Inclusive of devices and equipment used both at home and in hospitals and care facilities, medication helpers encompass a variety of ways to administer medicines, and to organize and remember to take them.
What are Medication Helpers?
Medication helpers refer to products that can be used to administer medications in hospitals, nursing homes, care facilities and at home. They can also refer to products that help organize medications, that help people to remember to take their medications, and assistive devices that help those with physical challenges to more easily access their medications.
Medication helpers commonly used at home include pill dispenser/organizers, pill splitters, pill bottle openers and cap removers, foil package pill poppers, tube squeezers, magnifiers, and insulin syringe devices for the blind and those with other disabilities.
Medication helpers commonly used in hospitals, nursing homes, care facilities and with mobile home healthcare include mini-cups, envelopes and other products for administering medicine, disposable spoons, drinking cups and water carafes with and without straws, water pitchers, insulin syringes, and locking narcotics cabinets.
The Benefits of Medication Helpers
Medication helpers can benefit the medical or care facility and the individual taking the medication in a variety of ways. Because the safe, proper and hygienic administration of drugs is just as important as patient drug compliance, there are many products, devices and tools available to serve the unique needs of every individual or facility.
Pill organizers, reminders—available in one day, one week, two weeks, or one month designs, pill organizers help to keep every medicine a user takes organized by time of day. Instead of taking medications from several bottles every day, pill organizers keep all of the medications compartmentalized into 3 or 4 sections per day, helping users remember and to keep track of their medication schedule. Some organizer-reminders also come with an alarm or talking reminder to alert the user it is time to take medication again.
Pill splitters, bottle openers, foil package pill poppers—pill splitters allow for simpler dosage adjustments, safely and securely cutting pills into halves or quarters for exacting prescriptions. Specially designed pill bottle openers and cap removers help those with manual weaknesses or disabilities to access their medications with ease. And the pills that come in those pesky foil packages that can drive just about anyone to tears trying to open them are no match for the foil package pill popper devices!
Other medication helpers for those with disabilities—as a wonderful aid for those with manual weakness or disability, tube squeezers help to access ointments, creams and other medications that come in tube form. Magnifying medication helpers and talking products can help blind or low vision users, while innovatively designed insulin syringe loaders are helpful for many disabled people who also have diabetes.
Medication cups, envelopes, disposable spoons—commonly used in hospitals and other care facilities, medication cups and envelopes help to keep medications sanitary and organized. They are available in a wide variety of sizes, styles and formats to suit the needs of each care team. Used to deliver liquid medicines, disposable spoons are generally wooden or plastic, small in size, and intended for just a onetime usage.
Drinking carafes, cups and pitchers—also a common sight in hospitals and nursing homes, these durable, sometimes double-walled and insulated drinking devices are more commonly used at home these days, as well. Tight-fitting lids ensure spill control, while built-in straws allow bedridden patients to drink more easily when lying down.
Locking narcotics cabinets—as an absolute requirement to secure narcotics and other potentially dangerous drugs, these cabinets come in a variety of configurations to fulfill the needs of every unique medical or care facility.
Rehabmart is proud to offer an extensive collection of innovative medication helpers from such trusted vendors in the medical field as Omnimed, McKesson-Medical Surgical, Medline, LSS, MaxiAids and Maddak.
Hulet Smith, OT
Rehabmart Co-Founder & CEO
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