The folks at the online, for-profit Drugwatch (“Our Mission: Keep people safe from potentially harmful drugs, medical devices and procedures by informing them of medical conditions, severe side effects and ways to take [legal] action.”) alerted me to a page on their site titled “Senior Wellness Guide – Healthy Aging.” The page is almost encyclopedic, discussing a wide range of topics that concern aging Americans, their health and medications, and their caregivers. In a way, it makes the future seem like a minefield.
Here are some of the points, in a nutshell. Text that I quote from the site appears in italics or the jumbo-sized font:
- Senior citizens will account for 22% of the US population by 2040. Surprising fact: “The fastest growing demographic in the U.S. is women over the age of 85.”
- Older people’s reactions to prescription drugs may differ from those of younger people, leading some doctors to misdiagnose the drug’s effects, perhaps wrongly labeling the patient as having dementia. Furthermore, elderly people are often excluded from drug trials, even though their response to the new medicines may vary radically from what occurs with the trial’s younger participants.
Here’s an anecdote about this that concerns PD:
A report by the Alliance for Aging Research gave the example of a woman referred to as “Mrs. G.” At 82, Mrs. G lived alone in Arkansas, drove herself around and worked at a hospital three days a week. One day, she fell in her home and hit her head. Her family was told at the hospital that she may have Parkinson’s disease, and doctors prescribed medication to treat the disease.
Her condition briefly improved, but then deteriorated quickly. Forced to use a wheelchair, she would stiffen if she tried to stand and often felt as if she was falling. Medical providers at the hospital increased her medications. She was placed in a rehabilitation facility, lost her lucidity and often hallucinated.
Her daughter was not allowed to question doctors about her treatment, but a nurse recommended a geriatric specialist at a different hospital. The specialist took Mrs. G. under his care and had her moved from the rehabilitation hospital. He concluded she didn’t have Parkinson’s and had her taken off the medication. Testing showed the drugs had caused a series of strokes that irreversibly damaged her brain. She was not expected to fully recover.
- As a nation, we are unprepared for the amount of caregivers we will need going forward. In addition:
…while the need for family caregivers is increasing at a fast pace, the number of potential family caregivers is shrinking due to trends such as lower fertility, higher rates of childlessness and increases in divorces and the number of people who never marry. Consequently, older adults will have fewer family members to care for them, and more are likely to be single and living alone and may live farther distances from their offspring.
- Caregiving has downsides:
The committee found that family caregivers are at increased risk of depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, and emotional problems. The committee found evidence, too, that family caregivers have lower physical well-being, elevated stress hormones, and more chronic disease. They are less likely to take steps to prevent health problems in themselves. They further risk damage to their finances because of the time spent caring for their family members.
- About 10% of seniors over the age of 60 experience some kind of physical, emotional or sexual abuse. “Experts say older people who have been victims of even modest abuse have a 300 percent higher risk of death than those who have not been abused. And researchers found that older women who have been subject to just verbal abuse have greater declines in their mental health than women who experienced only physical abuse.”
- The use of drugs to treat mental/psychological conditions for senior citizens is soaring. “Perhaps even more alarming, a recent study found that the number of older Americans who take three or more brain-affecting medications has more than doubled in a decade. The biggest increase was found in rural areas where the rate of doctor visits more than tripled among seniors taking combinations of drugs such as opioids, anti-depressants, tranquilizers and anti-psychotics.”
The website goes on to list a variety of drugs commonly prescribed to seniors and the potential each has for dangerous side effects. For instance:
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices says anticoagulants, or blood thinners, represent “the highest risk outpatient drug treatment” in older patients
There’s lots more, so if you want to read everything, click here: click!
There’s also a second page titled, “Drug Interactions,” which lists commonly-prescribed drugs and how they might cause problems if mixed with another medication. To wit: In the United States, three of the most commonly used prescription drug classes — antidepressants (SSRIs), blood pressure medication (HCTZ) and cholesterol drugs (statins) — can have a host of interactions if patients are not informed and then misuse them.
Whew! A lot to worry about! I will post a permanent link to this website in the “Resources” section of the “Links” drop-down menu at the top of my homepage.
