Daily Work
The Pickup Is the Only Medicine Job a Helper Takes: What to Confirm Before the First Errand
A paid helper can collect a prescription as an errand, but the family, the doctor and the pharmacist keep every decision about the medicine once it leaves the counter.
Picking up a prescription is an errand. It is one of the few medicine tasks a hired or in-home non-medical helper can take off your list, and it is worth settling before the first trip, because a wrong pickup can cost you the whole afternoon and sometimes the next day too.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Start with what stays with you. The family, the doctor and the pharmacist decide what she takes, when she takes it, and how much. The helper does not open the bag, sort the pills, fill a pill box or hand a dose to her. If anyone asks the helper to do any of that, stop and call the pharmacist, because the job has moved out of errand territory and back to the household.
Before the first pickup
Call the pharmacy and ask three things. Ask whether they release a filled prescription to a named person who is not the patient. Ask what ID they want at the counter. Ask whether they can give you a printed list of what is being filled, so the helper has something to check the bag against. Some pharmacies keep a written authorization on file and some do not. Ask rather than assume.
Write down the pharmacy name, the phone number, the hours and the drive time. Keep the refill dates on your day sheet so the helper is not guessing whether a refill is due. If a refill needs a doctor's approval first, note that too, so the helper knows the pickup may come back empty.
At the counter
Check the name on the bag against the name on the slip. Check the drug name and strength against the label you already have at home. If anything differs, do not take it home and do not try to sort it out at the house. Ask the pharmacist to explain the change while you are still at the counter. A change in how a tablet looks is a reason to call the pharmacy, not a reason to guess.
Ask whether the bag is sealed and whether anything needs a signature. Keep the receipt in the same spot every time, so you can find it when a question comes up.
What the helper should and should not do
The helper can remind you that a pickup is due, drive, wait at the counter, carry the bag, and report back what was filled and what was not. The helper should not open bottles to check counts, move pills into a container, or decide whether a missing dose can wait. Those decisions go to you, the doctor or the pharmacist.
When to call the family in
Call the family or the doctor's office the same day if the pharmacy says a refill is not ready, if the label does not match what you expected, or if the helper is handed something that seems to need a decision about dosing. For other local options when you need more help with errands, see Local Help for Husband Caregivers.