A 95 year old female has recently entered a hospice program. Whenever a patient is enrolled in hospice, it is very important to assess the medication regimen and identify medications that are no longer necessary. Quality of life is the top goal when a patient is on...
Start low and go slow is a great phrase to think about in the elderly. While this mantra shouldn’t always apply, it is very helpful to consider when working with geriatric patients. I want you to really think about “start low and go slow” and when this would and...
This is often one of the most challenging questions in geriatrics: When should we discontinue statins in the elderly? I’ve been asked this question several times, and there are a lot of factors that go into my assessment as to whether a statin should be...
It is really hard to narrow down a list of thousands of drugs to 5. Right or wrong, I did it. I based my subjective list upon frequency of use, highest risk for medication errors, significance when an error occurs, drug interactions, and risk of hospitalization....
I’ve had the opportunity to work at over 50+ different healthcare facilities. I’ve had the unfortunate opportunity to deal with my fair share of diversion and potential diversion cases. It’s not fun. Drug diversion can get complex, but there are...
I can’t say thank you enough to all the aids, nurses and others who help take care of those who cannot care for themselves. This has really been in and out my mind the last few weeks and I can’t quite shake it…I was working at a facility at one of...
