Are Their Medications Still Helping? A Caregiver’s Guide to Medication Management with Marty Eng
- E155
- 26:18
- October 2nd 2026
When you become a caregiver, managing medications can quickly become one of the most overwhelming parts of the journey. What is each medication for? Is it still needed? Could a side effect look like a new health problem? And what happens when several doctors prescribe different medications?
In this episode of A Time to Care: The Caregivers Podcast, Isabel Melgarejo talks with Marty Eng, PharmD, a memory care consultant, concierge pharmacist, and speaker who helps caregivers navigate medication management, particularly for loved ones living with memory problems.
Marty shares practical guidance to help caregivers become more informed and confident advocates for their loved ones. Together, they discuss:
- Why keeping an accurate medication list matters
- How to connect each medication with its purpose
- Why caregivers should ask, “How do we know this medication is helping?”
- How side effects can sometimes be mistaken for new health problems
- What caregivers should know about medications prescribed by multiple doctors
- Why “as needed” medications deserve special attention
- How changes in diet, lifestyle, or other medications can affect treatment
- What deprescribing means and why medications may have different “seasons”
- How caregivers can communicate more effectively with healthcare providers
- Why tracking symptoms and asking questions can prevent unnecessary frustration
One of the most important reminders from this conversation is simple: you don't have to be a medical professional to be an informed advocate.
If you care for a loved one, especially someone living with dementia or memory problems, this conversation may give you practical tools to make medication management a little less overwhelming.
Listen, learn, and share this episode with another caregiver who may need it.
About A Time to Care:
A Time to Care: The Caregivers Podcast is a space for family caregivers to find education, encouragement, practical resources, and honest conversations about the caregiving journey.
Connect with Marty Eng:
Website: martyingg.com/home-page
Email: [email protected]
This podcast is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. Always discuss medication changes with an appropriate healthcare professional.
A Time to Care: The Caregivers Podcast
I’m Isabel Melgarejo, and I was raised never to talk about the uncomfortable things in life and to put myself after everyone else’s needs (just like any other woman I know). In college, after Dad’s passing, I had to change all my beliefs. I had to talk about death, about my mom’s future, and I had to ask for a LOT of favors.
After connecting with many caregivers when I moved to Texas and remembering one of the toughest seasons in my life, I created a program to help caregivers navigate these very uncomfortable conversations and help them through their particular journeys with their loved ones. In this podcast, I want to share advice on how to prioritize your mental health, how to have those difficult conversations, and how to talk you out of feeling guilty and overwhelmed.