Is My Elderly Loved One Overmedicated?

Client Care Assistant
2 hours ago
5 min read

Are you asking this question?

More and more people are.

Older adults in the U.S. are being prescribed more medications than ever before, and it’s creating a silent health crisis for families. Many seniors take five, eight, or even ten medications at the same time, often prescribed by different doctors who may not be coordinating care. In fact, a recent analysis found that roughly one in six older adults on Medicare’s drug benefit is prescribed eight or more medications simultaneously. The result? Increased risk of confusion, falls, hospitalizations, and loss of independence.

For caregivers and adult children, this can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re already juggling appointments, paperwork, and worry.

Polypharmacy: A Growing Problem

Polypharmacy refers to the use of multiple medications at the same time, usually five or more. While many prescriptions are medically necessary, the more drugs a person takes the greater the risk of adverse interactions, side effects, and diminished quality of life. Polypharmacy has increased significantly over time. Today, more than four in ten adults 65 and older now take five or more prescription drugs, and nearly one in five take ten or more.

Is My Elderly Loved One Overmedicated? Why This Question Matters

Age-related illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, and arthritis frequently require medications. Each new medication adds a layer of complexity, and medications that help one condition can make another worse. When sedatives, pain relievers, blood pressure drugs, and sleep aids are combined, they can cause problems, such as:

Dizziness and falls
Memory problems
Fatigue and depression
Emergency room visits

Seniors metabolize drugs differently than younger adults, and aging kidneys, liver, and nervous systems can make even standard doses dangerous. Older adults are far more vulnerable to side effects than younger patients.

To make matters worse, older adults often see several specialists who may not communicate with one another, leading to overlapping or conflicting prescriptions. Medication lists are rarely reviewed comprehensively.

When Medication Becomes a Danger

Overmedication isn’t just a clinical concern. It can have major consequences for independence, safety, and cognitive clarity. Adverse drug reactions among older adults send hundreds of thousands to emergency rooms each year and contribute to falls, confusion, and accidental injuries. In many cases, the drugs intended to help may end up harming overall health.

“If you’re a family caregiver, it’s hard to know what to do when a loved one becomes less themselves, not because of an underlying disease, but because their medication cocktail is wreaking havoc,” says Hailey Brock, attorney and owner of Kimbrough Law. “It’s important to recognize the legal authority you have to ask questions about care so you can advocate for your loved one.”

The Beers Criteria

This isn’t a new issue. In fact, there’s a list called the Beers Criteria (often called the Beers List), a gold-standard guide created by the American Geriatrics Society that identifies medications that are potentially inappropriate or risky for older adults, especially those with dementia, fall risk, or kidney problems. It includes many drugs that cause:

Confusion
Sedation
Falls
Worsening memory
Dangerous drug interactions

Though many healthcare providers have heard of the Beers List, far fewer actually use it consistently in day-to-day care.

Why?

First, most primary care doctors, hospitalists, and specialists get very limited training in geriatrics. In medical school and residency, they are trained to treat diseases, not how medications behave differently in aging bodies.

Second, the Beers Criteria is taught, but often briefly, and then forgotten in the rush of real-world medicine. Once doctors enter practice:

They are under time pressure
They see patients in 10 to15-minute slots
They rely heavily on computerized prescribing systems
They often assume another doctor is “handling” the medication list

The result? No one is really responsible for stepping back and saying:

“Is this entire medication cocktail still safe for this 78-year-old with memory problems and fall risk?”

Specialists make it worse. A cardiologist may prescribe one drug, a psychiatrist another drug, a neurologist yet another drug, and a sleep doctor still another. Each specialist is acting reasonably within their silo, but no one is looking at the whole picture.

The Beers List is designed for exactly that purpose, but unless someone is specifically trained in geriatrics or pharmacy, the Beers List often doesn’t get applied.

You owe it to yourself to get educated. To view the Beers List, go here or visit https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jgs.18372.

How Legal Planning Intersects with Medication Management

Medication oversight intersects with decision-making capacity, consent, and caregiving authority, all of which are legal questions as much as medical ones.

When older adults can’t clearly speak for themselves or coordinate their own care, families need the right tools to step in.

Some examples:

A Health Care Power of Attorney
Advance Directives
Authority to speak with doctors, hospitals, and pharmacists

These legal instruments empower trusted decision-makers to work with doctors, care teams, and pharmacists to review medications, request comprehensive medication assessments, and act when a prescription regimen is harmful.

Without these legal tools, even the most loving family member may be blocked from asking questions, requesting reviews, or advocating for changes.

“Too many families wait until a hospitalization or a fall before they think about the legal tools they need,” says Robin Lacrimosa, Kimbrough Law’s Life Care Coordinator.“Proactive care planning always includes legal planning, which allows a family caregiver to advocate for changing or eliminating prescriptions when necessary.”

What You Can Do Right Now

If you are concerned about a loved one’s prescription medications, here are four simple steps to take.

Ask for a Full Medication Review

Request an annual or semi-annual review from a geriatrician or pharmacist who specializes in older adults. Ask them to review all prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and supplements together. This can uncover drugs that are no longer needed or that interact negatively with others.

Ask about the Beers List

If you have a loved one over 65, especially one with dementia, falls, or multiple prescriptions, it is completely appropriate to ask:

“Are any of these medications on the Beers list?”

That one question often changes the entire conversation.

Most general providers are not ignoring safety; they’re just not trained to prioritize it in aging bodies. And that’s why family advocacy matters so much.

Keep One Master Medication List

Include prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and supplements. Bring it to every appointment and hospital visit. Share it with every provider your loved one sees. This prevents duplication and dangerous interactions. To make things easier for you, we’ve created a form that you can use to track medication for yourself or a loved one. Download it here.

Empower a Legal Decision-Maker

Make sure your loved one has a durable power of attorney for health care and a Georgia Advance Directive for Healthcare so their wishes and safety remain central. This is the best way to make sure someone has the legal right to speak up, ask questions, and protect your loved one’s health and wishes.

You Don’t Have to Navigate This Alone

Overmedication is one of the most overlooked risks in aging, but it’s also one of the most preventable when families have the right medical and legal support.

If you’re caring for an aging parent or loved one, now is the time to: