Dad is in his 90s and a common problem for folk that age seems to be urinary tract infections (UTIs). We ward it off with Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice and regular soaking in water with a bit of disinfectant in it. But sometimes they occur - maybe three times a year and we get antibiotics to cure it. He goes from being dithery and unresponsive to back on it - sometimes very quickly.
One time we struggled to give him the capsules to to his poor swallow, as he was so out of it. We asked for this one in liquid form but the doctor said, we don't do this as for that one in liquid form it's around £400! Fair enough. But It got me thinking - medication is free for us, but how much would regular antibiotics cost the GP or NHS?
Only sometimes do I wonder if there's a finite pot that the elderly can draw on for the year, or in a lifetime, and once that's finished the drawbridge comes up. He has regular other medication too that is unavoidable.
It it sometimes better to pay for meds oneself if they're available for sale in Boots etc?