Seniors Elderly spend 19% of income on medical care In the April 2000 issue of Journal of Gerontology, comes an article showing that the elderly spend a large portion of their income for medical services.  The study showed these expenses to include out-of-pocket expenses such as health insurance premiums, medical co-payments, and prescriptions, with more than half of these payments going toward prescription drugs and dental care.  The lead author, Stephen Crystal, chairman of the Division on Aging of the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research at Rutgers University summed up the findings with a comment, "Nineteen percent is fairly burdensome for the average elderly person, but the figures are even worse for those in the lowest income levels, for those with chronic health problems and for the oldest of the old."  Probably the largest portion of that expense is prescription drugs. According to the study, prescribed medication costs have grown to account for 33.9%, more than one-third, of the overall-all out-of-pocket expenses for the elderly.  Presently, there is a push for coverage of prescription drugs by various programs that cover the elderly.  The fears are that if coverage is obtained both the price and amount of drugs prescriptions will increase. Older Americans visiting doctors more often A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in Reuters Health July 17, 2001, reported that older Americans are visiting their doctors 22% more often than they did in the mid-1980s, and doctors are prescribing more drugs.  According to the CDC's survey of physicians, office visits increased 19% between 1985 and 1999. Americans aged 65 and older increased their rate of doctor visits to about six times per year. Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan, director of the CDC, stated,  "The aging of our population has had a major impact on ambulatory medical care in this country.  As the oldest patients make up a larger proportion of the patients seen in a doctor's office, the doctor must be prepared to meet their unique needs, including monitoring multiple prescriptions and providing the best advice for promoting a healthy life and preventing disease and disability." Unfortunately, elderly patients are more likely to be heavily medicated than the rest of the population.  According to  Medscape Pharmacotherapy, 2000, there are an alarming number of cases of elderly overmedication, which can often lead to delirium and dementia.   It is estimated that medications contribute to 22% to 39% of all cases of delirium.  A recent study involving older hospitalized adults found that the most likely primary cause of delirium in their study population was medication use. Seniors: Are they being over-medicated? From the University of Buffalo comes an article that raises questions and concerns about the amount of medications taken by senior citizens.  Dr. Wayne K. Anderson, Dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences states, "Different physicians use different drugs to treat different conditions, and some of these drugs interact, in some cases exacerbating the side effects of other drugs that are being taken for other conditions." Anderson estimates that senior citizens in the United States age 65 and older take an average of six to eight prescription drugs daily.  His response is, "That is probably too many. Proper pharmaceutical therapy management probably could cut in half the number of drugs most senior citizens now are taking so the amount of money they are spending is reduced and the quality of their lives is much improved." Anderson also notes that a person taking eight drugs can expect at least one drug interaction that will have a negative effect on his health.  Additionally he noted that the American Association of Consultant Pharmacists suggest that 25 percent of admissions to nursing homes result from failed drug regimens, noncompliance by patients, drug interactions, inappropriate medications being prescribed for certain conditions and the lack of good therapeutic monitoring. Dr. Andersons answer to this problem is "proper pharmaceutical therapy management."  From a chiropractic perspective the answer seems obvious. Healthier seniors will just naturally need less medications. Chiropractic has always focused on removing interference to the functions of the nervous system and therefore allowing people to function better.  Millions of senior citizens already know this approach makes sense and works for them. Top / Back
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