Grandfather with dementia refuses his medications

Dear Carol: My mom’s having a terrible time with my grandpa who has Alzheimer’s disease. He’s supposed to take a pill to help his brain work better. Also, he needs medication for blood pressure and circulation.

He refuses all of these yet has no problem taking his familiar vitamin. I told Mom I’d write to you and ask. Have you heard of this? What can we do? —CK Dear CK : As with most things regarding dementia, it usually works best to try to figure out what’s behind the person’s behavior.



One common issue is feeling a lack of control. When we think about how much control over their lives people with dementia lose, it’s not surprising that we run into what we often view as obstinance. Other reasons can be fear of change or even thinking they are being poisoned.

This resistance could happen with a new prescription or a refill from a different manufacturer. Let’s look at some approaches that might make pill time less stressful for both of you: Eliminate any unnecessary supplements and talk with the doctor to see if any of your grandpa’s medications could safely be deprescribed. The fewer the pills the less stress.

A caregiver can inadvertently transfer their stress to the person they are trying to help. If your mom steps back to take some deep calming breaths before attempting to give your grandpa his pills, she may be able to discharge some stress beforehand. Also, she can remind herself that if he takes his pills later, or even misses an occasional dose, th.