Medicine taking by people aged 65 or more.

Older people consult their doctors less than younger people in relation to both their reported morbidity and their prescribed medication. Some of the large iceberg of symptoms among the elderly might respond to a modification of their current drug regimens. Assessments of medicine taking patterns among the elderly revealed various inadequacies in supervision and a substantial proportion of questionable prescribing. General practitioners were often unaware that elderly patients lived alone, or that they drank alcohol or drove--even when they were taking prescribed medicines for which drinking or driving were contraindicated. Just over a third of elderly people were taking prescribed medicines of which their general practitioners were apparently unaware. The way doctors prescribe for their elderly patients and supervise this prescribing is suggested as a suitable field for audit. The completeness of their records in relation to prescriptions, drinking, driving, and living alone is another possible area for study. So too is the home visiting of the very elderly, particularly those living alone.