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Medicine safety: Aged care

Image of elderly man and woman at nursing home

Medicine safety: Aged care provides sobering data about the real and current problems afflicting our aged care residents across Australia.

The report found:

 

  • Over 95% of people living in aged care facilities have at least one problem with their medicines detected at the time of a medicines review; most have three problems
  • 50% of people with dementia are taking medicines with anticholinergic properties, which can worsen confusion and other symptoms of dementia.
  • One fifth of people living in aged care are on antipsychotics; more than half use the medicine for too long.

 

The data is clear. The current system is failing and new approaches are needed to improve medicine use in aged care.