Organizing for Old Folks – Pills
Spoiler alert: It’s not just old folks who need to organize their pills!
NOTE 1: Since I’m retired now, on Medicare, and collecting the Social Security benefits I worked for decades to accrue, I figure I’ve earned the right to talk about “old folks”. Yes?
NOTE 2: Although the title implies a series, I’m not promising a series. We’ll see.
One time I attended a birthday party for a friend who was turning 50. There were black balloons and people were giving her gag gifts, one of which was a pill organizer. But I didn’t get it. What did a pill organizer have to do with getting old?
I mean, it’s pretty clear to me now that I’m older myself, but I had been using a pill organizer for so long (I was in my early 40s) that I didn’t realize everyone didn’t need or use one. I guess not everyone has a thyroid issue or other early-diagnosed medical condition. Even so, I knew tons of younger people who took vitamins and other nutritional supplements. Did they not use pill organizers? Or, if they didn’t, would it not be easier than opening each bottle every day and then (sometimes) wondering if they’d taken their pills or not?
I notice Penn and Kim Holderness waited (purposely?) until he was 50, and she nearly so, to make fun of themselves in this regard:
Pill organizers can be handy until they’re not
Another time I had an organizing client with a TBI (traumatic brain injury). She had to take lots of medications and was getting them all mixed up. I asked if she didn’t have a pill organizer. After explaining what it was, and showing her a picture, she was so impressed you’d have thought I’d invented it myself! She asked, “Where might I get such a thing?” Well, the drug store, of course. Among other places. She was so smart (and had once been awarded Teacher of the Year) that it was hard to tell if she had truly never heard of a pill organizer or if she had just forgotten as a result of her TBI. (Probably the latter.)
But even smart people without brain injuries sometimes have trouble keeping their medications straight. And things change — medications, dosages, pill sizes, schedules, routines. So sometimes pill organization needs to change too.
It’s easy to be influenced to purchase a cute or fancy or unique pill organizer. And you might feel dumb if it doesn’t work for you. Don’t forget to think through what you really need, and why, and what you will really use.
Personal experience
There is no way to address all possible situations — or pill organizers — in a blog post.
In any case, the point is not to convince you to use a particular type of organizer, but to share my experience with having to change my containers and systems from time to time.
As you can see from the first image (at the top of the post), I have used a number of sizes of the same type of pill organizer over the years. Smaller when my pills were smaller. Larger, when my pills or supplements were larger and didn’t fit into a small one. A single-day version, and whatever size I was using at the time to pack earrings for travel.
Twice-a-day
This one was great during a time when I had to take pills twice a day. But then it got complicated. Sometimes I’d need to take a pill in the middle of the night, or sometimes there were early AM pills and late AM pills rather than PM pills.
Pretty and fun
This rainbow organizer was fun. It was easy enough to fill with the size and shape of pills I was taking at the time. It was handy when I needed to take pills three times a day and was also away from home during the day. (Each day is removable.) And it’s pretty!
Monthly
I have never used one of these. Maybe you’d relish the thought of only refilling your pills once a month. On this one, each section can be removed and used separately, too. But I like to know at a glance whether or not I’ve taken my pills. I don’t want to have to also figure out if today is the 16th or the 17th. I’m more likely to already know it’s Wednesday. It also looks fiddly, and would take me 4X as long to fill as a weekly organizer. While filling it could certainly be scheduled for the 1st of every month, that might never (for me) be often enough to feel like a comfortable habit.
My current system
This might look complicated, but hear me out…
I separated the bin with homemade cardboard dividers. On the left are pills I only take as needed. On the right are spare refills. In the middle, everything I’m taking daily right now.
The lid of each bottle is labeled with when I need to take it. (Note that one of them says “2/day” — twice a day — and another one says “AM+alone”.) When I get a refill, I swap the new lid for the labeled lid.
The small white organizer is for the “AM+alone” pill. And the small blue organizer is for the “PM” and the ”2/day” pills. Those organizers sit next to my bathroom sink, the most convenient place for me remember to take those particular pills.
The larger white organizer contains all the “AM” pills (and the other “2/day” pill). It sits on my kitchen counter near where I make my coffee in the morning, the most convenient place for me to remember to take them.
Refilling doesn’t need to be a chore!
I mean, it is a “chore” in that it’s a task that needs to be done. But it doesn’t need to be onerous.
First thing Sunday morning, I take the last of the “AM+alone” pills in the bathroom and then take the containers with me into the kitchen for refilling. So, since I’ve already taken my “AM+alone” pill, the newly refilled pill in the Sunday morning slot sits there until the next Sunday morning.
I find that if I have a clear space on the kitchen counter to work on; and the size and shape of organizers I currently need; and the dosages written on the pill bottle caps, it all goes smoothly and takes very little time. I like to play beat the clock. I put something in the microwave or set a timer and see how much pill organizing I can do before the bell dings. It only takes a few minutes. And if I’m not done, I’m nearly so, and I just finish up. You could also pick a favorite song to entertain yourself while sorting pills, and try to finish before it’s over. If you’re not sure how long it actually takes you, why not time yourself and see?
Blog post: 15 Ways to Make Chores Fun!
If you dread refilling your pills, I hope something in this blog post will help you figure out a more efficient, or less painful, way to do it.
Do you use a pill organizer?
Do you consider it an “old folks” thing?
What is your favorite pill organizer, and have you ever switched because your old one didn’t work for you anymore?
Please share with us in the comments below!
- Hazel Thornton is an author, genealogist, and retired home and office organizer.
- Book: Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror
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- Copyright 2013-2019-2026 by Hazel Thornton, Organized for Life and Beyond
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I use an AM/PM one that lasts for a week. I entertain myself while filling it seeing whether I can pour out the exact number of each kind of pill. I always get the once a week one right!
