Impact of Polypharmacy on Symptoms and Health Outcomes in Older Adults With and Without Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.

Background: There is a critical gap in understanding the symptom experience and health outcomes of older adults with and without Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias (ADRD) and polypharmacy (PPY). The primary aim of the study was to compare the number of symptoms experienced over time in older adults with and without ADRD by polypharmacy status. The secondary aim was to examine the trajectory of physical function and health outcomes over time in each group.

The Source of Purchased Medications and Its Impact on Medication Mistakes and Hospitalizations.

Older adults self-administer prescribed medication regimens to treat chronic diseases, which can lead to mismanagement, medication-related harm, and hospitalization. Using the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) dataset, we examined the extent to which the medication source could impact the occurrence of self-reported medication mistakes and hospitalizations in community-dwelling adults aged ≥65 years who managed medications independently ( = 3,899). The majority (65%) picked up medications, 18% had medications delivered, and 17% used both methods.