While there aren’t necessarily bad drugs, for elderly patients there are significant risks. Medication errors and drug toxicity occur regularly in up to 59% of hospitalized patients. In addition 31% of all hospital admissions in the elderly are the result of adverse drug affects. Drug toxicity is the 4th leading cause of death ahead of pulmonary disease, motor vehicle accidents, and AIDS. This video can help caregivers and patients be safe when it comes to “bad drugs,” medication errors, and drug toxicity. 

Presenter: Dr. Lyssa Ochoa
Strokes affect almost 800,000 people every year, but the good news is that 80% of strokes can be prevented. In this video Dr. Lyssa Ochoa talks all about strokes, including what they are, what causes them, and how to recognize them. She also reviews risk factors, symptoms, and treatment options, and how to reduce your risk of stroke. All About Strokes is an informative and helpful video for people of all ages, including seniors and caregivers.

Oftentimes, in the process of aging, encouragement is needed to feel our best. In this inspirational video, seniors share their favorite things about aging, including the freedom to volunteer, make choices, and be happy about those choices. 

As people age, mobility becomes a concern. This video provides an overview of assistive devices so seniors and their caregivers can use them with greater confidence. Types of devices, gait belts, adjustments, and safety during transfer are addressed, along with corrections for many of the common mistakes people make when using assistive devices. 

Older adults become more susceptible to serious diseases as they age. Based on this, immunizations are an important consideration for older adults and their caregivers. Some adults have never been vaccinated for vaccine preventable diseases, or if they have, the immunizations have faded over the years. Some vaccines were simply not available in the past. In this video, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health Department gives seniors and caregivers information about adult immunizations and vaccine preventable diseases.

Acure Care for Elders Units, known as ACE units, are uniquely designed to meet the specific needs of older adults with trained staff and special floors, lighting and furniture. These factors dramatically improve health outcomes and decrease hospital-related complications for our older adults. In this video, Dr. Parker and Dr. Suh, both geriatricians, present what to expect when loved ones are admitted to ACE Units, the advantages of ACE Units, and the importance of ACE units in meeting the needs of this special population. 

Dementia takes various forms in patients, and each form has different psychological patterns of loss, hallmark features, diagnosis, and treatments. In this video, Dr. Jason Schillerstrom explains the differences in dementia syndromes, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and Lewy body dementia.

 Presenter: Dr. Jason Schillerstrom

When caring for someone elderly, understanding and managing their medications is crucial to their well-being - because often medications and seniors don’t mix. It is crucial to be aware of both the dosages, side effects, drug interactions, high risk drugs for seniors, potential complications with certain medications, including herbal supplements and over-the-counter drugs. Here, Carrie Allen, a specialist in geriatric pharmacy, helps caregivers understand polypharmacy and health to manage medications for seniors safely and with confidence.