Senior Healthcare: "Ageism" and Drug Side Effects
According to Dr. Jerry Avorn, M.D., the elderly face a double jeopardy from drug side effects-they are more likely to get them and the side effects are more likely to go unrecognized. "'Ageism' is the tendency to attribute all sorts of problems-such as fatigue, depression, incontinence, forgetfulness, or unsteadiness on the feet-in elderly people to the process of getting old. In fact, not one of these problems is part of the normal aging problems." Dr. Avorn goes on to say that the new onset of any symptom can be the side effect of a medication and can often be remedied by simply bringing it to the attention of your physician.
So what can be done to avoid ageism in senior care? If you are experiencing unusual symptoms, don't be so quick to chalk it up to old age. Getting older may, in some cases, mean more health issues, but not necessarily. In fact, healthy aging may not have any side effects or symptoms. Here are some tips on how to avoid ageism:
- The best advice is to ask your doctor. Describe your symptoms and be sure to note whether or not you feel that it may not be associated with aging.
- If you start taking a new medication or alter your diet, document it. Keep a medical journal so you can reference it and identify whether or not your symptoms began before or after your change, and how long they lasted.
- Practice describing how you feel and getting in touch with your body. If something hurts, in what way does it hurt and how much? Does it feel like a sharp pain or just an aching? Is it consistent or on and off? Does it occur at the same time each day or sporadically?
Do you have any tips and tricks that you use to document and describe new symptoms? Share them here!