Medication non-compliance from our elderly seniors has been called “America’s other Drug Problem”. An average of 218,000 deaths occurs each year because of medication misuse and various studies have found that medication non-compliance among the senior citizen population is very high. In a recent study, 70% of our non-compliant elderly population cited not remembering to take their pills as the primary reason.

This inability to manage medications is one of the leading reasons why our retired seniors need additional, and often more expensive, care—such as assisted living facilities or nursing homes:

• 23% of caregivers report issues associated with medications

• 10% of hospital admissions are related to medication issues  

• 23% of nursing home admissions are related to medication problems

• 80% of assisted living residents have medications managed by their facilities

The Comfort Keepers SafetyChoice™ Medication Management System is an automated medication device that can help keep your retired senior parents in their home a while longer.  This system will track when medications are due to be dispensed, reminds the elderly client to take the medication and set an alert that is transmitted to the central monitoring station if the medication is not dispensed as scheduled. This medication machine can be used to dispense both tablets and capsules for our senior parents.

The medication management system is designed to assist elderly individuals who have trouble with forgetfulness, taking too much or too little medication, the wrong medication, or wrong day’s medications. It is ideal for senior patients suffering from mild to moderate dementia (Alzheimer’s, psychiatric conditions) or dexterity issues (tremors, severe arthritis), as well as patients with complicated medications schedules, such as congestive heart failure.

The SafetyChoice medication management system is currently based on the MD.2 hardware manufactured by IMD, the technology leader, and is monitored by Guardian Medical Monitoring. Only Guardian is licensed by IMD to monitor the medication management system software – all other services must use IMD for this purpose.

Because of Comfort Keepers exclusive contract with Guardian; we are the only national home service provider that can monitor all elderly client-care devices in an integrated manner through a single call center. This is a source of significant competitive differentiation for our program.

The hardware in the Safety Choice program:

      • Holds up to 60 doses that can be dispensed up to 6 times per day, with each medication cup holding                        20 to 25 separate pills.

      • This machine has a dispensing button especially designed for seniors.

     • Reminds clients to take medication through a loud, clear voice and tone, a text message and a flashing light.

     • Has a locking storage compartment to provide security and safety.

     • Has a battery backup system to protect against power failure.
 

The medication management system unit is 13” x 12” x 14” tall. It has an audio speaker, an LCD message screen, a high intensity red alert light and a dispense button located on the front of the unit. A power cord connector, telephone line connections and an on/off switch are located in the rear of the unit. A 12 function keypad is located on the right side of the machine, behind the locked door. This keypad allows you to direct the scheduling and loading of medications into the machine. Also, located behind the door are medication cup cylinders, the missed medication storage area and access to the battery pack.

The system dispenses your senior parent’s medications according to the schedule that is entered. It also allows you to take medication out of the unit ahead of schedule, where appropriate.