We all know about the rising costs of health care, and how expensive prescription medicines can be, especially for seniors. But do you know how much it can cost if you don’t properly take your medications?
According to government estimates, each year in the United States more than 125,000 people die from a failure to properly take their medications, adding approximately $100 billion in preventable additional hospitalization, emergency room, and repeat physician visit costs to the health care system. At least 10% of all hospital admissions are a result of this problem. For seniors, the statistics are particularly alarming:
- Up to 23% of nursing home admissions may be due to an elderly person’s inability to self-manage her prescription medications at home.
- Over 21% of all drug-related health complications are caused by patients failing to adhere to their medication regimens, whether by accident, negligence, or intent.
- 58% of all seniors make some kind of error when taking their medications, with 26% making mistakes with potentially serious consequences.
- In studies of elderly patients on long-term cholesterol-lowering statin therapy, researchers found that 57% had stopped taking them after 6 months, and 74% had stopped by the end of five years.
This article continues at The Importance Of Taking Medications