several examples of such products. Many other products with various types of alarms can be found in the listing of electronic products at the back of this section. Will you remember to reset an alarm, or do you need a product that will automatically reset itself? Some electronic alarm reminders have reset buttons, while others automatically beep at the same time every day. Individuals who would forget to reset an alarm may benefit from the products that automatically reset themselves. One example of a product that resets itself is the e-pill Beep N Tell Medication Reminder (link). The vial's cap automatically resets the alarm when you replace it. Two watches are specifically designed to be used as medication reminders with alarms. The Health Watch 100 (link) has an audible alarm, can display up to 8 daily reminders to take medication, records 42 days of information on medication taken, and can transfer data between your computer and the Health Watch. The WatchMinder (link), which has a vibrating alarm, is preprogrammed with specific text messages relating to taking medication that can be set to be displayed at specific time. It also has preprogrammed messages related to other typical activities. A handheld computer with an alarm function could also be programmed to serve as a medication reminder, with either beeping alarms (Palm Pilot and others), voice alarms (Psion, Visor PDA with Targus Total Recall voice module, or Fonix software, or the TimePAD), or a vibrating alarm (Visor PDA with Innogear vibrating module). There are at least two software programs especially designed for PDAs as medication reminders. These are Doctor’s Orders for the Palm PDA and epill’s PillPal for the Pocket PDA. If you prefer to have phone calls made to your cell phone to remind you to take your medication, you can use the Dr. Dose notification service of iping.com. CompuMed is a stationary computerized system with alarm that dispenses the appropriate medication at the appropriate time. The alarm does not stop until the medication has been removed from the dispensing tray. Information about medication actually taken is recorded. Individuals who are blind can find pill dispensers with Braille labels and some with large print letters in catalogs such as MaxiAids and Independent Living Aids. Talking watches and audible reminder systems, as described above, may be a better choice than reminders with LCD displays of information for individuals with visual impairments, and are widely available in mail order catalogs geared to individuals with visual impairments (See Appendix A). Individuals with fine motor difficulties may benefit from using either the jumbo pillboxes whose compartments are easier to open or the ones that have sliding rather than snap closings, such as the MediSet Pill Organizer from Walgreens. The Alnamar medication dispenser, sold by Colonial Medical Alert, is a stationary non-electronic product designed to sit on a counter. It dispenses medications when one pushes a large button. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and need alarms to remind them of the time to take medication could use either a vibrating watch or a vibrating pocket timer, making sure that the number of alarms that can be set corresponds to the number of times a day you need to be reminded to take a medication. Some vibrating watches available now, such as the WatchMinder, include text messages when the alarm goes off. Individuals who benefit from color-coding may find it useful to buy pill reminders in different colors. For example, one seven-day pill reminder comes in both yellow and blue. A simple color-coding mnemonic would be using the yellow reminder for morning medication, and the blue for evening. Environmental concerns might include considerations about the desirability of an audible alarm or a vibrating, non-audible alarm. If a vibrating alarm is preferred for environmental reasons, the products listed above for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing could be used. In the area of environmental concerns, families with children may want to use a medication dispenser with a child-resistant locking system, such as the Child-resistant Pharmadose pill organizer from Walgreens. Locking medication dispensers may be useful when there are young children around. These systems would also work well when there are safety concerns about an individual’s ability to remember to take only the appropriate dose of medication, and not to take all that is visible. The stationary countertop systems MD.2, MedReady, CompuMed and MedTime all have some kind of locking mechanism that is activated after and between each dose of medication. If you need to carry your medication with you during the course of the day, a portable system will be needed. There are both electronic and non-electronic portable organizers. Some devices are portable by nature due to their small size. Others, such as the Pill Organizer and Travel Case or the 7-Day Travel Pill Chest from