When I accompanied my 85-year-old father to a doctor's appointment not long ago, his primary care physician brushed off his complaints about chronic back pain, as well as my observations about his failing memory and balance problems. It's normal at his age, he told me. When asked about the 14 different medications and supplements he's on, the PCP quickly scanned several pages in the electronic record but decided not to make any changes since other specialists prescribed them for good reason. He mentioned that he wasn't comfortable overruling another physician, though he also wouldn't take any action on his own, like supplying him with a walker.
My dad, sadly, is not the only elderly patient to take so many medications — and to have his doctor dismiss his concerns about them with a shrug. The problems start early in the drug treatment process: Frequently excluded from clinical trials are the very older adults the medications are meant to help — and whose changing physiology causes them to metabolize drugs differently. Similarly, some doctors fail to recognize when standard medication doses are only appropriate for much younger patients.
More ….
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/doctors-are-ageist-it-s-harming-older-patients-ncna1022286
