Medication Management for Caregivers With Marty Eng
October 2, 2026
A medication list can grow gradually until the caregiver is left with a difficult question: what is each medicine doing, and how do we know it is still helping?
In episode 155 of A Time to Care: The Caregivers Podcast, Isabel Melgarejo speaks with Marty Eng, PharmD, about medication management for family caregivers. Marty is a memory care consultant, concierge pharmacist, and speaker. Their conversation focuses on becoming a more informed advocate, especially when supporting a loved one with memory problems.
Watch the medication-management conversation
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNjxsqnX2gw[/embed]Episode 155 · Released October 2, 2026
Connect each medication with its purpose
One of the episode's central themes is understanding why a medication is being taken. Keeping an accurate list is part of that process, but the discussion goes beyond names and doses. Isabel and Marty also consider how caregivers can ask about the benefit a treatment is intended to provide.
This can help families prepare for a conversation with the prescribing clinician or pharmacist. Rather than trying to make treatment decisions alone, caregivers can bring observations and questions to the professionals responsible for reviewing the plan.
Ask how the care team evaluates whether treatment is helping
Marty and Isabel discuss the importance of asking how a medication's effects are assessed. They also explore why side effects can sometimes be confused with another health problem.
The caregiver's role in this conversation includes noticing changes and communicating them clearly. The episode emphasizes asking questions and tracking symptoms so concerns can be discussed with healthcare providers.
Review the full picture when several doctors are involved
Care plans can become harder to follow when prescriptions come from multiple clinicians. In this episode, Marty discusses that challenge alongside as-needed medications and changes in diet, lifestyle, or other treatments.
The discussion encourages a broader view of what the person is taking and how their circumstances are changing. That information belongs in a professional review rather than being considered one prescription at a time in isolation.
Understanding the conversation about deprescribing
The episode also introduces deprescribing and the idea that a medication may serve a purpose during one season of care but need reassessment later. The useful takeaway for caregivers is to ask for a review when needs change, rather than assuming that every existing prescription should remain unchanged indefinitely.
Medication changes should always be discussed with an appropriate healthcare professional. This conversation is educational and does not provide individualized treatment instructions.
Questions to take to the next professional review
After watching, consider which of these discussion questions fits your loved one's situation:
- What is each medication intended to help with?
- How will we know whether it is providing that benefit?
- Which changes or symptoms should we report?
- Does the current list include medications from every prescriber?
- Is it time to review the plan as care needs change?
These are prompts for your care team, not a checklist for changing medications independently.
About Marty Eng
Marty Eng, PharmD, supports caregivers through his work as a memory care consultant, concierge pharmacist, and speaker. In this episode, he joins Isabel to make medication questions easier for families to discuss with qualified professionals.
Listen to the audio episode, or watch the full interview above. For a related practical resource, read How to Manage an Aging Parent's Medications Safely.
For support with the wider responsibilities of family caregiving, explore the Time to Care community.