Medication Cap Electronic Reminder for the Elderly

Medication non-compliance is one of the greatest problems associated with maintaining the health of the elderly. Studies state that up to 23% nursing home and 10% of hospital admissions of the elderly are due to poor medication compliance. Current attempts to electronically augmented compliance have not been well accepted due to the following problems: 1) high cost $30-$75; 2) complicated programming and use (too many options and dis- plays); 3) units have been bulky; 4) units require pill reloading at home; 5) electronics units do not come in familiar package programmed and issued by the pharmacist. We will research an innovative, yet inexpensive, system to promote a high degree of medication compliance through electronic audio/visual cues. This system solves the aforementioned problems by being 1) low priced ($9.99 suggested retail), 2) simple to use (no user operable controls except removing the cap), 3) no bigger than a standard pill container, 4) uses the existing pill vial (requires no reloading), and 5) is programmed by the pharmacist and issued with the medication.