Tag:elderly

What Ticks Them Off: Older People on Multiple Medications
old, older people, old people, aged, aging, the aged, senior citizens, elderly, medications, multiple medications, combining medications, pills, tablets, blister packs, treatment adherence, dosage, study, pharmaceuticals, arthritis, packaging, drugs

A review conducted by a Swedish University found that when it comes to managing multiple medications for older people, the two biggest obstacles to treatment adherence at home are: Participants in the review reported that taking multiple medications at difference dosages and frequencies throughout the day often led to confusion. For instance some people may […]

Check this detail on your Vitamin D label – are you getting what you asked for?
Vitamin D, Vitamin D2, Vitamin D3, sun, sun exposure, vitamin deficiency, supplements, vitamins, Celiac Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, diabetes, elderly, study, skin cancer

Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins in the pantheon of micronutrients however it’s often the most overlooked. This is likely because in a sun-kissed country like Australia, most of us, most of the time, get all the vitamin D we need from exposure to the sun. However there’s some people who need […]

Combining Medications in One Pill Can Help Reduce Workload for Carers of the Elderly
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The recent Royal Commission into Aged Care has starkly highlighted how more needs to be done to reduce the workload of those caring for the aged and elderly in our community. The Commission found that, “While many excellent people work in aged care, there are systemic workforce problems that must be addressed. In a large […]

Crushing medication can be dangerous – here’s why
crushing medication, pills, tablets, swallowing, swallow, crushing pills, crushing tablets, crushed medication, difficulty swallowing, children, infants, elderly, older persons, aged, aged care

When pills are hard to swallow, many people resort to crushing their medication and adding it to a food or drink, without a second thought. This is a common practice when administering medication to very small children and also the elderly who have trouble swallowing large tablets. At face value it seems like a good […]

New report finds Aged Care residents at high risk from altered medications
Crushing medication is a health risk

A new report released by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has found that up to one-third of people living in aged care facilities have their medicines altered to aid in swallowing and that it was potentially harmful to do so in 15% to 32% of the cases. The report, Medicine Safety: Aged Care,also found that […]

50% of patients don’t stick to their long term medical treatment plan – why this is a problem for aged care providers

In the aged care environment ensuring patients take all their medication every time is a constant challenge. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in their report ‘Adherence to Long-Term Therapies – Evidence for Action’ claims that in developed countries 50% of patients on long-term treatment plans don’t take their medications as prescribed. These 50% skip their […]

Health of the elderly at risk from pill-crushing culture in aged care facilities

As many as one in five older patients has difficulty swallowing tablets and capsules (a condition called dysphagia), however the most obvious solution – liquid medicine – is rarely available for the kinds of drugs commonly prescribed for the elderly. This reality has led to many staff at Australian aged-care facilities crushing a patient’s prescribed […]

Administering medication to the elderly: 4 top tips for common challenges

If you’re the primary carer of an elderly relative, you’ll be familiar with the difficulties than can arise when it’s time to administer medication, particularly if your patient has a cognitive impairment such as Alzheimers or dementia. And if your patient has had a stroke or digestive issues they may have difficulty with swallowing. We’ve […]

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