Poison prevention for the elderly

Persons 60 years of age or older accounted for only about 3% of poison-center-related calls. However, this age group comprised more than 20% of poison-center-reported poisoning deaths in 1994. The physiological changes associated with the aging process that frequently alter the overall effects of a drug (or a poison) make this rapidly growing population group especially susceptible to both acute and chronic toxicity. The prevention of intentional and unintentional poisonings and misdosing of medications among the elderly requires new and imaginative approaches.