Elderly may make mistakes with meds
An elderly person cannot process information as quickly as a 20- or 40-year-old. They also may find that their hearing or sight is not as sharp as it once was. "Studies have shown that up to 50% of older adults are making medication errors," says Suzanne Beyea, PhD, RN, CS, co-director of perioperative nursing research at the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) in Denver.
Elderly patients often need assistance with their medications to see that the prescription is filled and taken the way it was prescribed. Patients have been known to take only half of a tablet to make the prescription go farther, or take two at a time thinking it will work faster, she says. "There are also patients who share their prescriptions with friends. In contrast, there are patients that continue to take medications when they shouldn’t."
Carol Orr, RN, BSN, MHR, CNOR, formerly clinical manager of the Ambulatory Surgery Center at Saint Francis Health Care System in Tulsa, OK, suggests, "Ask family members or friends to watch for any reactions that the patient may have toward the prescribed medications." Suggest the patient and family keep a journal of the medications and when they should be taken, Orr advises. "For emergency purposes, it is also helpful for patients to keep a list in their wallet of all medications that they are currently taking."
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