Seniors are over medicated in America

As we age we are prone to more chronic conditions that require medication. At the same time, an aging body tolerates drugs differently and metabolizes drugs more slowly than it did when we were young, making drug interaction a greater concern. Many seniors mix over the counter drugs and dietary supplements with …

Aug 30, 2016 – An increasing number of elderly patients nationwide are on multiple medications to treat chronic diseases, raising their chances of dangerous drug interactions and serious side … A doctor had prescribed blood pressure medication for a 99-year-old woman at a dose that could cause her to faint or fall.

Mar 8, 2016 – Two-thirds of Canadians over 65 have five or more different prescriptions, and one-quarter take 10 or more prescription drugs. The older you get, the … The Canadian Deprescribing Network has set the lofty goal of reducing unnecessary and inappropriate medication use in seniors by 50 per cent by 2020.

Nov 17, 2008 – When Siri Carpenter suspected her mother’s multiple prescriptions were causing memory loss, she discovered an epidemic that affects millions.

Sep 17, 2015 – How many medicines do you take? It’s a question that stumps many seniors and people with chronic illnesses. That’s because more people today take 5, 6 or more medicines simultaneously — and they take some of those drugs for years. Doctors call this polypharmacy. For some people it’s essential to …

In the days before nursing homes were under so much regulation, many homes used heavy medicationto “manage” residents. Elders who slept most of the day, as well as all night, didn’t require as much staff time. Therefore, many homes considered drugging people efficient and cost containing. Anti-psychotics were …

Dec 8, 2014 – Way too many residents of U.S. nursing homes are on antipsychotic drugs, critics say. It’s often just for the convenience of the staff, to sedate patients agitated by dementia. That’s illegal.

Aug 23, 2012 – Polypharmia. That’s the shorthand used to describe older patients who take more drugs than they actually need. Now a new study shows just how much of a problem this really is.

Jun 3, 2011 – … care during the final years of their lives. Laura Steckler, a Florida resident, recently sought treatment for her elderly mother after she suffered an episode of paranoia and hallucinations. She tells CNN how she found herself in the middle of the debate over how much is too much medicationfor the elderly: …

Mar 23, 2012 – In 1982, I formed the Foundation Aiding The Elderly (FATE) after my beloved aunt wasovermedicated by her family physician and subsequently fell, broke her hip and ended up in a nursing home for rehabilitation. My aunt entered this nursing home for rehabilitation; however, she never received the …