What to do when the person does not want to take medications because they lack insight or do not believe they need them:
- Consider: What is the person’s tablet taking history? Are there ailments they readily accept medication for? Have they always been poorly compliant?
- Organise a GP medication review. Can the number or frequency of medications be rationalised?
- Prioritise medications so that the most important is given first.
- Provide a rationale for taking the medication. A note from the GP saying that the person needs to take the medication may be helpful.
- Give medications at appropriate times: when the person is most cooperative; is distracted by preferred activities; or the time which matches the person’s past routine.
- Offer preferred incentives to motivate the person e.g. favourite food.
- Check with a pharmacist, your supervisor and your facility policy if camouflaging medication in the person’s food is being considered as a last resort.
- Make certain that medication is supervised by the administering professional to ensure that it is ingested.