Senior Alert Research Paper

“Contratheraputic is when an individual experience unintentional or unanticipated adverse effects while the individual is on a drug regimen that is not closely monitored by a doctor” (Understanding and Managing Polypharmacy in Elderly, 2004). Screening elderly for polypharmacy is crucial because adverse side effects of some medications can imitate other problems such as confusion, incontinence, urinary retention, and falls which may cause a physician to prescribe another medication to help treat those symptoms. The Beers criteria is a list of drugs that may be inappropriate for elderly patients as the risks outweigh the benefits, an example is the use of urinary anticholinergic which could prevent one episode of incontinence every 48 hours but can cause constipation, dry mouth, dry eyes, impaired cognition and increased risk of

The Joint Commission focuses on certain goals each year. For patient safety and positive outcomes, hospitals are required to follow certain standards. National Patient Safety Goals were established in 2002 to help identify areas of concern with patient safety. This group is made up by a panel of experts including nurses, doctors, pharmacists and many other healthcare professionals. They advise the Joint Commission on how to address these different patient safety issues. Two goals to be discussed are improving the accuracy of patient identification and medication safety. To improve patient

The intended use of medications is meant to improve a person’ health, it is very important the individual administering medication or self-medicating use the drugs correctly, by following the doctors’ instruction for the medication prescribed. Medication is given to diagnose, treat, and prevent illness. Medication can be very dangerous, which can potentially cause harm or even deaf if it’s not used properly.

The Medication Policy and procedure and Mars Handbook covers assessment of individuals’ needs, administering, storage, recording and disposal of medicines including their effects and potential side effects

Improve the safety of using medications. The findings were that often medication error were made because medications and other solutions were removed from their original

Recent studies indicate that limiting the use of certain medications can improve a senior's life. One study, conducted by researchers at Indiana University, finds that the prolonged use of anticholinergics may cause physical changes within the brain that could lead to dementia. Furthermore, The Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI) released information related to a program it started in 2014: This study examined how the discontinuation of antipsychotic medications affected the seniors who were taking them to treat dementia. The results indicate that seniors’ lives may improve when antipsychotic medications (that are being used to treat dementia) are discontinued.

The safest and often most effective courses of action are normally exercise, nutrition, and work-life balance, but doctors who do not prescribe lifestyle changes instead of drugs would probably soon find themselves out of business. Informed patients who have done research on websites such as WebMD and Rxlist.com believe that they know what drug will best treat their symptoms and seek out doctors who will prescribe what they want. Financial considerations should not be the driving force of medical decision-making. Though tempting, prescription drugs are often not the best course of action to improve health and treat symptoms. Doctors

Nearly half of seniors do not take their medications when or how they were prescribed. There are mistakes on dosages, methods of delivery, time of delivery, what they should be taken with, and even if they should still be taken. Compounding the issue, most seniors over the age of 65 are taking between 8 and 13 different medications. Put these numbers together and it is no wonder that problems with medication management are one of the leading reasons seniors end up in the emergency room, and is the number one reason seniors end up back in the hospital after being recently discharged. According to a study published in "Pharmacotherapy", nearly 70 percent of hospitalized seniors suffered from at least one

Medication has also become increasingly complex. There has been a massive increase in the number and variety of medications available. In addition, many medications have different routes of delivery, variable actions (long acting, short

This interview will be with subject Jane Doe 67 years of age; Jane Doe has a history of acid reflux, low potassium, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Ms. Jane Doe is very much aware of what each medication is used for she was a Geriatric Nursing Assistant and Medicine Aide for a period of thirty-five years at a nursing facility in Southern Maryland. She has been currently using these medications on a daily basis, Protonix 40 mg (generic name pantoprazole sodium), Potassium CL 20 mg, and Atorvastatin Calcium 10mg (generic name Lipitor). Hyzarr HTC.

As the elderly population increases so will the occurrences of ADEs. For this reason, it is important to protect the elderly patient from these negative consequences of polypharmacy. This is accomplished by understanding how the aging body reacts to medications, understanding which drugs are the most problematic for the elderly patient, and how to spot a drug-related problem and

Drug therapy always carries risks, but in older populations, that risk is at times amplified due to normal physiological variations. When considering drug therapy for an older

Elderly patients that take several medications compound the risk of developing an adverse drug reaction. Not only does the aging process have an effect on how elderly bodies process medication, but elderly people take more medications than their younger counterparts. According to Conry (2005), the elderly patient takes an average of 5 prescription medications and two non-prescription medications (Conry, 2005). While medications are frequently necessary to enhance the quality of life of the elderly, non-pharmacologic methods should be used whenever possible. Healthcare providers need to understand how aging impacts the body’s response to medications, which drugs pose more risk to

As the memorising ability of the elderly drops, they could often forget to take dose or overdose. These situations could affect their physical health and could even threaten their personal safety. Besides the physical health, the challenge of taking dose can also affect their mental health. Science most of the elderly cannot clearly remember the time and times of taking the pills, they rely on the elderly attendances and families. It makes the elderly feel the depression and the failure when they are too reliable on others and take pills in a mistaken way.

Drink your medications accordingly. If your doctor has already prescribed you with maintenance medications to treat an underlying medical condition or heart diseases, follow these medicines accordingly. Taking your medications will help reduce your risk for future heart attack and will also make a damaged heart function better. If you are experiencing some side effects brought about by your medication, do not stop it without consulting your doctor first. Talk to your doctor and tell him that you are experiencing this or that as he will likely make different recommendation to minimize the side effect or prescribed a new medication for