Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-27gpq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T05:22:35.810Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Poisoning among older people with dementia: a wake up call

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 September 2015

Christopher D. Etherton-Beer*
Affiliation:
Western Australian Centre for Health & Ageing, Centre for Medical Research and School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Royal Perth Hospital and University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia

Extract

Medical care can be both “a blessing and a curse”. The contributions of medicines to increased human lifespan and falling mortality from the major cardiovascular diseases are undisputed. However, in lockstep with remarkable extension of human lifespan has been increase in the numbers of people living with chronic age related neurodegenerative conditions and frailty. In frail, multi-morbid populations, with limited homeostatic reserve and life expectancy, the balance between the risk and harms of medicines can be in equipoise. In this context the number of older people living with dementia is increasing, and understanding threats to the quality of life of people with dementia is of growing significance. Among the myriad potential causes of harm to older people with dementia, in this issue of the journal Mitchell and colleagues present new Australian data reminding us of the importance of admissions due to both intentional and unintentional poisoning.

Type
Commentary paper of the month
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ropper, A. H. (2012). The “poison chair” treatment for multiple sclerosis. New England Journal of Medicine, 367, 1149–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar