Medication Shouldn't Be the Hardest Part of Staying Independent
For many older adults, the hardest part of taking medication isn't remembering when to take it - it's opening the bottle.
For someone living with arthritis, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, the aftereffects of a stroke, or another condition that affects hand strength and dexterity, opening a prescription bottle can become a daily source of frustration. Worldwide, an estimated 1.3 billion people - about 16% of the population - live with some form of disability, many of which affect everyday tasks such as gripping, twisting, or opening containers. A task that takes most people seconds may require repeated attempts, assistance from a spouse or caregiver, or lead to skipped doses altogether.
As more older adults choose to age in place, maintaining independence often comes down to the details of everyday living. Medication management is one of the most important - and often overlooked - parts of that equation.
A Hidden Barrier to Independence
Imagine an older adult who lives alone and manages several daily prescriptions. Her medications help her control chronic conditions, remain active, and continue living safely at home. Yet each prescription bottle presents the same obstacle: a child-resistant cap that requires pushing, twisting, gripping, and hand strength she no longer has.
After struggling to open one bottle, she drops it, scattering pills across the floor. Another bottle remains unopened until a family member visits. Eventually, she begins avoiding the frustration by delaying doses or asking for help with a task she once handled independently.
For older adults, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, stories like this are all too familiar.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly seven in ten adults between the ages of 40 and 79 take at least one prescription medication, while roughly one in five take five or more. As medication use increases with age, so does the importance of packaging that people can use safely and confidently on their own.
When Safety and Accessibility Must Work Together
Child-resistant packaging has saved countless lives by helping prevent accidental poisonings among young children. Its importance cannot be overstated.
But today’s standard push-and-twist closures were introduced more than 50 years ago, long before aging in place became a central goal of healthcare and long before universal design gained widespread attention.
Choosing between child safety and accessibility isn’t an option. We need solutions that accomplish both.
Packaging accessibility must address the complete journey: opening, dosing, and reclosing. When traditional caps are difficult to put back on, patients often leave bottles unsecured - creating severe risks of accidental spills or child poisoning in the home.
For older adults, caregivers, occupational therapists and aging-in-place professionals, medication accessibility isn't just a packaging issue - it's a quality-of-life issue.
If opening, dosing or securely closing a medication bottle becomes too difficult, patients may become increasingly dependent on others for a task they should be able to perform themselves.
Small Frustrations Can Have Big Consequences
Medication adherence is influenced by many factors, including cost, side effects, memory, and complicated treatment schedules. But physical barriers are often overlooked - and they can be just as significant.
When medication containers are difficult to use, older adults may:
· Skip or delay doses.
· Leave bottles partially closed because they’re difficult to reseal.
· Transfer medications into easier-to-open - but less secure - containers.
· Rely on family members or caregivers for routine medication access.
· Feel less confident living independently.
These aren’t simply inconveniences. They can affect safety, health outcomes, and an individual’s ability to remain at home.
Caregivers see these challenges every day. Helping someone open prescription bottles may seem like a small task, but over weeks, months, and years, those moments accumulate into a significant caregiving responsibility.
The Role of Better Design
Universal design begins with a simple idea: products should be usable by as many people as possible, regardless of age or ability.
Rather than creating separate products for people with disabilities, universal design seeks solutions that work naturally for everyone.
Medication packaging presents an opportunity to apply this philosophy.
For example, closure designs that replace difficult push-and-twist motions with simpler one-handed sliding actions may make medications more accessible for people with limited hand strength, or the use of only one hand. Features that provide clear audible or tactile confirmation when the bottle is securely closed can also give users greater confidence that medications remain safely protected.
Importantly, improvements like these don’t benefit only older adults. Parents carrying a child, someone recovering from surgery, or anyone temporarily dealing with an injury may also find medication easier and safer to use.
Good design improves the experience for everyone.
Medication Accessibility Is Part of Aging in Place
Aging in place is about more than modifying a home - it's about removing the everyday barriers that make independent living more difficult. Medication packaging is one of those barriers, yet it's often overlooked.
Family caregivers, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and aging-in-place professionals all play a role. Sometimes, simply asking whether someone can comfortably open, dose and securely close their prescription bottles is enough to uncover challenges that might otherwise go unnoticed. Once identified, those barriers can often be addressed through adaptive devices, caregiver support, pharmacy guidance, or more accessible packaging solutions.
These small changes can make a real difference - helping older adults manage medications more safely, easing caregiver responsibilities, and giving them greater confidence in their daily routines.
Looking Ahead
Helping older adults remain independent doesn't always require breakthrough treatments or expensive technology. Sometimes, progress comes from making everyday tasks easier.
As our population ages, medication packaging should evolve alongside the people who depend on it. Thoughtful design can improve safety, support medication adherence, reduce caregiver burden, and help older adults better manage their health.
At SnapSlide, we believe medication packaging must support both safety and independence. By rethinking something as simple as a prescription bottle closure, we can help ensure that taking medication remains a routine part of everyday life - not a daily obstacle.
About the author
Rocky Batzel is Chief Executive Officer of SnapSlide, LLC (www.snapslide.com), which designs and produces packaging solutions that make opening, dosing and closing safer and more accessible for all users. The company’s portfolio serves a wide range of industries, including prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, household products, and chemicals.