The elderly receive 30 percent of all prescription medication in the U.S. averaging 7.9 drugs per person each day. 20 billion dollars per year is spent by 40-45 percent of elderly who do not take their medications properly. The problem is compounding at an alarming rate because the elderly population, 13 percent of U.S. population in year 2000, is growing twice as fast as another age group. This project addresses these important issues by the design and testing of a prescription device that provides elderly persons who are blind, have severe visual impairment or possess low vision with an inexpensive, reminder system for taking medications. Necessary information including the dosage, frequency, warnings, refills, etc. is made available using technological advances in electronics and information engineering. The result creates a communication link between the patient, the pharmacy, and the physician or his/her nurse to reduce or eliminate prescription errors by the elderly who have difficulty reading their medications or remembering to take them.
Use of sensor technology with audio playback can be applied to prescription and other products for those with visual impairment, dyslexia, or lack of proficiency in overall English. Overall retail sales for 1996 were 77.7 billion dollars. Pharmacists have been seeking ways to improve customer service and related problems in this area.
