Among nursing home residents more is spent to correct health problems caused by improper use of medications than on the drugs themselves, the report noted.
Older people living outside of nursing homes are likely at even greater risk.
It will take the efforts of government, medical schools, patient groups and pharmaceutical makers working together, but the problem can be significantly reduced. They are more vulnerable to adverse drug reactions due to the numbers of medications they take and the biological changes of aging and disease, according to the report. The study also points out that older Americans are at greater risk of memory loss, hip fracture or automobile-related injuries as a result of adverse medication effects. Also, the authors state that visual, cognitive and psychological impairments, combined with unmet care-giving needs, can interfere with the proper use of medications. It can stem from patients not taking medications properly, lack of information about medication effects in the elderly, insufficient knowledge of how strong medications affect the frail elderly, and inadequate training of health care professionals in geriatric pharmacology.