Regardless of your age, when you are feeling sick, you can easily lose track of when last you drank or ate. This is precisely why pill dispensers are so important. It can even be more difficult to remember when you last took your medication. Similarly, reports show that 7,000 to 9,000 people die every year because of errors in using their medications.
These errors range from taking incorrect medications, to taking the wrong dosage. Conversantly, it may include failing to take their medication at the right time or even omitting an entire dosage of their medications.
Moreover, as a caregiver, the health and safety of those in your care are important. You want to ensure that they take the right dose of the right medication at the right time. In fact, one effective way to achieve this is to take advantage of automatic pill dispensers.
Automatic pill dispensers provide caregivers with a simple and effective way of managing the medications needed by the seniors in their care. For instance, they help older adults in organizing their medication according to the amount, time, frequency, and day.
What is a Pill Dispenser?
Pill dispensers are portable devices that make it easier to sort and organize medications according to day and time. Most people are familiar with the conventional pillboxes, which are manual pill dispensers. In using them, most people rely on some form of external reminder system to help them remember to use their medications.
More recently, with the advancement of technology, there are now automatic pill dispensers that have made this process easier and more effective.
Automatic pill dispensers also provide an increased level of safety and reassurance. This is because they dispense the right pills at the set day and time using an in-built alarm mechanism. Furthermore, most automatic pill dispensers lock once they are not in use.
This prevents the patient from taking the wrong pills. In addition, it prevents children and other persons from accessing the device.
Benefits of Automatic Pill Dispensers for Seniors
A lot of people are fine with using conventional pillboxes for organizing their pills. However, most times, it makes sense to use something a bit more sophisticated.
Consider the following scenarios:
- You may begin experiencing some difficulty sticking to your prescribed medication routine for some reason. It may be because you have a complex medication regimen. Similarly, it could be because you have to take a lot of pills, or some cognitive or physical conditions.
- You may find sticking to their medication routine increasingly tedious.
- The caregiver who has the duty of sorting the pills and filling the pillboxes each week may begin to find the task increasingly difficult. In addition, there might be human error like forgetfulness.
In any of these scenarios, you may need to consider a more sophisticated device -the automatic pill dispenser. Here are some of the benefits that the automatic pill dispenser provides:
Right Medication, Right Time
Furthermore, automatic pill dispensers typically dole out the medications required at the required time. These devices have a built-in notification and alarm system that goes off when it is the right time to take the medication.
They are also designed to spit out just the right dose of medication at the right time. Therefore, this increases medication adherence as it reduces the chances of not taking enough pills, taking too many pills, or taking the wrong pills.
Easier Management
Using automatic pill dispensers makes the job of organizing and filling the pills significantly less stressful. Typically, most automatic pill dispensers have more space than the conventional pillbox and can hold pills for more than a week.
Some can even hold more than a month’s worth of pills. In other words, the person organizing the pills can perform this task fewer times. This saves them time and energy and makes the task less likely to become tedious. In addition, some high-end pill dispensers outrightly eliminate the need for someone to organize the pills repeatedly. They have an interface you can use to dictate the dosage and frequency for dispensing.
This means you can spend more time doing other things.
Safe Storage
Safety is important when it comes to storing medications. Hence, most automatic pill dispensers have a feature that allows them to lock when they are not in use. This provides a layer of safety for the medication by preventing children and pets from easily accessing them.
Reduced Cost
Automatic pill dispensers can also help families evade the cost of getting a caregiver who will take care of the senior’s medication needs. Usually, this is helpful in instances where the family members live somewhat far away and do not have the opportunity of visiting on a daily or weekly basis.
Sense of Independence
Relying on other people to manage their medication can make most people, especially seniors, feel like they are not in control of their lives. Having an automatic pill dispenser can help support them. This way, they feel more in control and live their lives to the fullest.
Automatic vs Manual
There are quite some factors that differentiate between automatic pill dispensers and their manual counterparts -the conventional pillbox or organizer:
Security
Automatic pill dispensers are generally more secure than pillboxes. Some pillboxes offer various levels of security, ranging from child-proof lids to lids with PIN codes. However, automatic pill dispensers provide an added layer of security with tamper-resistant locking systems. This means pets, children or anyone else cannot compromise the integrity of pills stored in a pill dispenser.
Size
Typically, pillboxes have smaller holding capacities than automatic pill dispensers. The average pillboxes can hold only a week’s worth of medications. On the other hand, many pill dispensers hold more than that, with some capable of holding up to 90 days worth of medications.
Ease of Use
The design of most pillboxes is very basic. This makes them very easy to handle and use for almost all ages. Pill dispensers are, however, more sophisticated in their design structure.
Portability
Pillboxes are designed to be small and portable. This makes them easier to carry around or travel with. Automatic pill dispensers, on the other hand, are less portable and require electrical power to function properly.
What to Look for in a Medical Dispenser: Making the Right Choice
There are some factors you should consider before deciding which model of automatic pill dispenser will be best for your needs. The following factors will help you make the right choice.
Size
You should consider the size of the pill dispenser before making your choice. Considering the size means paying attention to the number of compartments that the pill dispenser has and how many pills each compartment can hold.
Pill dispensers with more compartments can dispense an increased number of different medications than those with fewer compartments. Consequently, smaller compartments may require you to organize and fill more frequently than larger compartments.
