Quantitative reasoning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quantitative reasoning - Essay Example According to Thomas Day: â€Å"If adverse drug reactions were classified as a disease it would rank as the fifth leading cause of death in the United States.† (â€Å"About Medical Care for The Elderly†, n.d.) Elderly people consume nearly 30% of all drugs. This group of people takes drugs more than any other social group. Elderly people have many different problems with their health, that’s why they take medicine to relieve pain in different parts of body. One of the main problems for them is taking medicine. The interaction of drugs is the most dangerous. The average elderly person takes nearly three-four prescription medicine at a time. Sometimes people don’t understand that there are some side effects. The combination of drugs can be very necessary for effective treatment, but it needs special attention and care. Elderly people are more sensible to medicine than young ones are, because of the changes in functions of the organs such as kidneys, liver, etc. If there is too much medicine in the blood elderly people can face such side effects as memory loss, dizziness, retention of fluids, confusion, internal bleeding, sometimes even death. They are also more sensible to particular side effects. Dosage is very important. It must be taken into consideration that the level of dosage for young people won’t do for older ones. Usual doses and their frequencies are too high for them. Inappropriate dosage can be dangerous and cause many problems. But there are exceptions when older patient needs a high level of medications, for example, in case when resistance in the cells is being treated. Another problem is inobservance of dosage and its frequency by older people. Some of them take more than it is prescribed trying to recover faster, some neglect taking all necessary medicine in time or refuse to take it at all, some of them have problems with memory or confusion. That’s why it is extremely important for care