Refills are the most predictable task in a home care week, and also the one most often left to whoever notices the bottle is nearly empty. Settle the split on paper first. Medicine decisions stay with the family, Dad's doctor, and the pharmacist, and that line belongs in the written care plan.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

What a hired aide can do

A non-medical hired caregiver can give medication reminders and pick up a prescription as an errand. That is the whole list. Any task that involves deciding, setting out, giving, or tracking doses belongs to the family, the prescriber, or the pharmacist.

Four questions to settle before the refill date

Who tracks the refill dates? Who calls the pharmacy to request a refill? Who picks up the order, and by when? Who asks the doctor's office when a new prescription is needed? Write one name beside each question. A question with no name beside it is where the refill gets lost.

Pickup or delivery

Ask the pharmacy whether it delivers, how long delivery takes, and whether delivery carries a charge. Ask whether a family member or a helper must be on file with the pharmacy to collect an order, because pharmacy policies differ. Compare the answers in writing. Do not assume one pharmacy's policy applies at another.

Keep the cost records

Prescription costs Dad pays out of pocket can be part of the medical expense picture VA reviews for pension purposes, so keep receipts and pharmacy statements sorted by month.1 The income and net worth limits change over time, so check the figures on the pension page rather than relying on any number in this article.1

When a refill is late

If a refill is late, the family calls the prescriber's office and the pharmacy the same day. An errand run by a hired aide does not replace that call.

Footnotes

  1. VA.gov, Veterans pension benefits, including the income, net worth, and medical expense rules (va.gov/pension).