Date of Award

1987

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Art

First Advisor

Arlene Taich

Second Advisor

James Swift

Third Advisor

Beverly Krause

Abstract

The purpose of this culminating project is to address the tremendous scope of drug therapy in the elderly . More specifically, this incorporates a review and discussion of t he problems and special considerations relative to this area of health care,

Within recent years, two significant characteristics of our society have emerged . The first is that we are an aging society. This is readily demonstrated by demographic statistics which reveal a growth rate of from three million in 1900 to twenty-eight million at present in those sixty- five years and over. The second characteristic is that we are a drug-oriented society, Although drug therapy has become more sophisticated overall, there still remains much uncertainty about the appropriate and safe use of drugs for older adults.

Because of the built-in obsolescence of the human body, age-related changes are highly important within the realm of drug therapy, By the very nature of the aging process and its impact upon the total organism, the body's ability to handle drugs is often severely altered . Issues such as drug reactions and interactions, self-medication, polymedication, etc. . are all significant areas of drug therapy that must be addressed in the elderly.

From t he two-fold given of ours being both an aging and a drug-oriented society grew my theory that older adults do consume more drugs and at a rate that increases with age. In addition, many do not have a thorough understanding of why they are taking medications as well as the possible side effects that can ensue. I also theorized that Over-The-Counter drug usage was higher in the elderly and that the institutionalized individual had a higher rate of drug consumption than did his noninstitutionalized counterpart. In order to prove these assumptions I randomly interviewed one hundred residents of Sullivan, Missouri , the town in which I reside. I also did an in-depth profile on sixty residents of Sullivan Nursing Center, a skilled nursing facility where I am the Administrator.

My survey result s did indicate that older adults do consume more drugs with the aging process, and institutionalized do have a higher percentage of drug intake than the non- institutionalized . My theory of a high usage of Over-The-Counter medications was not substantiated by my research findings .however . Data gathered by the study is detailed in the Research Conclusions segment of this paper.

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