by brant bullard | Jul 21, 2016 | News
According to an article in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, the study found a link between underuse – not taking essential medications – and an increased risk of dying or needing to be hospitalized.
Appropriate prescribing of medications is a major challenge in the care of elderly adults because older patients tend to be more sensitive to the effects of medications than younger patients, and they often have multiple conditions requiring numerous prescriptions that could negatively interact with each other. To examine patterns of prescription drug use in elderly adults, Maarten Wauters of Ghent University and his colleagues studied 503 community-dwelling adults aged 80 years and older for a period of 18 months. (more…)
by brant bullard | Jul 21, 2016 | Journal articles
The amazing benefits of pharmacogenetic testing
The Senior Health Guide of Central Oklahoma interviews, Dr. Stuart Schrader, DO of Crossway Medical Center, and Clay Bullard, President of PGx Medical. (more…)
by brant bullard | Jul 18, 2016 | News
Have you ever noticed when you start talking about adverse events in our elderly, it has a high chance of pointing back to one thing?
Elderly patients take about three times as many medications as younger patients do. They are also the greatest consumers of prescribed and non-prescribed medications. There has been a gradual increase in prescription drug use in the United States. According to CMS, the average number of prescriptions per year, including refills, is currently 28.5 per senior (up from 19.6 in 1992). The average cost per prescription has also jumped from $28.50 in 1992 to $42.30 in 2000, an increase of 48%. Since the elderly have less participation in drug trials, there is insufficient information on the side effects and adverse reactions of drugs on the elderly. As a result, older patients have to rely on general guidelines with information extrapolated from other age groups to make decisions regarding prescription drug use. (more…)
by brant bullard | Jul 12, 2016 | News
When a resident falls, can’t sleep, or has ongoing events, what is your medical plan of action?
They say it takes a team to raise a village, and most teams in a nursing home or assisted living facility work tirelessly to ensure their residents are healthy, happy and free from any event that might cause them harm. So what happens when that does occur? What is your plan of action to make sure it doesn’t happen again?
According to the CDC, about 1,800 older adults living in nursing homes die each year from fall-related injuries and those who survive frequently sustain injuries that result in permanent disability and reduced quality of life.
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by brant bullard | Jul 8, 2016 | News
Adverse drug effects can occur in any patient, but certain characteristics of the elderly make them more susceptible. An elderly person often takes many drugs (polypharmacy). They also have age-related changes that increase the risk of adverse effects.
Many drugs have adverse effects that resemble symptoms of disorders common among the elderly or changes due to aging.
Antipsychotics may cause symptoms that resemble Parkinson disease. In elderly patients, these symptoms may be diagnosed as Parkinson disease and treated, possibly leading to adverse effects from the antiparkinson drugs (eg, orthostatic hypotension, delirium, nausea). (more…)
