Medication reminder

We have seniors in our life who are trying to maintain their own self-sufficiency, but some of the tasks that need to be managed unerringly become more and more difficult. One of these tasks is making sure medication is taken, when it is supposed to be taken.

In our case, our senior needed to take her medication twice daily; once in the morning and once in the evening. Ensuring this was done was difficult to monitor and often family members needed to call twice daily as a reminder. Available technology solutions such as alarms on a tablet were also a challenge.

I decided that a more active method would be the best approach; one in which there is a clear indicator, and an easy-to-use interface to complete the reminder event.

To that end, I leaned on the WLED solution that I had been using in other applications, such as my NFL Scoring Alert. At specified times of the day, settable within WLED, an LED strip flashes red. This is the reminder to take the meds. Once taken a big push button can be pushed to stop the flashing. This is accomplished by WLED’s built in push button functionality.

Everything was installed within a semi-decorative jewelry box so as not to be an eyesore.

With proper training and regular practice, this has proven to be a reliable mechanism and one less thining for the family to have to worry about.