Symptoms, side-effects and senility (or, the health professional as a cause of dependency in old age)

Abstract

Many elderly people develop a multiplicity of physical and psychological problems in association with advancing age. It has become possible for the health professions to do a great deal to limit the extent of disability and improve the symptomatology, thus improving quality of life. Massive advances have taken place in the field of pharmacology and therapeutics. Many of the medicines utilised have untoward side-effects in the elderly; side-effects which are frequently not recognised timeously. A few of the side-effects are discussed in some detail and pleas are made for the judicious application of therapeutic schedules to problems in the elderly, recognising the dangers inherent in multiple prescribing.