Aspirin Use for Older Adults Should be Doctor-Directed

How important is the use of Aspirin in seniors?

If you feel a senior relative or close one is starting to take medications irregularly, encourage them to visit the doctor and accompany them if you can. If not, make sure they are accompanied by someone trusted or a Phoenix professional caregiver.

Medical doctors can determine if seniors are taking medications properly and regularly. Updated recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force say aspirin should be used by older men to prevent heart attacks and older women to prevent strokes, but once senior citizens reach age 80 it may become too risky to continue aspirin therapy due to the increased threat of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

Patients and clinicians should consider risk factors - including age, gender, diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, smoking and risk of gastrointestinal bleeding - before deciding whether to use aspirin to prevent heart attacks or strokes, according to these new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The Task Force could not find clear evidence that the benefits of using aspirin outweigh the risks in people 80 years or older.

These recommendations, published in a recent issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, do not apply to people who have already had a heart attack or stroke.  So it would be best for seniors to discuss whether continued aspirin usage would be good for his health.

If you have a senior relative who is having trouble remembering to take medications, two suggestions may help.  First, ask his or her doctor about a pill organizer.  These are tools that can hold pills and are organized by days so that seniors can easily remember if they have taken their medications.  Also, why not ask if he or she would consider companionship assistance.