Seniors in New Jersey, like many across the country, often manage several chronic conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, or arthritis, resulting in multiple prescriptions. This situation, called polypharmacy, heightens the potential for side effects, drug interactions, falls, mental fog, hospital stays, and diminished daily functioning. New Jersey residents can take charge by staying proactive, using state-specific resources, and collaborating with local healthcare professionals to keep prescriptions safe, necessary, and minimal.
As people grow older, bodily changes slow how medications are processed, due to declining kidney and liver function plus alterations in body composition. New Jersey seniors face amplified risks from excessive or mismatched drugs, which can spark interactions or a prescribing cascade where side effects lead to more prescriptions. The American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria serves as a vital guide, flagging higher-risk options for those 65 and older—like certain sleep aids, muscle relaxers, particular antihypertensives, or prolonged use of some pain or diabetes medications.
Create a comprehensive log of all substances consumed daily, encompassing:
Record details such as generic/brand names, strengths, dosing schedules, intended uses, and prescribing clinicians. Revise it after doctor visits, hospital discharges, or regimen shifts. Carry a copy or store it on a mobile device for appointments. This practice uncovers overlaps, flags concerns, and strengthens conversations with providers—especially useful when accessing New Jersey's Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD) or Senior Gold programs, which include enhanced drug utilization reviews to catch interactions or duplications.
Seek a full review of your drug profile at least yearly, or sooner following events like a fall, hospital admission, or new condition. Take all medication containers to the session for a detailed check, often referred to as a "brown bag" review. Direct specific inquiries to your doctor or pharmacist:
Leverage pharmacists for interaction screening, and explore geriatric specialists through New Jersey providers like Hackensack Meridian Health's geriatrics division. Local Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) across the state's 21 counties can connect you to related support services, including information on wellness and medication safety programs.
Using a single pharmacy enables the team to oversee your complete medication history, identify risks promptly, and offer steady advice. This streamlined method minimizes mistakes from prescriptions filled at various spots—particularly helpful for those enrolled in PAAD or Senior Gold, where state oversight includes safeguards against harmful interactions and excessive therapy durations.
Participate actively in healthcare choices. For any proposed new drug, ask:
Refrain from independent changes to prescriptions, but express issues about too many pills, troubling reactions, or excessive drowsiness. New Jersey's Division of Aging Services resources, including the toll-free hotline at 1-800-792-9745, offer guidance on prescription programs and related concerns.
Monitor shifts such as imbalance, clouded thinking, heavy fatigue, unusual weakness, repeated falls, appetite drops, or emerging issues possibly linked to drugs. Share these promptly with your care team—they may prompt necessary tweaks or deprescribing.
Streamline where you can. Adopt pill organizers, align doses with routines like meals, or use digital reminders. Store items in a dry, temperate location, and safely return expired ones through pharmacy programs or community collections available in New Jersey.
By remaining knowledgeable, diligent with records, and communicative—while tapping into New Jersey-specific aids like PAAD, Senior Gold, and county Area Agencies on Aging—seniors can greatly cut overmedication dangers. Teaming up with physicians, pharmacists, family, and state services ensures treatments bolster well-being, preserve independence, and enhance everyday vitality. Prioritize safety, mobility, and enjoyment in the Garden State.
