Quick summary
Count what is left in the blister pack against the date on the box If the numbers do not add up, take everything to the GP or pharmacist and ask for a medication review rather than setting up a system yourself.
The twenty second check
Pick up a box. It will say when it was dispensed and how many were in it. Count what is left. Work out how many should have gone.
A box of 28 dispensed three weeks ago, taken once a day, should have about seven left. Twenty left means two weeks of doses are unaccounted for. One left means something else is happening.
Do this for every medicine, not one. People frequently keep taking the tablets they think matter and quietly stop the ones they do not understand, which is why one full box tells you more than a whole conversation.
Other signs worth looking for
- Boxes still sealed at the end of the month.
- Several part-used packets of the same medicine, which usually means repeat prescriptions are arriving faster than they are being taken.
- A dosette box with full compartments from earlier in the week.
- Loose tablets in drawers, pots or on the side.
- Out of date medicines still in use.
- Medicines for someone else, including a late partner, still in the cupboard.
- Prescriptions not collected. The pharmacy will tell you if you ask, with the person’s agreement.
- Symptoms returning that were previously well controlled: swollen ankles, breathlessness, pain, blood pressure, mood.
Why people stop taking medicines
Rarely stubbornness, and knowing the reason decides the fix.
Reason | What tends to help |
|---|---|
Forgetting | A dosette box, alarms, linking doses to routines, or a visit at the right time |
Too many to manage | A medication review. Taking four or more medicines is associated with an 18 per cent increase in fall rates in people over 60 |
Side effects | Ask the GP. Nausea, dizziness and needing the toilet at night are common reasons people stop quietly |
Cannot open the packet | Pharmacies can supply easy-open containers and larger labels |
Cannot swallow them | Tell the GP or pharmacist. Do not crush tablets without advice, because it is unsafe with some medicines |
Does not believe it helps | A conversation with the prescriber, not an argument at home |
Confusion or memory problems | Prompting or administration by a carer, set out in a care plan |
Cost or ordering problems | Prescription prepayment, repeat dispensing, delivery from the pharmacy |
What to do next
- Gather everything, including anything bought over the counter and anything in other rooms.
- Book a medication review with the GP or pharmacist. Take the lot with you, along with your count.
- Ask specifically: is each of these still needed, could any be contributing to falls or drowsiness, and could the regimen be simplified?
- Ask the pharmacy about practical help: dosette boxes, repeat dispensing, delivery, easy-open lids.
- Then consider a care visit at the time doses are due, if prompting is what is actually needed.
- Dispose of old medicines safely by taking them to a pharmacy, not in the bin.
Do not stop, start or change anything yourself, and do not decant tablets into unlabelled containers.
A caution about dosette boxes
They are useful for some people and they are not automatically the answer.
They only work if the person opens them, and they can be harder to open than original packaging. Not all medicines can go in one. And a filled box tells you a dose was not taken, which is genuinely useful information.
Ask the pharmacist whether one is appropriate rather than buying a container and filling it yourself, which introduces its own risks.
When missing doses becomes urgent
- Parkinson’s medication. Timing is critical, and being more than 30 minutes late can cause symptoms to return and raise the risk of falls. See our Parkinson’s guide.
- Insulin and diabetes medicines.
- Heart failure and blood pressure medicines, where stopping can cause rapid deterioration.
- Anticoagulants.
- Epilepsy medicines.
- Steroids, which should not be stopped abruptly.
If doses of any of these have been missed, ring the GP or 111 for advice rather than waiting for the next appointment. If someone is acutely unwell or suddenly confused, the NHS advice is to go to A and E or call 999. Our piece on sudden confusion explains why.
Raising it without a row
Managing your own medicines is one of the last markers of independence, so this conversation lands harder than it looks.
- Lead with the specific. “There are twenty left and there should be seven” is factual rather than accusatory.
- Ask why before proposing a solution. The answer is often practical and easily fixed.
- Frame it as simplifying, since a review often reduces the number of tablets rather than adding supervision.
- Let the pharmacist suggest the system. It carries more weight than a son or daughter suggesting it.
Our guide to raising difficult subjects applies directly here.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my mum is taking her tablets?
Count what is left against the dispensing date on the box. Do it for every medicine, because people often keep taking some and stop others.
Can I ask the pharmacy whether prescriptions are collected?
With the person’s consent, usually yes. Without capacity, an attorney with a registered LPA can generally ask.
Should I put her tablets in a pill organiser myself?
Ask the pharmacist first. Not all medicines are suitable, and removing them from labelled packaging introduces risk.
What if she refuses to take them?
Tell the GP. An adult with capacity can refuse medication, and the reason is often a side effect that can be changed.
Can a carer give the tablets?
Carers can prompt, assist or administer medicines depending on training and what the care plan says. Our next article explains the difference.
What is a medication review?
An appointment with a GP or pharmacist looking at everything someone takes, whether it is still needed, and whether anything is causing harm. Ask for one annually, and after any hospital stay.
About Visiting Angels Cheshire East
Visiting Angels Cheshire East provides care at home across Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Knutsford, Congleton, Alsager and the surrounding villages of East Cheshire, along with Buxton, Whaley Bridge and the Staffordshire Moorlands towns.
- Medication support in line with the care plan, recorded at every visit.
- Visits timed around doses where timing matters, which for Parkinson’s it does.
- You see the same faces. Our carer turnover is 12 per cent, against a sector figure of 23.7 per cent (Skills for Care, 2025), and a familiar carer notices a pattern.
- No visit is ever shorter than an hour.
- You choose your caregiver, and meet them before care starts.
Jude’s mother Joyce is 100 and lives by herself:
“Joyce lives by herself and we needed a care provider that could give us the same carer most visits. Visiting Angels have been able to accommodate this, which is very helpful. They know her routine and have built up a rapport with my Mum. Understanding the details of her routine is an important part of her care and wellbeing. I trust them with keys, security and being with Mum to, cook, sit and talk and give tablets etc etc..”
Jude Burton, Google review
Not sure what you need yet? Start with a free assessment
Our free home care assessment is a visit at a time that suits you, with no obligation afterwards. In it we will:
- Work out what is actually difficult, and at which times of day doses are being missed.
- Talk through a realistic package, and what it would cost.
- Look at the money with you, and point you towards the funding, benefits and grants you may be entitled to.
- Tell you honestly if a medication review and a pharmacy dosette box would fix it, because quite often they will.
If the numbers in the box are not adding up, call us on 01625 720157. You can also send an enquiry, and you can see what our services cover.
Authored by Kim Blissett, Registered Manager, Visiting Angels Cheshire East.
Published 27 September 2026. Last updated 27 September 2026.
This article is general information, not medical advice, and no substitute for a GP or pharmacist. Do not start, stop, crush or change any medicine, or transfer medicines out of labelled packaging, without professional advice. If doses of critical medicines have been missed, contact the GP or NHS 111. If someone is acutely unwell or suddenly confused, go to A and E or call 999. Visiting Angels Cheshire East provides personal care at home rather than medical or nursing care. To the fullest extent permitted by law, GB Care at Home Ltd accepts no liability for any loss or injury arising from reliance on this article.
