Oh, Don

Poor Don has been sick all week. BUT that does not have anything to do with the fact that he has big trouble taking his meds correctly. I have suggested that I come with a rifle and hold it to his head three times a day so that he "remembers," but we both know this is a bit impractical. And, hell, he remembers to eat about half the time, so taking pills really IS a lot to ask.

Anyway, this was a mindblower, and I must share. I expect a lot of "oh, poor Don" from all you anonymous lurkers, but tough - I'm over there six days a week, so it's not like you need to call Adult Protective Services on my (pale, shapely) ass. Also, any thoughts of timers or noisemakers are useless because 1) nerve deafness precludes his hearing any high-pitched beeps and 2) he will ignore them anyway.

SO: he has a pill case with his morning and evening pills in it. He only screws up/misses a dose maybe once or twice a week. However, he needs to take an anti-dizziness pill (meclizine) and a blood pressure pill (coreg) in the middle of the day. Dizziness is his biggest gripe. So I lay these two out every Thursday on a little round tray, all paired up and in a flower-clock of seven days, thusly:

Monday (and keep in mind: pills are laid out on Thursday evening so Friday, Saturday, Sunday...six pills should be gone) I come in the kitchen and glance and see this:

Squirrels came through maybe? Jesus! Also, the ovoid pill, dead center, isn't even one that gets laid out on the tray but something from the pill case. So I then picture half his meds just falling from his old-ass maw like ciabatta crumbs. If you are a drug person, go over with a dog to sniff around the carpet and you won't have to score for a month.

I'm going to set my timer here to remind me to call every day at two (probably interrupting a nap) and say take the pills, because if I'm not the problem there is no solution. Etc.