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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| The role of family caregivers and inappropriate medication use in the community-dwelling older adults with dementia | | Author(s) | Helen Lavretsky |
| Journal title | Aging Health, vol 8, no 5, October 2012 |
| Pages | pp 457-460 |
| Source | http://www.futuremedicine.com/loi/ahe |
| Keywords | Dementia ; Family care ; Drugs ; At risk. |
| Annotation | The risk of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM), both prescription and over-the-counter use, in dementia patients is high. Furthermore informal caregivers often facilitate patients' use of such medications. The aim of this study was to examine PIM use in dementia patients and caregivers, and identify caregiver risk factors for PIM use in dementia patients. The authors conducted a secondary data analysis of the baseline wave of the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver's Health study. The sample comprised 566 persons with dementia aged 65 years and older and their co-residing family caregiver. PIM was defined using the 2003 Beers criteria and was examined in both dementia patients and their caregivers. Caregiver and patient risk factors included a range of sociodemographic and health variables. In dementia patients, 33% were taking at least one PIM and 39% of their caregivers were also taking a PIM. In fully adjusted models, the following caregiver factors were associated with an increased risk of dementia patient PIM use: caregiver's own PIM use, spouse caregivers, Hispanic caregivers and greater number of years that the caregiver had lived in the USA. Increased caregiver age was associated with a decreased risk of PIM use in patients. PIM use may be higher in dementia patients and their informal caregivers compared with the general older adult population. Furthermore patterns of medication use in one member of the dyad may influence PIM risk in the other dyad member. These results suggest that interventions to increase appropriate medication use in dementia patients and their caregivers should target both members of the dyad and target over-the-counter agents along with prescription medications. (JL). |
| Accession Number | CPA-121102216 A |
| Classmark | EA: P6:SJ: LLD: CA3 |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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