Safety
Before buying a pill dispenser, ensure you check the available safety options. This is especially important considering the options of the alarm and notifications system.
Some pill dispensers have the option of a feature that allows you to lock the time and schedule. This way, you get to refill at a specific time, for instance, monthly or bi-monthly. Also, you can change the settings whenever you want to. This is especially handy if you’re dealing with a senior who has dementia or similar ailments.
Reminder or Notification Options
Will the senior using the pill dispensers need audio alerts, visual alerts? Similarly, will they need both when it is the right time to take their medications? This is an important consideration especially for those who may be impaired.
You may also be interested in getting a reminder or alert when the senior fails to take their pills. Most pill dispensers will send an alert to a family member or caregiver.
Complexity of Use
Lots of pill dispensers are designed in a way that makes them easy to use. However, some models may feature confusing buttons that most people may not easily understand. Therefore, if the senior in your care has arthritis or mobility difficulties, you also want to make sure they find the pill dispenser easy to use.
Top 10 Portable Medicine Dispensers in 2021
Here are the top 10 portable medicine dispensers in 2021:
- Hero Automatic Medication Dispenser
- LiveFine Automatic Pill Dispenser
- GMS Bluetooth Automatic Pill Dispenser
- E-Pill MedSmart Plus Automatic Pill Dispenser
- E-Pill MedTime Plus
- MedReady 1700 Automated Pill Dispenser
- Medacube Automatic Pill Dispenser
- LiveFine Automatic Pill Dispenser with 28-Day Electronic Medication Organizer
- E-Pill MedSmart Voice Plus – Automatic Pill Smart
- E-Pill Compumed – TamperProof Automatic Pill Dispenser
Product Review: Pros and Cons
Here is a review of the top 10 portable medicine in 2021, including the pros and cons of each one:
Hero Automatic Medication Dispenser
This pill dispenser offers both visual and audio reminders when it is the right time to take a dose. It is easy to program using a phone or a mobile app.
| Pros | Cons |
| Can hold up to 90 days worth of medications | Requires monthly payment and subscription |
| Caregiver alert system | Lack of backup battery power |
| Flexible with different dosage schedules | |
| Easy to program |
LiveFine Automatic Pill Dispenser
This pill dispenser uses an electronic rotating system with 28 slots. It works by moving the correct set of pills in the window for dispensing.
| Pros | Cons |
| Effective rotating system | Opaque lid |
| Visual and audible alerts | Occasional complaints of a faulty system |
| Attention to detailing on the label |
GMS Bluetooth Automatic Pill Dispenser
This pill dispenser is similar to the LiveFine Automatic Pill Dispenser, but it has a see-through lid. It also has an alert system that uses lights. It is recommended for seniors who have dementia.
| Pros | Cons |
| Design of the lid | Occasional connectivity issues |
| Light bulb alert system | Occasional issues with internal clock |
| App for communicating with caregivers |
E-Pill MedSmart Plus Automatic Pill Dispenser
This pill dispenser has an app for communicating with caregivers about any potential problem. It has a display on the top that gives information about the dosage, the number of pills, and the settings.
| Pros | Cons |
| Use of real key on the lock | Cost |
| Increased volume on the long-lasting alarm | The small size of dispensing slots |
| Text alerts for caregivers |
E-Pill MedTime Plus
This model is a more affordable alternative for the E-Pill MedSmart Plus. However, it does not have the smartest tech and the caregiver alert feature.
| Pros | Cons |
| Reliable rotating system | Smaller capacity |
| Use of real key on the lock | Reduced features compared to other products in the E-pill range |
| Increased volume on the alarm |
MedReady 1700 Automated Pill Dispenser
This pill dispenser is pretty basic and affordable. It has 28 compartments with enough space for as much as 9 pills. It also has a backup battery in the event of a power outage and a lockable lid.
| Pros | Cons |
| Simple design | Lack of visual alert |
| Average capacity for most users | Some difficulty with getting the lid into place |
| Backup power in case of power shortage |
Medacube Automatic Pill Dispenser
This pill dispenser sorts out the pills automatically and can create the right dose via a pre-programming schedule.
| Pros | Cons |
| Self-sorting pill system | Too big |
| Accuracy of dosages | High cost |
| Easy-to-use touchscreen interface |
LiveFine Automatic Pill Dispenser with 28-Day Electronic Medication Organizer
This product has all the standard automatic pill dispenser features including a light and sound alert system.
| Pros | Cons |
| 28 slots with space for 6 doses a day | Comes with 1 key |
| 6 interchangeable dosage templates | Not suitable for small pills |
| Custom sound and light timer | |
| Easy interface |
E-Pill MedSmart Voice Plus – Automatic Pill Smart
This product looks like a regular pill dispenser but is packed with very unique features.
| Pros | Cons |
| Bluetooth enabled | Pills may get stuck |
| Backup battery for up to 2 months | |
| Blinking light and voice alert |
E-Pill Compumed – TamperProof Automatic Pill Dispenser
This classic pill dispenser has the basic features of automatic pill dispensers with an increased focus on security.
| Pros | Cons |
| Backup battery for up to 3 months | Requires weekly refilling |
| Buzzing alarm | |
| Come with 2 keys | |
| Easy to program |
Conclusion
Finally, keeping track of your medication is necessary so that you adhere to the prescription. Whether you want just the basics or something more exotic, there are automatic pill dispensers to help you keep your medication intake on track.