Old age is not synonymous with illnesses but many illnesses can appear during old age. More than 70 per cent of elderly people above the age of 75 years will get treated by multiple doctors.
Hence there will be multiple medications. Some tips that could help while consulting a doctor and taking medicines are:
1. To avoid duplication of medicines, there should be a geriatric doctor or a family physician who could go into the details of each and every drug prescribed.
Studies have shown that more than 40 per cent of new illnesses in the elderly result from inappropriate use of drugs.
The names of the drugs prescribed may be different but the ingredients may be the same. The geriatric or family doctor could help tell whether there are duplicates and it is appropriate for their age.
2. Ethics for time spent with a doctor: many good doctors are busy and would have only three to five minutes for a patient. The elderly may visit for multiple ailments, and to remember all the advices and medications, it is good to get the help of a responsible person to accompany them.
There are situations when the patient may talk at length about irrelevant topics such as an uncaring child or an ill spouse. But this would take time and there won’t be a minute left to discuss the illness.
It’d be nice if the treatment is holistic and the elderly get emotional support. Note down on paper, very briefly the important points so that it’s not forgotten during the consultation.
3. Carry a separate handwritten list of all the current prescriptions by all the doctors and a box of all the drugs used, so at one glance a doctor can find out the medications. It is a challenge to go through numerous lab reports and prescriptions and find the correct list.
— The writer is a consultant in diabetes and geriatrics and was instrumental in starting the geriatric unit in Trivandrum Medical College
