Perspective               

Rural Elders Taking Fewer Medicines and Smaller Doses Than Prescribed

According to a study of older men and women in North Carolina published in The Gerontologist, high drug costs caused 44 percent of older rural adults to take less medicine than prescribed by their doctors. About 30 percent of rural older adults said that they had a little or some difficulty and 14 percent said they had a great deal of difficulty paying for their prescription drugs or paying the annual deductible for the Medicaid prescription drug benefit.

The study found that these older adults dealt with the high cost of their drugs in several ways. About 17 percent bought part of a prescription instead of all of it, 15 percent took less medicine than prescribed to make it last longer, and 19 percent asked their doctors for free samples. Rural older adults were also more likely to mismanage their drug usage if they were African-American, younger, in poorer mental health, or had more acute-care doctor visits, regardless of income.

If you are having trouble paying for your prescriptions, call your Senators and Representatives in Congress and let them know. Also, find out if you are eligible for prescription drug assistance from your state by calling your State Health Insurance Assistance Program, or SHIP. The number is listed in Medicare and You.

_________________________________