Assignment 12: Geriatrics OTC Medication Use

Review the American Geriatrics Society article and interactive media piece in this week’s Learning Resources.
Select one of the following over-the-counter drugs commonly used by geriatric patients:
Antacids or acid suppressants
Antidiarrheal
Antihistamines
Antimicrobial ointments
Antispasmodics for the bladder
Cough suppressants
Laxatives
Neutraceuticals (choose one; e.g., ginseng, St. John’s wart, etc.)
Pain medications (choose one; e.g., acetaminophen, ibuprofen, rub-on pain ointments/patches, etc.)
Supplements (choose one; e.g., calcium, iron, etc.)
Vaginal creams
Research the over-the-counter drug you selected. Visit a local pharmacy and explore the types/varieties of the drug that are available. Reflect on the ingredients in each type/variety, including additional active ingredients.
Consult with the pharmacist about the ingredients in each type/variety, including how to make safe and effective clinical decisions in relation to this drug. Discuss potential interactions in frail elders and precautions related to the drug based on Beers Criteria. If one is available, you may consult with a pharmacist at your practicum site as an alternative to visiting a pharmacy.
Consider ways to educate elders about the OTC drug you selected.
By Day 5
Post a PowerPoint presentation that addresses the following:

Describe the over-the-counter drug that you selected.
Identify the types/varieties of the drug that are available. Describe the ingredients in each type/variety including additional active ingredients.
Explain the key information that you need to know about this OTC drug to make safe and effective clinical decisions. Include potential interactions in frail elders and describe any precautions related to the drug based on Beers Criteria.
Explain how you would educate elders about the OTC drug you selected.

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You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.