My Mom in NH is usually pretty good in the morning and afternoon as far as taking her meds for the LPNs. They are ground and in pudding or applesauce. I’ve watched them and it seems to go pretty routinely. I am getting reports that she’s spitting out her nighttime meds...which includes her melatonin for sleep and her ultram and Tylenol for pain. Then she doesn’t sleep very well. After a few attempts the LPNs can’t/won’t keep trying since the mantra is they can’t tell how much she actually kept in her mouth. My question is does anyone have some good tricks? Should I ask them to put it in her food or ice cream? I’m wondering if she even needs the ultram because she doesn’t seem any worse off the next day after spitting it out.
Possibly her Ultram, Tylenol and melatonin can be given to her during or immediately after her evening meal. What is her favorite desserts? That might help. Or if you’re able drop by after dinner and see if mom wants to cooperate with you?
But try to get her Nitey nite meds down her and she’ll rest better. I have a dread my mother is suffering and I can’t bear it. It must be all the sleepless nights that I’ve suffered. I don’t know.
At home I have been using a mortar and pedistal to grind the pills into a powder and mix it with ice cream. She will eat that and never find small chunks.
She hates applesauce. The pill crushers would not work because of the chunks. We also got her to take some by telling her it was her vitamins.
Best of luck.
Isthisrealyreal...they do the same thing at night as they do the other times...the difference is the LPNs would be different, and Mom is more confused at night.
Gardengurl, thanks for the jam idea. She does complain about the ground texture, so maybe the jam would help.
I will speak to her Nurse Practitioner tomorrow to review the times she’s spit out the night meds and see if I could even discontinue some. She was really good today without having any last night.
All of that I put in pudding (evening) or yogurt (Activia) in the morning. Since she likes her Activia and pudding, that's worked well.