Problem
The very old (85+ years) are the fastest growing section of society, in whom multimorbidity and polypharmacy are the norm. Previous research has informed our understanding of medication use in later life, however little is known about prescribing trends in the very old. The aim of this study is to characterise the longitudinal changes in medication use amongst the very old.
Approach
Longitudinal analyses of medication data amongst survivors will be analysed from waves 1-4 of the Newcastle 85+ Study. The Newcastle 85+ Study is a prospective cohort study of people living in North-East England, who were born in 1921.
Findings
Early findings will be presented through graphical representation.
Consequences
This work will provide a greater understanding of medication use in octogenarians as they become nonagenarians, and may help to highlight inappropriate prescribing patterns that could focus the deprescribing agenda.