MaxiAids, are designed so that a daily segment of the dispenser can be removed and carried with you. The MedGlider system 7 electronic medication reminder and organizer is also designed so that one day’s medication can be taken out and carried with you. If you will be carrying your medication with you in a location where it is unlikely that you will be able to find water with which to take your medication, the Aqua Pill timer, which has a container that allows you to carry a 2 oz supply of water, may be useful. If you will be in a location where you do not want an audible alarm to alert you to take your medication, either because you might not hear the alarm in a noisy location or because it would be a distraction to those around you, then you will want to consider one of the vibrating alarms. Sometimes a combination of devices will need to be used to achieve the best results. When all of the individual's abilities, disabilities, goals and preferences; the task; the environment; and features of available products are taken into consideration, there may not be one particular product that has all the necessary features. However, there is such a tremendous variety available that some combination of products will most likely be found to be helpful. The specific types of products available change frequently. There are now several web sites available that focus either entirely or in large part on medication reminders. They are excellent resources for finding currently available products. These sites are: www.epill.com, a web site dedicated to medication reminders, electronic and non-electronic; www.dynamic-living.com, which has many different types of assistive technology products with a large concentration of medication reminders; and www.independentliving.com, another general assistive technology site that also offers many types of medication reminders. PRODUCTS TO HELP WITH MEDICATION MANAGEMENT ELECTRONIC MEDICATION REMINDERS: Portable: Aqua Pill Timer - The Aqua Pill Timer™ is a pocket-sized timer that includes an electronic alarm, a pill container, and a compartment for a 2 oz. supply of water. It has large rubber keys and a large number digital time display. When the alarm is programmed, a beep will sound at the appropriate time. The alarm provides a five minute and ten minute warning beep and then beeps for one minute when the preset time is reached. The timer will automatically reset when you push the S/S button. It can also be used as a stopwatch. $25.00. From www.goldviolin.com. Beep N Tell - This unique medical vial includes both a digital recorder and timer with alarm. You set the timer for the number of hours between alarms, up to 24 times per day. Replacing the cap will automatically reset the alarm. To hear the recorded message, you press the large on/off button on the side. A new message of up to 60 seconds can be recorded at any time with the included stylus. The whole Beep N Tell includes an amber medication vial, a cap with a timer, and a bottom piece with the digital recorder. Size: 4 1/2" x 1 3/4" Batteries are Included. $49.95. From www.epill.com. epill Multi-Alarm EZProgram Pocket Reminder – This pocket-sized (5” x 1”) alarm device can be set up for up to 31 alarms per day, every half-hour from 8 am to 11 pm. The alarm will repeat every day once it is set, so you don’t need to reset it every day. Alarms are easily set using a unique slide/switch mechanism, by which you slide the appropriate small switch to set an alarm. The manufacturer says that this reminder is not suitable for persons with hearing difficulties due to the high pitched tone of the alarm. The alarm will sound for 10 seconds on 10 seconds off for 10 minutes. It is designed to be a medication reminder, and will indicate medicine reminder sequence 1,2,3 etc. However, it is suitable for use whenever you need many alarms per day, and a half hour interval will work. $34.95 includes US shipping & handling, batteries and case. From www.epill.com. Health Watch 100 – The HealthWatch 100 medication reminder and medical alert watch will beep when it is time to take your medications. The names of your medications that need to be taken will scroll across the easy-to-read display, and the HealthWatch will record the time the medicine was taken. You can set up to 8 daily alarms. It works in conjunction with a PC running Windows 95-98 and ME. Using provided software, medication schedules are entered on a PC, then uploaded to the watch using infrared technology and the included serial port cradle. $149.95 includes the complete kit consisting of watch, battery, software, serial port cradle and manuals and free shipping and handling. Available through www.epill.com. ILA Pillbox and Timer – This combination pillbox and timer can be set for as little as a 1 minute interval to a maximum of 24 hours. It has a persistent buzzing alarm that lasts for about 1 minute, and can be reset to ring at the same time interval. The pill compartment is amply sized, measuring 3 ½ x 2 x ½”. Battery included. $10.95 from www.independentliving.com or call 800-537-2118. MedGlider system 1 and 7 - Created by MEDPort, this is a talking medication reminder and pill organizer. It allows you to set up to 4 daily alarms at the exact times you need your medication. Each daily pill case has a small tray with 4 compartments 1” x 1” x ½” that can hold 3 medium size capsules or pills. A sliding pill case cover makes it easy to open and close. There are no tiny lid latches. The Medication Timer can be used alone or can be fitted into the groove on top of the pill case. The alarms will automatically repeat the next day. Alarms are easily set using hour and minute buttons. The timer 55 (MedGlider system 1 and 7 – cont.) measures 4" long x ¾" high x 1 ¾" wide. Three different alarm modes are available: Beeping, voice, or visual alarm. There is a missed pill symbol. Requires 2 "AAA" batteries, not included. It comes in two systems: System 1 and System 7 as follows: MedGlider System 1 - Daily Reminder includes one pill case and the talking medication timer. $17.95 from Independent Living Aids at www.independentliving.com or call 800-537-2118. MEDGlider System 7 - Weekly Reminder includes storage tray with 7 individual pill cases and a talking medication timer. 9 ½" L x ½" D x 4 ¾" W. From www.epill.com for $39.95; for $24.95 from www.independentliving.com or 800-537-2118; or $24.95 from www.colonialmedical.com or 800-323-6794. MeDose wristwatch - This wristwatch looks like a regular sports watch, but is also a vibrating 6 Alarm Reminder Watch. It also can provide an audible alarm. It shows the time, the day and date, and includes both a count down/up/auto re-set timer and a stopwatch. It comes in an adult model and a pediatric model, and is black/silver with a black leather strap. Manufactured by ROLAND. Dimensions: Watch size 1 1/2" x 1/2", digits are 1/4 “ high. $139.95 includes free shipping and handling from www.epill.com. Pager-sized vibrating medication alarm is a pager-sized multi-function timer that beeps or silently vibrates to discreetly signal the set time. Up to 12 different alarms per day can be set on the timer. The timer can be adjusted for vibration intensity and beep volume/number of beeps. There is an auto button lock to prevent timer cancellations. Uses AAA battery. The timer comes with a removable clip. Size: 2 7/8 x 1 5/8 x 5/8” It is sold as the Invisible Clock by the Attainment Company at 800-327-4269 or www.attainmentcompany.com for $49.00 and by epill as a Pager-sized vibrating medication reminder for $89. which includes a leather pouch and a spare battery, at www.epill.com. Remind N Time - This 7 day, one compartment per day, pill reminder has an attached timer at one end. The timer can be set for 1 to 12 hour intervals. When the set time arrives, a red light flashes and an alarm sounds to remind you to take your medication. A green light on the timer indicates that the timer has been set. It is available at Walgreen’s and costs $9.99. Talking RX – The Talking Rx is a talking prescription device. It is a 60 second digital recording device that fits on the bottom of several common sizes of prescription bottles. The Talking Rx is reusable and can work with insulin or eye drops. It can be used to tell you exactly how many pills to take, when, and what for. Your doctor or pharmacist can record the prescription information right into the Talking Rx. When you push a red button on the Talking Rx, the message will be played. When you are through with your prescription, the same Talking Rx can be used again for a different medication or prescription. $15.00 at www.talkingrx.com or call (860) 426-0542. Also sold at some retail pharmacies. WatchMinder - The WatchMinder is a sports watch with built-in medication reminder features. The watch is preprogrammed with over 70 messages that can be activated up to 16 times a day in the alarm reminder mode. Messages will repeat the next day unless changed. At the selected alarm time, the watch vibrates for 2.5 seconds and the appropriate message blinks for 5 minutes. There is no audible alarm. Thus, this watch is useful when the person's disability, the environment, or the person's preference calls for a vibrating alarm rather than an audible one. Among the 57 messages available in the reminder mode are the medication reminder messages, “Meds 1,2,3, or 4”. $79.50. From 800-961-0023 or at www.watchminder.com. 56 ELECTRONIC MEDICATION REMINDERS: Stationary: CompuMed - The CompuMed Medication Dispenser and Management System is a tabletop or countertop medication dispenser. It automatically dispenses the proper medication at the right time, and locks all other medicine in a tamperproof medication dispenser cassette. Medication is dispensed into an easily accessed drawer at preset times, and an audio alarm sounds. Instructions appear on a screen (i.e. "Take with food"). Optional features include “a flashing strobe for the hearing impaired, a voice module for Alzheimer