Geriatrics experts know that certain medications may have risks for older adults that outweigh their benefits, especially when safer alternatives are available.
Medications that could be ‘potentially inappropriate’ for older adults are included on recommendation lists. However, despite these recommendations, 25 per cent of older adults take at least one potentially inappropriate medication every year. Taking these medications can increase the risk of being hospitalised due to a medication-related problem. Although 70 per cent of older adults are willing to stop taking certain medications, healthcare providers continue to prescribe some potentially inappropriate medicines to older adults.
Researchers from the Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie in Montréal, Canada, designed a survey to learn about older adults’ awareness of drug-related health risks. They conducted the survey over the telephone with 2,665 participants, aged 65 or older.
The researchers learned that:
- 88 per cent of the participants had used at least one prescription medication within the last 12 months
- 42 per cent of the participants used medicines considered potentially inappropriate for older adults, including sedative and hypnotic medications, such as tranquilizers and sleeping pills, and Glyburide (a type of medicine prescribed for people with diabetes)
- 65 per cent of participants knew that some prescriptions could be potentially harmful
- 42 per cent of participants had discussed stopping one or more prescribed medications with their healthcare provider
- Both adults younger than 80 and older adults who were more aware of medication risks were more likely to have conversations with healthcare providers about stopping prescriptions
- Just seven per cent of participants knew what the term ‘de-prescribing’ meant
- About half of the survey participants researched information about medications on their own
