An informational event for senior citizens regarding the safe use of medication was organized by the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Health, Prolepsis, on Thursday, June 4th 2009, at the Municipal Day Care Centre for the Elderly of N. Erithrea. The event was kindly sponsored by the National Bank of Greece.
Medication use is a major health issue that senior citizens have to deal with every day. Senior citizens' prescriptions make up 40% of the total medication prescribed. Moreover, the majority of elderly people don't follow the guidelines for safe medication use while 15%-25% of medication use by seniors is considered unnecessary or inappropriate. In addition, the side-effects of some of the medications and non-adherence to physician's directions are the reasons for 28% of all senior citizens' hospital admissions.
The European project "Alpha-to-Omega- New pathways towards volunteering and life learning for senior European citizens", which Prolepsis Institute implemented, aims to develop and implement educational methodology and material for the elderly, including the issue of improper use of medication by seniors. More specifically, by highlighting the importance of prevention, the educational material aims to provide information about the consequences of improper drug use, as well as basic guidelines for the proper use of prescription medication.
Approximately 50 senior citizens participated actively in the event offering their questions and comments. Ms Efi Koutsi, the president of the Municipal Day Care Centre for the Elderly of N. Erithrea, gave the opening speech and emphasized the importance of prevention for senior citizens. Following Ms Koutsi, the main speaker of the event, Dr. Eleni Patrozou, Internist-Infectious Disease Specialist, presented the basic guidelines that need to be followed when taking medication. Dr. Patrozou, offered numerous examples, such as not to skip doses, not to consume alcohol throughout the treatment, not to take medication without a doctor's prescription, etc. In addition, she presented practical advice on more effective scheduling of medication use by senior citizens, including writing down all medication being consumed and constant renewal of the weekly or daily pill boxes. Finally, Dr. Patrozou stressed the importance of communication between the seniors and their doctors. Specifically, she highlighted that the seniors must always inform their doctor about any other medication they may be taking at the same time, possible allergies and other disorders they may have, and always have their medical record and prescription books with them during their doctor visits.
Prolepsis Institute has organized similar events regarding the prevention of accidents and the proper use of medication for senior citizens in the Municipalities of Keratea and Argiroupoli. Both events were attended by a large and enthusiastic audience of the members of the Municipal Day Care Centers for the Elderly of the aforementioned Municipalities.
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Safe Use of Medication: An Informational Event 
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