The graying of America: implications for the pharmacist.
Implications of the increased longevity of the U.S. population for the pharmacist are described. Recently, the growth of the population 65 years and older has been greater than that of the total population, and this trend is expected to continue at least until the end of the century. Because the elderly have more chronic illnesses than the younger population, the aging of the population means an increased use of prescription drugs. In addition, the sex ratio of men to women in the elderly population is decreasing; this trend is important for pharmacy practice because women at every age are prescribed and use more drugs than men. The need for prescription drugs imposes a financial burden on the elderly, many of whom live at or near the poverty level. Drugs constitute a major expense for the aged because drugs are a large percent of their out-of-pocket medical expenditures. Medication errors and noncompliance are chronic problems among the elderly because of their complex drug regimens, diminished physical activity, social isolation, physical and mental impairments, and lack of drug knowledge. In addition, the high cost of prescription drugs may contribute to medication under-use. Strategies for the pharmacist to prevent or treat noncompliance among the elderly are described. While most of the strategies have not been tested with the elderly population, practitioners working with geriatric patients have found them useful.
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D004358:Drug Therapy; D004467:Economics; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011153:Population; D012744:Sex Ratio; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D014481:United States