Why Older People Are at Risk Older people are at risk of experiencing problems with medication for several reasons. It's not unusual for an older person to be taking five or more medications, perhaps several times a day, for different health problems. The risk of an adverse reaction increases dramatically with each additional medicine a person takes. When different medications are used at the same time, they may interact. Older adults are more likely than any other age group to have one or more chronic illnesses, including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis.
Some medical conditions change the way drugs are used in the body.
Complex dosage schedules. With multiple medications taken at different times throughout the day, dosage schedules often become complicated. This increases the risk of making a mistake, such as taking the dose twice or forgetting to take a medicine as prescribed. Types of medicine taken. Older adults are more likely to be taking powerful medications that could potentially cause an adverse reaction.