70% of nursing home patients on wrong drugs

SEVEN out of 10 older people in nursing homes in Ireland are taking at least one inappropriately prescribed medicine, with almost one in five taking three or four unsuitable drugs, a study reveals.

For older people adverse drug reactions can leave them at a greater risk of falls and fractures, leading to extended hospitalisation.

Benzodiazepines, a sedative to reduce anxiety or stress, was the main drug inappropriately prescribed.