Assisted Living and Medication Management

 

Project Investigators:

Project PI: Miguel Zuniga, PhD

Senior Investigator: Catherine Hawes, PhD; Charles Phillips, PhD.

 

Project Overview:

The elderly bare burdens of chronic diseases and experience a decrease in physiologic tolerance to prescription and non-prescription drugs. Using data collected from the ASPE Assisted Living for the Frail Elderly National Study (Hawes, Phillips, 1999), this research project will analyze patterns of medication use among assisted living residents in rural and non-rural areas. Drug categories will also be used according to Beers et al. criteria, to assess drug-drug interactions as well as drug-age inappropriateness (Beers 1997). Activities of Daily living (ADLs) and cognitive scores of residents identified as having drug-age and drug-drug interactions will be compared to residents free of potentially adverse interactions. Findings will be disseminated by publication in both pharmaceutical and geriatric/gerontology peer-reviewed journals.

 

Project Funding Source:

Office of Rural Health Policy

 

Project Term:

September 2002-August 31, 2003

 

Project Reports:

 

Zuniga, M.A., Barron, K.L., Hawes, C, Choi, M., Cooper, C., Phillips, C.D., Wilson, J.  2005.  A National Study Comparing Resident Medication Use in Rural and Non-rural Assisted Living Facilities.  College Station, TX: Southwest Rural Health Research Center, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center. REQUEST A COPY