Medication management in the elderly

As the number of elderly patients in the United States continues to grow, so do the number of chronic and often complex medical problems that require careful management of multiple medications. The elderly represent a special segment of the population that requires more vigilance on the part of the provider as they may be at higher risks for treatment failures, medication errors and adverse drug reactions. This paper reviews some of the challenges encountered in prescribing medications to the elderly with regard to the effects of age and disease on compliance, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and offers strategies to help the practitioner improve their daily prescribing style.