{"id":10008,"date":"2016-08-23T12:24:56","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T17:24:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=10008"},"modified":"2016-08-26T12:49:53","modified_gmt":"2016-08-26T17:49:53","slug":"a-guide-to-electronic-medication-dispensers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/08\/a-guide-to-electronic-medication-dispensers\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to Electronic Medication Dispensers"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><strong>A Guide to Electronic Medication Dispensers<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-10009\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/08\/A-Guide-to-Electronic-Medication-Dispensers-1-350x293.jpg\" alt=\"A Guide to Electronic Medication Dispensers\" width=\"350\" height=\"293\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/08\/A-Guide-to-Electronic-Medication-Dispensers-1-350x293.jpg 350w, https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/08\/A-Guide-to-Electronic-Medication-Dispensers-1-768x644.jpg 768w, https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/08\/A-Guide-to-Electronic-Medication-Dispensers-1.jpg 940w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/strong><\/h1>\n<p>Every, single day, you have to think about medication. As a person ages, the list of medications they\u2019re prescribed has a tendency to grow along with the number of candles on the birthday cake. For seniors and their caregivers, that creates a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/2015\/01\/preventing-medication-errors\/\">constant obligation<\/a>\u00a0of the highest importance.<\/p>\n<p>Not only is it crucial that a senior take every medication they\u2019re supposed to each day, they also have to take it at the right time, in the right quantity and make sure they don\u2019t accidentally mix any of their pills with other pills that can produce unwanted side effects. It\u2019s a lot to think about and keep up with and it\u2019s a problem that has to be dealt with every, single day.<\/p>\n<p>Add to all that the memory issues many seniors experience and it seems nearly impossible that any senior is able to keep up with their meds.<\/p>\n<p>As with so many of the problems people face in our modern age, there\u2019s a technological solution. There\u2019s a whole market out there of pill dispensers that provide automatic reminders to people who could use a little help keeping up with their medications each day.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some of the main automatic medication dispensers you have to choose from.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/LiveFine-Automatic-Dispenser-Electronic-Medication\/dp\/B00FL623G2\/ref=sr_1_23_s_it?s=hpc&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1469816387&amp;sr=1-23\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>LiveFine<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The LiveFine has 28 slots to hold up to 28 days of pills. For each slot, you can use up to four overlays to separate out the pills needed at different times of days and you can set alarms for each. When the alarm goes off, it lets off both a sound and flashing lights, so even those hard of hearing can see when it\u2019s time to take their meds. It also offers the option of locking the pillbox, to help protect users from potential overdose.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cost:\u00a0<\/strong>$59.99<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.philips.com\/health-solutions\/health-mdp.html\" target=\"_blank\">Phillips Lifeline<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Phillips Lifeline Medication Dispensing Service is a subscription product that requires monthly payment, but offers extreme convenience in exchange. Where many of the medication dispensers on this list still require seniors or caregivers to program them, Phillips Lifeline does that for you. You load the medications into the dispenser, provide Phillips with the medication schedule, and they do the rest.<\/p>\n<p>All the senior has to do is press a button when alerted, and take the pill that\u2019s dispensed. If they miss taking their meds at any point, their loved one will get a call from Phillips so they can check in on the situation.\u00a0<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Cost: $59.95\/month<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medreadyinc.net\/\" target=\"_blank\">MedReady<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>MedReady sells a range of medication dispensers, all of which store medicine for up to 28 days and can dispense meds up to four times a day. Some of their models are standalone and can simply be programmed and used by the customer. The more advanced models are hooked up to a landline or cellular monitored so that the product will be able to alert loved ones if a senior misses one of their medications.<\/p>\n<p>Cost: $149-$307<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.medelert.net\/\" target=\"_blank\">Med-e-lert<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Med-e-lert is available for a one-time cost, then you can program it for alerts up to 6 times a day. It has 28 slots available for medication and, like the LiveFone provides both a sound alarm and flashing lights. Reviewers say it\u2019s complicated to set up, but works great and is easy to use once it\u2019s programmed.<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nCost: $53.95<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/pill-Automatic-Dispenser-institutional-medication\/dp\/B00020BK9S\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>\u00a0MedTime<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The MedTime can dispense pills up to 28 times per day. Caregivers can use a key to open it when it\u2019s time to refill the dispenser, but keep it locked the rest of the time so patients avoid accidental overdose. In order to access their pills, the patients can simply turn the dispenser over and the ones it\u2019s time for them to take will fall out.