Brain Top Off!

A recent UK survey has discovered that senior citizens are exposed to a high risk of accidentally taking combinations of prescription drugs that could be lethal. Pharmacists at Robert Gordon University recently surveyed close to 700 elderly people between the ages 78 to 86, who were living in assisted living home facilities, and found that just under 20 percent were being educated on taking their drugs. The survey found that half the patients were consuming at least five medications per day, with one in five consuming at least 12 prescriptions every day.

The survey also found that 14 percent of seniors were taking medications that were considered to be highly toxic, such as anti-inflammatory and blood pressure drugs that have high risks of dangerous side effects.

The survey’s findings suggested that the frequent changes made to elderly people’s prescription doses and instructions only increase the chance of fatal drug combinations.

“This research proves that elderly people are at risk of being harmed by potentially lethal mixtures of medicines,” Kim Munro, a pharmacist at Robert Gordon University said. “Most people probably aren’t aware that they are in any danger. Further evaluation of such interventions is absolutely necessary in this area, especially for those people with minimal social support.”

Mike Adams, a consumer health advocate and holistic nutritionist, said, “The elderly are dangerously overmedicated. Not only are these medications failing to address underlying health concerns, they’re actually destroying the health and function of vital organs like the liver, kidneys, heart, and brain. What elderly people need is real nutrition, not toxic combinations of synthetic chemicals that just happen to generate profits for the world’s most profitable and influential corporations.”

Jonathan Ellis, poly manager at Help the Aged, says many senior citizens are brought to the emergency room for adverse drug reactions, and at the hospital, the situation is often worsened because they continue to adjust the patients drug prescriptions.

FDA-approved drugs kill close to 100,000 Americans each year.

For more information, please visit Assisted Living.

Assisted living marketing services are provided by 800seniors.com a leading referral system in the assisted living industry. For more information, call 1-800-768-8221. Sky Palma is a freelance staff writer

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