The reality matters more than the theory
The most useful information they can bring to their medical appointments is a list of what they are actually taking. It's hard to keep a list updated if it's on a computer. I have access to my parents' medical records and I use that to see what they've been prescribed, so I can ask them about it. I do not trust that as reflecting the reality of what they're taking. The most useful source I have is when I am physically in their house and can see their pill bottles. I might even check the date when they were last refilled to see if they are current.
My parents sometimes take their pill bottles in a gallon ziploc bag when they go to a doctor appointment. This kind of stresses me out because I worry the bag will get lost, but I like it for its accuracy of reporting. When I'm attending the appointment, I have offered to photograph the pill bottles and just take the photos (on my phone) with us.
Remembering to take what when
Assuming your parents understand the instructions on when to take a pill (does time of day matter? with food? what to be avoided?), they still have to pick up the prescription and remember to take it every day. I was raving before about a resealable bag full of pill bottles, and I'm glad it exists, but it's actually my least favorite way to ensure pills get taken when needed.
Daily pill dispenser An inexpensive, brightly-colored plastic container sold in a pharmacy has each day of the week listed on a box, and 1 or more boxes per day to put pills in. Once a week, I fill my daily pill dispenser with all of the meds I take each day. A friend of mine does the same thing but fills two weeks at a time, with a split of morning, mid-day, and evening pills. She keeps her as-needed pills in their original bottle, and eye drops also stay out of this rotation. This pill sorting is one of the tasks that paid caregivers can do for loved ones who just need a little help setting up their routines. The final great thing about this system: you can see when you missed your pills. No more guessing if you've taken them already today or if you took them yesterday.
Pill packs Individual little baggies with the pills they plan to take at a particular time of day. These are similar to the dispenser except the baggies are disposable, and you may even be able to get these baggies packed for you by the pharmacy. The benefits are all similar to above, but you may lose tracking abilities if you lose a packet and don't know if it was consumed.
Alarms and timed dispensers Electronic alarms can be linked to a lock that releases pills at a certain time or you can just set timers on other devices to remind your parent. Some alarms and dispensers will track whether the pills were removed on time. These may seem appealing, but consider who will troubleshoot them if things go wrong.
Too many meds and supplements
The term "polypharmacy" sounds like it means getting meds from multiple pharmacies, which is also risky. What it truly means is taking multiple medications. Sounds a lot like typical aging in America. The problem comes when the medications interact with each other, causing impacts to be higher, lower, or weirder than anticipated when prescribed alone. Have you heard of migraine meds that make birth control pills not work? Probably not a problem for your parents now, but the same kind of thing may be happening if they are consuming grapefruit. It changes the impact of many medications, and even discontinuing grapefruit juice after drinking it regularly can affect drug responses in a dangerous way. I give this example because if even fruit juice can cause problems, then it's no surprise that supplements, vitamins, and alcohol can also impact medication effectiveness.
When you're capturing the list of what medications your parents actually take, try to also capture anything else you'd examine before feeding to a friend's child. Encourage them to tell their doctor about their vaping and the teas they bought at the farmer's market.
Once their doctor has a clear list of what they're consuming, he or she will be ready to simplify. Deprescribing should be led by the doctor but will likely require your parent to request it. The doctor may also help if drugs aren't being taken due to costs. A prime time to consider medications and costs is in October and November, as that's when your parents are likely signing up for their Medicare plan for the next year. Plans have different coverages of medications, so there is great opportunity at this point to save money in the future.
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