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She complained about the bitterness. What can I give her to help with this? I'm afraid she will resist taking the crushed meds in applesauce if I don't do something to offset the bitterness.
I Mom ran into the same problem, she didn't like the applesauce. One of Mom's nurses tried chocolate ice cream instead of the applesauce, and it worked. In fact, any time we gave Mom chocolate ice cream without the meds in it, she said it tasted funny :)
I used to buy my Mom Ensure pudding, choc, vanilla or straw. Unfortunately, I had to buy it online because no local store was selling it. I would crush your pills up and there. Metromedical was the cheapest I could find by the case. Just a thought. Good luck.
Yogurt, the kind with fruit in it worked well for us. Think maybe that it was not cometely smoothe and was already lumpy. My mom would spit the applesauce and pudding back out before I could even get the next spoonful ready.
A spoonful of sugar always helped the medicine go down. Plain old white sugar unless there is a sugar restriction, it dissolves easily in liquid. "Simple sugar syrup" (1:1 sugar and water heated till dissolved then cooled) also masks taste well. This is an old nursing trick from 40yrs ago.
Many meds don't need to be crushed---it is a misconception. If they are given with a soft food like pudding or yogurt, the pills will slide down the esophagus just fine. Only when pills are huge do they need to be crushed---and even then, if they are cut up into small enough pieces, they can be swallowed with soft food. Crushing many medications makes them impossible to swallow because they are bitter.
Yes, many use applesauce my mom likes the pudding/ice cream especially with a dab of whipped cream and slick enough to go down crushed or not a couple at a time, she would just hold them in her mouth so she would get the taste in her mouth as they dissolved. If she not on any restrictions ie diabetic etc....Also make sure you have juice or water close by so they swallow quickly if they tend to pocket-hold it in their mouths- even with the applesauce/pudding etc....be careful of diluting into too big of an amount of anything, efficacy will be diluted of the meds hopefully just into a few spoonfuls.What does she like? Any special things that would make it more a time she looks forward to? Ice cream, mashed potatoes,puddings, cream pie fillings- something that does not to be chewed...whatever makes her happy! Good Luck!.
It sounds like you may have to get a little bit more clever when crushing the medicines and mixing it in the food. One way is to either try something different or to crush the pills in larger quantities of the same food. If she'll eat soup, you may try soup since pills are usually harder to detect in soup especially if that soup is served in larger quantities
I agree with those who have advised speaking to your pharmacist to explore other options, perhaps there is a different form of the medication that would work better, perhaps even using 2 smaller dosed pills rather than one would allow her to swallow without crushing? Barring that Teepa Snow recommends using jam, it is very sweet and the not quite smooth texture can hide pills better than applesauce or puddings.
Try some Stevia, which is a natural sweetener, with a little bitter taste which should off set the med bitterness. Beware though, use it sparingly as it is VERY sweet. Zero calories!
Be careful because not all meds should be crushed. Those that can't be should be investigated as to if they come in capsule form. Those can be opened and mixed in with food far better.
Yes, not ALL meds can be crushed. If her med can be, make a smoothie and blend it with fruits and see if that helps. Yogurt is also a choice, but try the ones without too much sugar.
What worked best when my husband needed his pills crushed to swallow them was dissolving them in a very small amount of grape soda. That seemed to overpower the taste of the pills best (and the carbonation helped them dissolve) and the small amount let him get it over with quickly. Then he had a chaser of just the pop.
This was for helping him to swallow them. He was willing. He understood what I was doing and experimented with me with several different approaches. This was not to hide them. That is a different issue.
Depends a little on which tastes she is fond of. Many people indeed like chocolate very much. My grandmother did not, but was very happy with strawberry jam. So, we crushed the pills and mixed it with a large spoon of strawberry jam, which we than gave in 3 or 4 times. The taste of strawberry apparently was taking away the bitterness of the pills. I have heard from someone else that her husband was very fond of smoked salmon. So the crushed pills were mixed with chopped up smoked salmon and problems were solved. It's just a matter of finding a taste that they like very very much and take away the bitterness to an acceptable level. It is also a good idea to give a small treat after the medication so that the bitterness does not remain in her mouth afterwards. Wish you luck with your experiments.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
Good luck!
This was for helping him to swallow them. He was willing. He understood what I was doing and experimented with me with several different approaches. This was not to hide them. That is a different issue.
Your ideas are great. Thanks so very,very much.:)