Vaica Medical out of Tel Aviv, Israel has come up with a programmable pill box for elderly folks and those taking a complicated regiments. The unit, with a grid of boxes for a week and four times a day, plugs into the phone line and is programmed by a provider to call the patient and notify which compartment to take the pills from. The only trick is to get a pharmacist or family member to load up the the pills into the boxes.
From the product page:
The SimpleMed ™ system will remind the user both visually and audibly to take his/her medication at the right time.
SimpleMed ™, when integrated with a monitoring center regularly sends “I am alive” signals in response to the opening and closure of the correct compartment, and is capable of sending alert signals in response to recognized deviations such as missed doses, wrong time doses etc.
SimpleMed ™ also features a panic button with a 2 way communication system. All events are logged and sent periodically to the monitoring center and caregivers.
Product page: SimpleMed