\u00a0<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Cost: $389.95<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/liviathome.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Livi<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Livi has a sleeker look than most of the other pill dispensers on this list, resembling a fancy coffeemaker. It can hold a 90-day supply of up to 15 different types of pills.<\/p>\n<p>Like the Phillips, it offers a monthly subscription and almost all of the work is done for you. You provide the details of the senior\u2019s pill schedule online, pour each bottle of pills into the machine, and the product will sort and dispense them based on the information provided. If your loved one misses a dose, you\u2019ll be alerted by text or email.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cost: Contact the company for information<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medminder.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">MedMinder<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>MedMinder has a range of medication dispensing products with varying features. They all provide multi-stage alerts that first beep, then flash, then provide a phone reminder if the meds still haven\u2019t been taken. If the senior still hasn\u2019t taken their meds after all the alerts, a caregiver will be alerted.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the higher-cost models also lock all compartments except for the one with the medications that it\u2019s time to take, to prevent the risk of overdose. And some come with the option of a medical alert lifeline that makes it easy for the senior to call for help with the push of a button.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cost: Range from $39.99 to $64.99 a month<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B00ECK8KFG?psc=1\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TimerCaps<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>TimperCaps are a bit less complicated than the other options. They\u2019re simply a vial that you can put your pills into with caps that include a timer. You can always see how long it\u2019s been since the last time you took your meds, so you don\u2019t accidentally take two doses.<\/p>\n<p>The TimerCaps don\u2019t actually provide an alarm, which makes them less useful for those likely to forget to take their meds altogether, but many customers still love the product for helping them remember whether or not they\u2019ve taken their pills yet. It\u2019s not as sophisticated a solution as some of the others, but can still be a useful tool for many seniors.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cost: $19.95<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alert-1.com\/products\/medication-dispenser-reminder-and-organizer\/206?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=Google-Shopping&amp;gclid=CIv2wIunmc4CFZGGaQoduZEDiw\" target=\"_blank\">Alert1<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Alert1 is pretty simple to program. It provides up to four reminders a day and 28 doses. You can plug it in, but it also has a battery pack that can hold a charge for up to 48 hours for when you\u2019re traveling or if the power goes out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cost: $149.94<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tabsafe.com\/product\/\" target=\"_blank\">\u00a0TabSafe<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>TabSafe is another subscription product that hooks up to a phone line to ensure that if a patient misses any doses, loved ones can be quickly alerted. You can provide the details of the medication schedule through their website online and it will automatically integrate with the machine. Some medications can be set to dispense on an \u201cas needed\u201d basis rather than at specific times.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cost: Depends on distributor, approximately $100 a month<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a lot of choices for you to wade through. Hopefully this handy summary of what each one offers and costs can help you make a more informed decision with less work. The best medication system is whatever one you can figure out that works well for you and your loved one. Consider your options and let this one task become a little easier on you.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Guide to Electronic Medication Dispensers Every, single day, you have to think about medication. As a person ages, the list of medications they\u2019re prescribed has a tendency to grow along with the number of candles on the birthday cake. For seniors and their caregivers, that creates a\u00a0constant obligation\u00a0of the highest importance. Not only is it crucial that a senior [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2199,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[200,2],"tags":[30,521,45],"class_list":{"0":"post-10008","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-families-caregivers","7":"category-senior-living","8":"tag-caregiving-2","9":"tag-medication-dispensers","10":"tag-senior-health"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A Guide to Electronic Medication Dispensers - SeniorAdvisor.com Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Keeping up with your meds only gets harder as you age, but it&#039;s not something you can get sloppy about. 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