(Alexandria, VA – November 18, 2008) Today, in New Orleans at the kick off of its 39th annual meeting, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, representing pharmacists who specialize in geriatrics, officially launched its ground-breaking national public awareness initiative focused on preventing medication-related problems (MRP) in the elderly. Campaign 2011 is a project designed to educate seniors, caregivers, providers and the public-at-large about potential dangers involved when medications are improperly and/or over used in one of our most vulnerable populations. The campaign will be both national and state focused, bringing interactive workshops and many other public education opportunities to communities, senior centers and public venues over the next two years.
Through Campaign 2011, ASCP will also promote cost-effective approaches to medication therapy management (MTM) as well as continuing to work with its 4,000 strong student membership to increase the numbers of pharmacists trained to meet the specialized needs of older adults. Throughout the remainder of 2008, millions of American seniors will be enrolling in prescription drug plans as part of the federal government s Medicare Part D program. Campaign 2011 focuses on the year when millions of baby boomers will age into the system by turning 65 and enroll in our nation s Medicare system.
The Time to Educate and Change Is Now
America s elderly population is at a greater risk of medication-related problems not only because they take so many medications but because their bodies metabolize medications differently than younger populations. Adults over the age of 65 are two and one-half times more likely to visit an emergency room due to an adverse drug event than younger individuals. Older adults are also seven times more likely to be hospitalized for an adverse drug event than are younger individuals.1
Medications do a tremendous amount of good and they re very important, but they also can cause serious problems on a broad scale if prescribed or taken inappropriately. For example, they can impede cognitive function, they can increase agitation, disrupt sleep patterns, increase the risk of falls and even cause premature death. When these things occur, we often think they are related to the inevitable process of aging – but they can also be due to identifiable and preventable medication-related problems. Campaign 2011 is designed to raise awareness of these types of medication risks and to teach seniors and caregivers how to properly take and manage their medications. Our goal is to reduce these preventable and costly problems. Pharmacists who are specially trained in geriatrics can help older adults with those problems if they are happening, said Claudia Schlosberg, J.D., Director of Policy and Advocacy for ASCP.
75 percent of older adults take one or more prescription drugs a day and 25 percent take five or more medications on a regular basis according to Medco Drug Trends Report of 2008.
According to a study published in 2003 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, it is possible that close to two million adverse drug events occur each year among 38 million Medicare enrollees – more than a quarter of which are preventable. That adds up to almost half a million preventable adverse drug events each year for America s seniors. Further, according to the same study, as many as 180,000 life threatening or fatal adverse drug events occur each year in America s elderly population, and over half of those could be prevented.2 Close to home for many Americans, each year, an estimated one-third of older adults fall, often suffering injuries including fractured hips. No risk factor for falls is as potentially preventable or reversible as is medication use.3 Improper medication use can lead to dizziness and/or fatigue in many seniors, and can lead to a fall.
In addition to the physical costs incurred as a result of medication-related problems, financial costs also increase the need to better manage and understand medication use in our nation s senior care systems. It is estimated that medication-related problems cost our healthcare system over $200 billion, annually. With the anticipated exponential growth of adults over age 65, the financial and human costs of MRPs will continue to escalate. Without a shift in approach, preventable medication related problems will overwhelm an already overburdened healthcare system.
A More Effective Approach
Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to ensure the safe, effective and appropriate use of medication by older adults. The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists actively promotes the training and certification of pharmacists to provide effective geriatric care and Medication Management Therapy (MTM) specifically to address the problems of medication-related problems in the elderly and improving health care quality and cost effectiveness.
Many seniors and their caregivers, (often times their children), have begun to wonder why aging parents who take their medications are in fact feeling no better, and at times report feeling less than themselves. These seniors and their children/caregivers are now beginning to consult with pharmacists in hopes of finding answers. They understand the value of pharmacist provided medication therapy management. With a pharmacist s help, seniors can maximize the benefits of their medications, feel better, and often can reduce their own medication costs.
Say for example a medication that has a known side effect to interrupt the sleep-wake cycle is prescribed for a patient in the early stages of Alzheimer s. If this type of drug is prescribed, it actually works directly against an Alzheimer s drug the patient may already be taking. The question then becomes, How much benefit is that elderly patient getting from those medications? It s a frustration for the patient and for the caregiver. We need to educate the patient so that the patient and the caregiver become part of their pharmaceutical care, to make informed decisions about treating their conditions. The pharmacist is the one person who sees all of the medications prescribed for a patient and knows the risks from certain medication combinations. Consultant pharmacists can come up with a plan of action to remove some of the medications from the patient s system. The patient and caregiver can then take this suggestion back to their physician. We have been doing this in the long term care industry for years but nobody else knew it was available, nobody knew it was around. That s part of this campaign, to let people know that this service is available, said Charles Feucht, PharmD, Owner/Operator of Acadiana Consultant Pharmacy Service and President of the Louisiana Chapter of ASCP.
