Empowering Older Adults: Preventing Adverse Drug Effects
Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA)
Enhancing quality of life and care of older adults through partnerships in research, education and practice
“Maintaining accurate records of medication use isn’t just a tedious task to be overlooked– it’s a crucial part of making sure older adults can manage their chronic diseases as smoothly and as safely as possible. This applies to patients in all care settings, even virtual,” says Dr. Joanne Ho.
As we get older, our bodies change, including our response to medications and how we handle them. Dr. Joanne Ho, Schlegel Chair in Geriatric Pharmacotherapy , geriatrician and clinical pharmacologist, is committed to helping older adults when it comes to their medications. Dr. Ho is passionate about increasing access to drug information and promoting safe prescribing practices for healthcare providers.
Common Misconceptions?
“One common misunderstanding,” Dr. Ho shares, “is that older adults can handle medications the same way younger people do”.
The truth is, as we age, our bodies become more sensitive to some drugs, and our ability to process them changes. This can lead to a higher risk of harmful drug reactions and interactions.?
Another common misconception is that only prescribed drugs can cause harmful interactions with one another. In reality, supplements, vitamins, alcohol, coffee, and recreational drugs are important to know about too. Dr. Ho suggests that older adults and caregivers take all medications (or an updated list of them) as well as these other substances, in a bag to their doctor, nurse practitioner and pharmacist to review.?
Medication List Discrepancies
While accurate medication lists are necessary to prevent unwanted events, the accuracy of the lists shared during eConsults or asynchronous virtual care for older adults has been unexplored until now.
Dr. Ho studied the frequency and nature of discrepancies on the medication lists provided by the referring clinicians during GeriMedRisk consultations, an RIA research project-turned clinical program that has formed a new partnership with Grand River Hospital in the Waterloo Region.
Dr. Ho’s research revealed that almost all older adults in the study had a discrepancy on their medication list, exposing them to potential adverse drug events – the medical term for unwanted and potentially harmful medication mishaps. The results strongly indicate the need to incorporate the use of pharmacist-conducted medication histories to prevent, identify, or manage discrepancies for older adults who receive virtual care.
Empowering Older Adults
Dr. Ho highlights the importance of open communication between patients and health-care providers about medications. Older adults should not be afraid to ask questions, like how medications are helping achieve goals, how to avoid potential side effects and interactions with other drugs and non-prescribed substances, and if certain medication is still needed.
The Tips for Managing Medications resource created by Tejal Patel , Schlegel Specialist in Medication Management and Aging can be used by health-care providers to help older adults and care partners talk to pharmacists about new medications and provide tips to help manage existing medications.
Get Involved and Drive Change
Participate in Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA) initiatives related to medication management.
Do you know an older adult who needs help managing their medication? Or are you taking care of someone who does? Tejal Patel, Schlegel Specialist in Medication Management and Aging is looking for older adults and care partners to test technology that helps older adults take their medication on time.
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