Ha! Yes, there are always little ways we can entertain ourselves while doing chores!
This is so timely, Hazel. I was just having this conversation with a client who was recently prescribed a whole slew of “large” supplements. She’s accustomed to using pill organizers for her regular prescriptions. However, she wasn’t convinced she could do the same for the supplements.
Her main concern was about not having pill containers large enough to hold her pills. I did a quick search and found quite a few options. But I have to learn more to see if there is another reason holding her back from organizing the supplements Into a pill container.
Funny how some people think they’re just for Rx drugs! These days there are so many kinds of organizers (shapes, sizes) to choose from.
I use a pill organizer when I travel so I don’t have to take the actual containers. I only take 2 prescriptions, and then a couple of supplements, so it is manageable. I have a separate pill organizer in which I pack medications for various illnesses, aches, and pains, just in case.
A client of mine has that rainbow sorter, only it is set up for dosing 4 times/day. Since I sit with her every other week while she fills it, I’m very familiar with it. As you say, it is a bit of a chore, but once it is completed (she fills 2 sorters at once), she is all set for two weeks.
My sister has recommended Pillpack…a pharmacy offering where the meds come pre-separated for when to take them. It’s a nice alternative for some people!
Yes, I can’t imagine traveling with all those bottles! And a separate organizer for small quantities of just-in-case meds is a good idea. I have considered Pillpack for myself. But every time I do consider it I have just, or might be shortly, changing meds or dosages. So, for me, it just seems like another layer of required management. But for those who can’t manage it on their own, or whose meds are more consistent, it does seem like a good idea.
Oh, the Caboodles! The Holderness family always gets right to the point.
Because international airlines want you to travel with your original pill bottles, I travel with both the bottles (I save the smallest ones for the purpose) and pill cases. I had never used pill cases until about about 15 years ago, as I have specific pills I need to take with food; if I didn’t have to leave the house with them, I’d stick with the pharmacy bottles.
HOWEVER, I find that I am intrigued about every new kind of pill case. The one I had from 15 years ago was perfect; a week’s worth of pills, each day with an AM/PM section, but they were interlocking, so I could just take the days I needed. Going out to dinner? Just take one. Going away for the weekend? Just take Fri-Sun. Even as it got old and the days of the week markings wore off, I couldn’t find a good replacement until last year, and now I have one that’s EXACTLY the same, with the interlocking days, but the AM and PM sections are about 1/3 larger, good for all the extra pills I take these days! On vacation, I have my pill bottles and the case, and decant a week at a time.
I have helped my clients fill their pills for the week (or the month) but I find it very stressful and always want to triple-check what we do. However, I do like that my clients have fun taste in pill cases, and those rainbow ones seem to show up in lots of homes!
Good examples of situations and changing circumstances that affect the choice of pill organizers. Thanks, Julie!
I’ve never used a pill pack like those illustrated. I’ve always used the small zip-lock clear plastic bags that are more than ample space for my once-daily prescriptions, OTCs, & supplements. I take them all together because that’s the only way I’m compliant. I especially like these small bags because they take up so little real estate. I can pop one plastic bag in my very small convertible (shoulder strap to fanny pack) purse for daily use. I fill them three at a time and keep them beside my recliner “pilot’s seat.” I fill as many as I need plus some extras to cover delays when I pack for travel. I’ve never taken my pill bottles with me when traveling to European or African countries, just the small plastic bags.
HOWEVER, as usual, Hazel, your post is timely because I have a new PCP who just prescribed supplements & compounded prescriptions Thursday that are more than once daily. Thank you for introducing me to your most recent methodology. Since I haven’t picked up all the prescriptions yet, I’ll have to comment in the future, if I have anything to add to this conversation.
Yes, I’ve used the little bags on occasion, too, but not for every day. Changes in meds and supplements do trigger the need for reevaluation! Your re-comment would be welcome, Vicki!
For people (I know you said not you) who might be looking for a monthly solution for a lot of pills, I thought I’d share. Starting about 4 months ago, I started taking over getting my dad’s pills in order. He’s done them without fail for years and years, but his neuropathy in his hands are just betraying the precision he needs for the task right now. On the last day of the month I spend time arranging his pills – 10 in the am, 5 in the pm – into his “Pill Garage” – the Medcenter Monthly Pill organizer.
Each date (1-31) is a single sleeve of 4 compartments – morning, noon, evening, night. We use Morning and Noon slots combined for his 10 am pills, and the 5 pm go in Night. The sleeves fit in the tray in a reversible way – the date has a green side and a red side. We use the green as “to take” and then he flips it over when he’s done with the day to the red “taken” side – easy at a glance to see the day is done.
Each day, he grabs the day’s sleeve and puts it on the table for breakfast and then in his walker to have with him at the end of the day. There is also a spot on the organizer for laying out the sleeve for “Today’s Pills” if you don’t want to take them around.
Yes – you have to know what today’s date is, but relying on the red vs green system goes a long way to help.
I Googled “Medcenter Monthly Pill organizer”. I don’t want or need it for myself, but I do like it! Thanks for sharing, Kathy!
I’ve been organizing my pills for many years, even before I turned 50! I use a tall round pill dispenser that holds six different medications (see it here on Amazon – https://bit.ly/446mpCq) and doesn’t need refilling for many weeks. However, when I travel, I use the flatter ones like you show in your blog post. When I broke my wrist earlier this year, I had my husband fill up my travel pill holder because I couldn’t rotate my dispenser with one hand!
OK, that’s one I hadn’t seen before. And you’ve raised an important point. It’s not just about how many pills, what size, and what timing. It’s also about accessibility. Some gadgets are just easier (and more difficult) to use than others. Thanks, Sharon!