DISCLAIMER: This post was written by Sussane White on Caregiver  Warrior. Redan Medical Inc. has no financial or other interests in this device or other devices made by Black and Decker and the Pria Brand®. Thus, this post serves no commercial purposes of any kind. It serves educational purposes only, and the applicability, appropriateness, and reliability of the device use is solely relied on client’s discretion. 

I can still picture that Sunday night in my mind. I had just arrived home after spending 2 hours in bumper to bumper traffic on the Jersey turnpike. I was traveling back and forth every weekend from my parents’ home to mine in New York City. On top of my full-time job, I was caring for my parents on the weekends since my Mom was diagnosed with Dementia and my Dad was recovering from open-heart surgery.

When I headed back home on this particular Sunday, I left my parents safe and warm snuggled in the TV room with fresh laundry, a full refrigerator, and a week’s worth of medication for both of them stored in individual pillboxes bearing each of their names.

I left feeling my usual tiredness and constant state of worry but confident all was well for the time being.

My phone rang.

My Dad sheepishly told me that Mom had knocked over her pillbox and when it hit the floor some pills had fallen out. He was unsure about the pills and when she should take them. Closing my eyes, taking a deep breath, smiling so he could hear it over the phone, I told him not to worry as I had kept a cheat sheet with the pills, times, and actual pill examples. I would call their neighbor next door to come over and we would walk through it with her and replace all the pills correctly. An hour later, the pills were back in their box where they belonged, thank goodness. Sadly, my confidence that my parents were fine was gone and my worry had intensified. This would not be the last time we had a pillbox horror story.

As every Caregiver Warrior in the world knows, meds are a nightmare! How to get the right ones prescribed, how to balance the interaction, how to monitor side effects, and, most importantly, how to disperse them safely are constant challenges. I have battled with medications for years!

Like so many caregivers, I made due and managed by doing whatever it took to care for those I loved. I prayed that someday there would be a better, more convenient, and safer way to manage my loved ones’ medications.

So you can imagine that when I was introduced to Pria by BLACK+DECKER, a new HIPAA compliant automated medication dispenser, and management device, I was elated! I thought of all the caregivers out there who could now have more peace of mind.

Pria is a voice-enabled tabletop robot that can schedule up to 28 medication doses, provide reminder alerts, dispense medication at the scheduled time and provide the user with fast access to family or caregivers with a simple voice command and a built-in camera for two-way video calls. On top of all that she smiles, tells me jokes, and relays the weather! She manages to make medication management fun! More importantly, it works in tandem with an app on a smart device or cellphone so that the caregiver and other family members get notifications in real-time alerting them when meds are missed. Caregivers can also check the app at any time to see if their loved one’s medication was taken.

Here’s how it works. Caregivers simply enter their older adult’s medication schedule into the mobile app and then easily load medication into the device through the pill chute on the top of the device. Pria walks you through every step of loading the medication during assisted fill. That’s right… no more spilling weekly pillboxes. Even if your loved one takes liquid medication such as insulin that can’t be stored in the pill wheel, Pria will still remind them to take that medication. When it is time to take the medication, Pria uses a preset PIN number to dispense the pills or facial recognition. Once the pill cup is removed and placed back under the device, caregivers will be alerted via the mobile app that the medication was taken.

This is absolute heaven for long-distance caregivers, especially now that COVID-19 demands social distancing. With features like two-way video calling, drop-in video calls, daily check-ins, reminders, and more, caregivers can stay close to their loved ones without risking their health. The daily check-ins through the Pria app allow caregivers to ask their loved one if they have drunk enough water today or if they have had the chance to get outside. Depending on how the loved one answers on the Pria device, the caregiver will get a status alert through the app.

Another feature that sets Pria apart from the competition and helps during times of social distancing is the video calling capability Pria has. Through two-way video calling, you can video chat through the Pria app and device, or if the caregiver is allowed to drop-in, they can drop-in without the loved one having to actually answer the call on the device – the video chat starts immediately and allows for peace of mind when a loved one is unresponsive or missing doses.

Check out this short video to see how Pria can make caregiving less stressful!

You can check out more about the device and purchase one here.

DISCLAIMER: This post was written by Sussane White on Caregiver  Warrior. Redan Medical Inc. has no financial or other interests in this device or other devices made by Black and Decker and the Pria Brand®. Thus, this post serves no commercial purposes of any kind. It serves educational purposes only, and the applicability, appropriateness, and reliability of the device use is solely relied on client’s discretion.