Pharmacy Practice in an Aging Society

The elderly population is growing at an exponential rate. Currently, 13% of the United States population is age 65 years or older. However, by the year 2030, this population is expected to double in size, representing about 1 out of every 5  Despite representing only 13% of the population, elderly patients consume approximately 30% of prescription medications and 40% of over-the-counter medications.2 Why are these statistics important to pharmacists? Well, about 95% of the aging society lives in the community, frequently visits their pharmacy, and is therefore likely to seek the care of an easily accessible pharmacist. All pharmacists need to be prepared to provide appropriate pharmaceutical care to this population and, more importantly, be able to communicate it. In addition, colleges of pharmacy should be training their students to achieve these goals. 
 
There are many texts that address pharmacy issues important to the geriatric population, such as pharmacokinetic changes and their effects upon drug therapy. However, very few address the ethical or communication challenges within this population. Pharmacy Practice in an Aging Society does just this. Specifically, it was the only book I found to address these issues from a pharmacist's perspective. 
 
As stated by the author, “the book (1) assumes readers have a sound understanding of the basics of biology, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics taught in pharmacy school; (2) introduces some tangential issues of aging; and (3) stresses practical application of what we know.” Eleven chapters focus on different geriatric topics, such as the aging process, communication challenges, healthy aging practices, elder abuse, end of life issues, and geriatric-specific disease states such as dementia and sexual dysfunction. Each chapter briefly introduces the topic and then discusses possible pharmacy concerns. Through examples, the author demonstrates practical approaches to solve them. This application of information reinforces issues that are difficult to teach in a classroom setting. 
 
Pharmacy Practice in an Aging Society is a very easy read. The author utilizes humor and personal experiences to maintain the reader's interest. The chapters also contain sidebars of exhibits, figures, and tables that emphasize key points. The author actually categorized these sidebars. In the first chapter, she describes their use throughout the text. The author uses “communication” examples to offer ways of delivering difficult information in an “appropriate vocabulary.” She includes difficult questions that should be anticipated by pharmacists (categorized as “Ethics on the Spot”) and describes potential solutions. The author uses statistics to emphasis major points, calling this “Statistics at a Glance.” “Cutting Edge” describes new research findings, and “what that means in terms of availability to the patient.” “Too Late Now” includes examples where changing the behavior or potential medication of a patient “is probably not worth the effort.” The author compares previous therapeutic options to those utilized now (called “Then and Now”). Because this book only introduces topics, “The Bum's Rush” provides readers with resources, including Internet links, books, movies, and organizations, where they can find additional information. These sidebars are a key feature of this book. They really allow the author to teach the reader how best to apply the information she provides. 
 
This book would be an asset for any pharmacist working with geriatric patients. The focus is on the community setting; however, the communication techniques and resources provided would be useful for any environment. As a faculty member who teaches geriatrics, I believe this book would be a great resource for geriatric clinical clerkships and for geriatric electives.

Field of study: Education, Medicine