Throughout the next two years, ASCP s Campaign 2011 will educate and empower seniors and their caregivers to promote the appropriate, safe and effective use of medications as part of a healthy approach to senior living.
For more information about ASCP, Medication Management Therapy (MTM), or Campaign 2011, please visit: http://www.ascp.com.
Through Campaign 2011, ASCP will also promote cost-effective approaches to medication therapy management (MTM) as well as continuing to work with its 4,000 strong student membership to increase the numbers of pharmacists trained to meet the specialized needs of older adults. Throughout the remainder of 2008, millions of American seniors will be enrolling in prescription drug plans as part of the federal government s Medicare Part D program. Campaign 2011 focuses on the year when millions of baby boomers will age into the system by turning 65 and enroll in our nation s Medicare system.
The Time to Educate and Change Is Now
America s elderly population is at a greater risk of medication-related problems not only because they take so many medications but because their bodies metabolize medications differently than younger populations. Adults over the age of 65 are two and one-half times more likely to visit an emergency room due to an adverse drug event than younger individuals. Older adults are also seven times more likely to be hospitalized for an adverse drug event than are younger individuals.1
Medications do a tremendous amount of good and they re very important, but they also can cause serious problems on a broad scale if prescribed or taken inappropriately. For example, they can impede cognitive function, they can increase agitation, disrupt sleep patterns, increase the risk of falls and even cause premature death. When these things occur, we often think they are related to the inevitable process of aging – but they can also be due to identifiable and preventable medication-related problems. Campaign 2011 is designed to raise awareness of these types of medication risks and to teach seniors and caregivers how to properly take and manage their medications. Our goal is to reduce these preventable and costly problems. Pharmacists who are specially trained in geriatrics can help older adults with those problems if they are happening, said Claudia Schlosberg, J.D., Director of Policy and Advocacy for ASCP.
75 percent of older adults take one or more prescription drugs a day and 25 percent take five or more medications on a regular basis according to Medco Drug Trends Report of 2008.
According to a study published in 2003 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, it is possible that close to two million adverse drug events occur each year among 38 million Medicare enrollees – more than a quarter of which are preventable. That adds up to almost half a million preventable adverse drug events each year for America s seniors. Further, according to the same study, as many as 180,000 life threatening or fatal adverse drug events occur each year in America s elderly population, and over half of those could be prevented.2 Close to home for many Americans, each year, an estimated one-third of older adults fall, often suffering injuries including fractured hips. No risk factor for falls is as potentially preventable or reversible as is medication use.3 Improper medication use can lead to dizziness and/or fatigue in many seniors, and can lead to a fall.
In addition to the physical costs incurred as a result of medication-related problems, financial costs also increase the need to better manage and understand medication use in our nation s senior care systems. It is estimated that medication-related problems cost our healthcare system over $200 billion, annually. With the anticipated exponential growth of adults over age 65, the financial and human costs of MRPs will continue to escalate. Without a shift in approach, preventable medication related problems will overwhelm an already overburdened healthcare system.
A More Effective Approach
Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to ensure the safe, effective and appropriate use of medication by older adults. The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists actively promotes the training and certification of pharmacists to provide effective geriatric care and Medication Management Therapy (MTM) specifically to address the problems of medication-related problems in the elderly and improving health care quality and cost effectiveness.
Many seniors and their caregivers, (often times their children), have begun to wonder why aging parents who take their medications are in fact feeling no better, and at times report feeling less than themselves. These seniors and their children/caregivers are now beginning to consult with pharmacists in hopes of finding answers. They understand the value of pharmacist provided medication therapy management. With a pharmacist s help, seniors can maximize the benefits of their medications, feel better, and often can reduce their own medication costs.
Say for example a medication that has a known side effect to interrupt the sleep-wake cycle is prescribed for a patient in the early stages of Alzheimer s. If this type of drug is prescribed, it actually works directly against an Alzheimer s drug the patient may already be taking. The question then becomes, How much benefit is that elderly patient getting from those medications? It s a frustration for the patient and for the caregiver. We need to educate the patient so that the patient and the caregiver become part of their pharmaceutical care, to make informed decisions about treating their conditions. The pharmacist is the one person who sees all of the medications prescribed for a patient and knows the risks from certain medication combinations. Consultant pharmacists can come up with a plan of action to remove some of the medications from the patient s system. The patient and caregiver can then take this suggestion back to their physician. We have been doing this in the long term care industry for years but nobody else knew it was available, nobody knew it was around. That s part of this campaign, to let people know that this service is available, said Charles Feucht, PharmD, Owner/Operator of Acadiana Consultant Pharmacy Service and President of the Louisiana Chapter of ASCP.
Throughout the next two years, ASCP s Campaign 2011 will educate and empower seniors and their caregivers to promote the appropriate, safe and effective use of medications as part of a healthy approach to senior living.
For more information about ASCP, Medication Management Therapy (MTM), or Campaign 2011, please visit: http://www.ascp.com.
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