Medication schedule for an elderly parent: how to set one up and keep it
When a parent takes several medicines a day, the schedule lives in three places: the labels, their memory, and yours. One written schedule, kept where everyone can see it, replaces all three.
Gather it once
- Every bottle, box and inhaler, including anything bought over the counter.
- Copy the label exactly: name, strength, and the instructions as printed. Do not shorten or convert anything.
- Who prescribed it and which pharmacy fills it, for the day a question comes up.
- The refill date, so nobody runs out on a weekend.
Write the day
- Group by time: morning, midday, evening, night, as the labels say.
- One line per medicine per time. "Morning: three tablets" is where mistakes come from.
- Mark anything taken only when needed, so it is not read as a daily dose.
Keep a log, not only a schedule
The schedule says what should happen. A log says what did: a tick with the time for every dose taken, and a note for every one skipped. It answers "did Dad already have his evening tablets?" when two people are helping on the same day.
Share one copy
- The person themselves, if they manage any of it.
- Everyone who helps at home.
- A printed copy in the bag that goes to every appointment.
How Pillfolk does it
Add your parent as a person, add each medicine as it is on the label, and give it a schedule: daily at set times, weekdays only, every so many hours or days, or as needed. Today lists what is due by time and by person; Take and Skip record the time you acted. Print the list for one person or the whole household whenever a doctor or a form asks.
Pillfolk stores what you type and shows it back. It never calculates a dose, suggests a time or checks interactions. The web version sends no reminders, so do not rely on it alone for a dose that must not be missed.
Price: Free for one person. $14.99 once to add everyone else. No account, no subscription.
Pillfolk stores what you type and shows it back as a list and a log. It never calculates a dose, suggests a timing, checks interactions or gives medical advice. Strength is shown exactly as you entered it. The web version sends no reminders.