As the world advances in the field of medical & scientific research it’s direct impact is on the amount of medicines one has to consume. In today’s world dying has become more difficult than being born, medicines don’t let us die & diseases don’t let us live.
For a historically rich & advanced country like India, medicines have played a vital role since 2nd Century BC. India has been the epicentre for Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy, unfortunately these sciences are now mostly seen as alternative medicines.
Medicines & medication related issues in elderly care homes will become a focus area in the coming years, the complexities of modern medicine & alternative medicines along with the calibre & training levels of care staff will be at the forefront.
As per the research paper “Aging and Medications” By J. Mark Ruscin, older people tend to take more drugs than younger people because they are more likely to have more than one chronic medical disorder.
Almost 90% of older adults regularly take at least 1 prescription drug, almost 80% regularly take at least 2 prescription drugs, and 36% regularly take at least 5 different prescription drugs. When over-the-counter and dietary supplements are included, these rates are even higher. Older people who are frail, hospitalized, or in a nursing home take the most drugs.
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) report “Medicine Safety: Aged Care” 2020 highlights that:
* Over 95% of people living in aged care facilities have at least one problem with their medicines detected at the time of a medicines review; most have three problems.
* One in six medicine-related problems are due to adverse medicine reactions.
* 6% of people living in aged care were administered at least one potentially hazardous medicine combination.
* Over half of all people living in aged care facilities are prescribed medicines that are considered potentially inappropriate in older people.
* One in five unplanned hospital admissions among people living in aged care facilities are a result of taking medicines generally considered potentially inappropriate for older people.
Senior Citizen Care homes in India need support from the Central & State level authorities to educate & train personnel on the rules regarding who can dispense medicines to residents, guidelines on storage & avoiding misuse of medicines by care staff.
India needs to work on national standards & guidelines for medication in care homes on a war footing.
Resource document “Guiding Principles for Medication Management in Residential Aged Care Facilities” by ‘© Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Health and Aged Care) 2022’ is a good read to begin with.
The Australian Government does not endorse or recommends the website Elderly Care India.
The document can be accessed on https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/guiding-principles-for-medication-management-in-residential-aged-care-facilities?language=en or can be downloaded here (Medication Management in Elderly Care Homes or can be viewed below