Normal changes in aging and nursing implications of drug therapy.

Safe and effective pharmacotherapy of the elderly goes far beyond the mechanical safeguards for administering the right drug to the right patient at the right time. A broad knowledge of cell membrane dynamics as reviewed here and how they are related to the processes of drug disposition provide baseline data used for monitoring drug action and drug-user responses. However, each period of the life span has its own particular characteristics that may qualify expected drug response unless standard drug regimens area adjusted and individualized. Normal changes in body structure and function imposed by the aging process require special attention, for while the patient may be in a steady state, age-related reduction in range of homeostatic processes leads to varied levels of drug response and changed susceptibility to drug reactions. Appreciation of these qualifiers of pharmacotherapy can help to reduce the high incidence of drug-related illnesses in the aged.