Aged care residents being overmedicated, new research says

12 months after my mother-in-law entered an aged care home, we asked a geriatrician to check her medications. She identified that over half the pills were not required and some were potentially harmful.

Now a study of medicine in our aged care homes has revealed that many residents are taking drugs that are unlikely to improve their condition – and in some cases have serious side effects.

The Ward Medication Management analysis, which looked at 24,864 prescription regimes, found 75 per cent of residents taking cholesterol-lowering statins, which are not recommended for people with a shorter life expectancy, were over the age of 80, while another third were aged over 90 and 79 aged over 100.

Though these medications are usually prescribed long-term to patients who had already suffered a heart attack or stroke, the data showed that most aged care residents were using them to prevent an initial event, sometimes decades old.

An unnecessary risk

These drugs also include significant side effects such as muscle pain, muscle weakness and confusion – which can increase the chance of a fall.

In nearly half (44 per cent) of cases, residents were also taking an anti-reflux proton pump inhibitor [PPI], which are not recommended for long-term use. Over 1,000 of these residents were on anti-platelet medication too, which can be counteracted by PPIs.

It’s certainly a concern if you do have a parent in residential aged care, but there is good news.

Unlike the elderly still living in their homes who may have multiple doctors and medications and no one to monitor them, our aged care facilities have doctors on staff who can pick up on any side effects. Ask them for a review.

Registered nurses also have an understanding of the drugs that are being handed out – and keep an eye on our loved ones. If you have a question about medications, ask them.