In six pages this paper examines the complex problems caused by the polypharmacy concept as it pertains to elderly people. Six sources are cited in the bibliography.
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face and asked "what?" Carol then laughed and pointed at the souvenir shot-glass her mother had used as a container for the pills. "Well, since I havent had a drink
in years, I figured Id find a use for these," she answered. "If the shot glass is empty it means I remembered to take my pills and so I dont
have to worry about." "Oh, cmon Mom . . . .you dont take that many," Carol responded. "I guess youre right, on a good day I only take 18
but on a bad day it can be as many as 22. Im not like Helen . . . shes up to at least that many different pills on one
of her good days and Mildred takes more than that plus her insulin! I just want to make sure I keep them straight." Carol was stunned. And yet, she shouldnt
be. Her mother has minor heart problems, neuralgia that has essentially paralyzed one leg, severe arthritis, pernicious anemia, gastrointestinal problems, allergies (which she treats with an over-the-counter medicine), and a
tendency toward sinus infections, and a great deal of chronic pain. Her "polypharmacy" is what allows her to lead as normal a life as is possible for an 80-year-old with
her various health conditions. What is Polypharmacy? McCloskey (2002) quotes Chester B. Good, MD, MPH, who says that there is "... no consistent definition of polypharmacy in
the literature and that many authors define it simply as the use of five or six medications. However, polypharmacy is much more complex than just the number of medications a
patient uses" (pp. 237). Furthermore, when considered in the context of elderly patients, McCloskey (who is both a pharmacist and the manager of the Diabetes Center at the Baylor Medical