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Why Do Elderly People Need Individualized Pharmaceutical Care in 2024?

by | January 11, 2024 0

The elderly’s population is increasing. This leads to an increase in patients with chronic diseases and compromised immune systems. As a result, the demand for individualized pharmaceutical care (IPC) will also increase.

Pharmaceutical care is an integrated approach to medication management. Its focus is to improve patient outcomes through:

  • better communication between patients and providers
  • more frequent visits to the nearest doctor to my location
  • evidence-based clinical tools such as electronic medical record systems (EMRs)

It’s being used in geriatric medicine because it can help slow down the functional decline. It also prevents hospitalization due to adverse drug events (ADEs).

Individualized Pharmaceutical Care for the Elderly (IPC)

Pharmaceutical companies have always done their best to ensure older people get the right medicines. They have been doing this by creating many services and programs available for all the older adults, no matter how old they are.

The elderly need IPC since they are at a higher risk of having adverse reactions to their medications. This can cause severe health problems such as heart failure and other life-threatening diseases. Two types of IPCS are:

  • Public health interventions

These are actions taken by the government or other institutions to improve the health of populations. Examples include immunization programs, public education campaigns, and laws to discourage smoking.

Personalized medical care:

This treatment plan is designed for individual patients based on their needs and preferences.

The government has been working on creating new policies that will help them develop better drugs for the elderly. This will help them stay healthy and reduce their risk of getting sick from taking too many medications in one day or even weeks. This is why everyone needs to understand why it’s so essential for us to use individualized pharmaceutical care.

Our aging parents need these services to get well again after being sick because:

  1. They Have Special Health Care Needs

The elderly have different health care needs and requirements compared with younger patients. Many older people are frail and have other conditions that need specialized care and monitoring.

The elderly population has more chronic diseases, which need long-term medications. Sometimes, they need to take several drugs, making them more susceptible to adverse drug reactions.

The increasing number of ADRs has led to increased hospitalization and mortality among older adults. Although the elderly are more likely to experience ADRs than younger patients, they may not report them as frequently. They are less likely to seek medical treatment due to financial constraints and the time it takes to travel to a hospital.

To address this problem, you need to pull up your Google and search “how to find doctors near me”. The proximity of the registered doctor you’ll choose is essential since people tend to get tired faster as they age. Besides, any doctor can recognize the changes in their patient’s condition. This ensures that they are not taking medications that could cause further harm.

  1. Adverse Drug Effects

They are more likely to have adverse drug effects. This is due to an increased sensitivity to drugs and other illnesses or conditions that can alter metabolism and elimination. Many elderly patients also take medications for worsening acute diseases such as pneumonia.

There is a greater risk for adverse drug reactions with severe consequences when this occurs, e.g., organ failure. The way these patients are treated depends on their health and medications in the past. But clinicians don’t always have enough time to figure out how all patients’ drugs might interact. Also, there aren’t many tools to help clinicians better use their information.

  1. Difficulty Following Instructions

Older adults may have difficulty reading instructions or understanding. This is due to cognitive impairment and vision problems such as cataracts. They may also have trouble following instructions because they are frail or disabled. This makes them unable to get up from bed on their own to take their medications at the right time of day.

This can lead to noncompliance with prescribed treatment plans—the risk of developing complications from chronic disease such as high blood pressure increases.

  1. To Manage Drug-Induced Toxicity

The elderly tend to be more vulnerable to the side effects of drugs. They often have many medical problems and take many medications, increasing the risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs).

ADRs are one of the leading causes of hospitalization among older adults in the US. There is a growing interest in individualized pharmaceutical care (IPC) for older adults. This is because they tend to suffer more from ADRs than other age groups. Many organizations focus on improving medication safety in older adults.

Read Also: Pulmonary Route of Drug Administration: Advantages and Disadvantages

  1. Improvements In Drug Treatment

The elderly population has a higher risk of developing chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. These conditions need long-term treatment with medications ACE inhibitors. Yet, older adults are less likely to follow their prescribed medicines due to side effects.

They also lack an understanding of how they should take them. By consulting the nearest physician, the elderly can get IPC.

  1. Improved Quality of Life for Patients

The elderly have a higher risk of developing infections and other diseases that may lead to hospitalization or death. Elderly patients often have many chronic conditions. This makes it difficult for them to manage their medications.

IPC through a registered doctor near me provides them with guidance. They can manage their medications and improve their health. The positive impact on the patient’s quality of life is immediate upon starting IPC.

  1. Reduced Risk of Hospitalization and Death

The risk of hospitalization and death among older adults can reduce through IPC. Older people often experience adverse drug reactions (ADRs) when taking lots of medications. These ADRs can lead to serious health problems such as bleeding, kidney or heart failure, liver damage, and death.

One of the ways to reduce these risks is through individualized pharmaceutical care. It would help local doctor’s offices identify possible interactions between different medications that an older person might be taking at any given time.

  1. Reduced Cost

The cost of treating older adults can be high if they are not treated. They need more frequent visits to the clinic or hospital than younger patients. Also, some medications can be expensive depending on their dosage strength, brand name, and formulation type.

Yet, giving them personalized medication plans based on their condition and needs will reduce your treatment costs. It ensures that the right drugs are given to them in the right amounts.

  1. It Reduces Medication Errors

As people age, they are more likely to experience health issues that affect their ability to take medications. This puts them at risk for medication errors and over-medication. Doctor offices near me can help identify problems with medication regimens, such as;

  • Daily dosing schedule
  • Route of administration
  • Drug interactions

In Conclusion

Older people are more likely to get sick and take longer to get better when they do. In these situations, the elderly want their last days to be as easy as possible. So, there is a need for pharmaceutical services that can help older people with their specific diseases. Personalized healthcare describes healthcare designed around a single person’s symptoms and conditions.



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