patients and a telephone/Emergency Response tie-in that telephones a remote caregiver if medication is not taken within a certain time of when it should”. It includes several safety features, such as the need for a key in order to change instructions or reprogram the device. Purchase price: $895.00. Rental rate is $100.00 per month. Available from the manufacturer at www.compumed.com or by calling 800-722-4417, and also available from www.colonialmedical.com or 800-323-6794. MD.2 – MD.2 is an automatic monitored pill dispenser that fits on a countertop. It is monitored and will notify a Caregiver by Phone if medications are not dispensed or if MD.2 is running low on medications. It holds 60 medication cups, and will dispense up to 6 cups per day, thus storing 3-4 weeks of medications for most patients. It can dispense as many as 25 different pills per medication time. Reminders are available as voice messages, text messages, and a blinking light. An early dose feature allows some flexibility. The medication cabinet is lockable. Monitoring service costs $29.95 after a free 60 day trial period. MD.2 needs an outlet and a phone jack, but operates on your normal phone line so there is no need for extra phone lines). The complete system is available from epill and includes the loading tray, 2 keys, power supply, backup batteries, telephone cord, power cord, medicine cups, manual. Retail price: $899.00 from www.epill.com. MedReady - MedReady is a round electronic pill dispenser, measuring 11” in diameter. The alarms on the pill dispenser are similar to the alarms on an alarm clock, and are easy to set. The dispenser runs on AC power, but will automatically switch to the battery backup if there is a power outage or if you are traveling a short distance. It includes rechargeable batteries that will last up to 72 hours when charged. MedReady uses a lock and a key for access to medications. There are 28 individual compartments for medications, and each compartment can hold about 3 large pills. $149.99. from www.dynamic-living.com. MedTime - e-pill’s Med-Time electronic pill dispenser is an automatic medication dispenser/pill organizer/pill box and reminder system. It is about the size of two dinner plates. It will automatically dispense medications at the selected times up to 4 times a day. At the selected time, an alarm will sound and the appropriate pill compartment will rotate into position. To remove pill, you tilt the whole device so that the pills fall into your hand. The alarm will stop once the device is tilted. The ease of dispensing pills may make this device especially useful for those with fine motor or visual difficulties. The round medication tray has 28 compartments each with the capacity to hold about 15 aspirins. Once the tray is loaded, the device can be locked. e-pill Med-Time includes 2 medication trays, 2 keys, a dustcover, batteries, day/time discs (2), a prescription card, and the manual. $249.00 includes free shipping in the US. Available from www.epill.com. ONLINE SERVICE: Iping.com – Dr. Dose - Through this paid notification service, messages will be delivered either to your telephone or through your email to remind you that it is time to take a medication and how you should take it. Information is entered online at iping.com. Fees begin at $5.00 for up to 30 reminder calls per month and up to 50 email reminders, and go up to $14.95 per month for to 120 calls and 50 email reminders. Can interface with MS Outlook. Call 866-868-1151 or go to www.iping.com. 57 PAGING SERVICE: E-pill paging service - Epill provides a paging service that offers unlimited text messages to a pager to remind you to take medications. The service requires you to have a pager (which epill can provide) and a paging service. $14.00 per month with 30 day free trial. Call 800-549-0095 or go to www.epill.com. PDA SOFTWARE: Doctor’s Orders V. 2.7 for Palm OS: Published by DaMilTech Systems - Description from the developer: “Whether your focus is Weight-Loss, Nutrition, Blood Pressure, Medication or Healthcare Management, Doctor's Orders-Complete allows you to keep tabs on crucial aspects of your daily life and assure compliance with Modules include:… MedTracker - The DMT stores critical info on your prescriptions or OTC meds and allows you to set a daily schedule of which meds are to be taken when. The DMT records whether you've taken each med and enables recurring alarms throughout the day to remind you when each med is due. It can even remind you when refills are due and which pharmacy holds the script!” Many other applications track diet, weight, appointments, etc. $19.99 from www.lifestylus.com Mini RX – Mini RX is Palm OS shareware that stores your prescription information with a refill alarm. It records name, Rx#, refills, refill date, quantity, dose, alarm date/time, and note. Data can be transferred to or from a PC. It is published by Blackboard Software, Inc. and costs $9.99. Available through www.lifestylus.com PillPAL for the PocketPC - e-pill® publishes the PillPAL Medication Reminder and Medication History software program for Pocket PCs. It can provide up to 48 daily medication reminders. Reminders will repeat daily without resetting. It can also provide one-time reminders for doctor appointments, tests, etc. You can include a text message for each alarm. There are three reminder sound settings to choose from, including low, loud, and range of frequency. $49.95 at www.epill.com. NON-ELECTRONIC MEDICATION REMINDERS: 7 day Vitamin/Medication Container – This medication reminder consists of 7 small compartments labeled for each day of the week. It is also available in several sizes ranging from large to jumbo (large enough to hold 60 aspirin.) It is available at Walgreen’s for $1.49 for the smallest size to $4.99 for the jumbo size. 7-Day Travel Pill Chest – The pill chest includes 7 separate pill holders, each with 4 compartments. They all fit into a plastic base. $6.98. From MaxiAids at 800- 522-6294 or www.MaxiAids.com. Alnamar Home Pill Dispenser – This pill dispenser holds pills that can be dispensed up to four times a day for a week. It stands upright on a counter or table. To operate, you push the button for the appropriate day and time, and pills are released and fall to a drawer at the bottom of the dispenser. Because the buttons are big and easy to use, this product is suitable for people with vision impairments or fine motor difficulties such as arthritis. It eliminates opening several bottles each day, or trying to snap and unsnap tiny lids from pill containers. $39.95. From Colonial Medical Alert at 8000-323-6794 or at www.colonialmedical.com. 58 Brailled Jumbo 7-Day Pill Reminders - The extra large compartments on these pill reminders easily hold a daily dosage of medication or vitamins. Each compartment on the “2XL” can hold 60 aspirin tablets and the “3XL” compartment can hold 100 aspirin tablets. The days of the week are marked in Braille. Dimensions: 2XL: 9" L X 2" W X 1" Deep. Dimensions 3XL: 11" L X 2.5" W X 1" Deep $3.49. From www.healthaccessories.com. Daily (4 compartment) Vitamin/Medication Container– This is a small 4-compartment medication container that can hold one day’s worth of medications. It is available at Walgreen’s for $1.49. Easy Minders Reusable Lists - The Medicine Minder list enables you to track your medicines, including whose medicine, the strength and how much, how and when, refill dates, and to make notes. There is room for emergency numbers and medical contact information on the back. $3.95. MediMinder Plus™ list is for people who take several different medications at different times throughout the day. Keep track of instructions and whether medication has been taken for 10 medications. $4.95. From www.easyminders.com. Med Stacker - multiple compartments for each day. (800) 522-6294 or www.MaxiAids.com. $12.95 Mediplanner I - weekly medication planner with 28 compartments. (800) 522-6294 or www.MaxiAids.com. $4.50 Mediplanner II - 28 compartments, raised letters and dots.(800) 522-6294 or www.MaxiAids.com.$4.85. One Day at a time Weekly Medication Organizer – This 28 compartment pill organizer consists of 7 individual, four-compartment pill containers that fit into a storage tray. Each day’s individual container can be removed for easy portability. It is available at Walgreen’s for $7.99. Pharmadose– This is a child-deterrent 28-compartment pill organizer that comes in several different colors, lending it to color coding. It has a locking feature, and sliding covers over each day’s medications. Walgreen’s sells this product for $9.99. Pill Organizer - 7 compartments in one container, marked in Braille and standard alphabet for each day of the week. 800-522-6294 or www.maxiaids.com. Pill Organizer and Travel Case –- 7 separate daily organizers, with four compartments for each day, and a traveling case. 800-522-6294 or www.maxiaids.com. COMBINATION PRODUCTS: 7x4Day Organizer & Reminder – epill’s Medinizer Combo includes a canvas pack, 7 easy to open Medinizer pill boxes, and the e-pill EZ-to-PROGRAM electronic Multi-Alarm reminder device, batteries included. The pill boxes are clearly imprinted with a day of the week on the front of each one. Each pill box has 4 large compartments. Electronic Medication Reminder, which can be set for up to 31 alarms per day, can be carried either in the outer pocket of the organizer, inside the organizer itself, or in your pocket or purse. $69.95 including free shipping and handling in the US. From www.epill.com. |
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30-Day Money Back Guarantee - FREE Standard Shipping e-pill the leading provider of Medication Reminders and ADD/ADHD timers e-pill, LLC | dba eAdultADD.com & eADHD.com 70 Walnut Street Wellesley, MA 02481-2175, USA Toll Free (800) 549-0095 Medication Reminders or (800) 930-9255 Hip Protectors Phone (781) 239-8255 Fax (781) 235-3252 Order on-line at http://www.epill.com or http://www.eAdultADD.com e-mail: info@epill.com |