My executive function is a mess right now.  Organizing thoughts, actions and objects creates a great deal of anxiety for me.  One of the biggest challenges with a chronic condition and  a reduced mental capacity is managing all of the medications.  Some where in my past, I figured out that if I had trouble thinking about something, I could “work around” the challenge by trying to see  it.  I have employed this strategy to manage the treatment plans for the three people in my household who are recovering from various infections related to Lyme and/or PANDAS.  Here’s my process:

First, I placed a copy of the treatment plan for each person on the table.  Then I lined up the corresponding  medicines (prescriptions, herbals, drops, etc.).

Next, I purchased pill organizers and nail polish.   I assigned a polish color for each person. ( I find that nail polish works better than stickers or other types of paint as a color designator.)

I painted the appropriate “dot” of color on the lid (dropper, etc) of each medication.

I also painted a stripe of the appropriate color down the center of the pill organizers.

Each week, I pull out the basket of medicines and refill each person’s pill organizer.  Using the color “cues” on the medicine bottles helps me work through each person’s list of written instructions from our practitioner.  For the drops or tinctures that we take, I have painted the appropriate color on the cap/ dropper.  It’s not the prettiest counter-top landscape, but the three pill containers and various bottles of liquid medicines have a designated space in our kitchen.  The system works much more efficiently than digging through a cabinet, drawer or basket of bottles several times a day.

And by the way– does your family have trouble keeping up with “who’s toothbrush is who’s” ?   Employ the nail polish color trick to the handle of each person’s toothbrush!  It works great!