Bay State College Hosts APTA of MA's Geriatric Special Interest Group

On Wed, Mar 2nd, Bay State College hosted the APTA of MA's geriatric special interest group.  Jazmin Turner, PharmD, presented on polypharmacy in the geriatric patient.  Polypharmacy is a growing issue affecting the geriatric population and it can have many far-reaching effects such as medication non-adherence, drug interactions, declines in functional status, cognitive impairment, and falls. Adverse effects of medications are often misattributed to signs of aging and polypharmacy can go unaddressed. The newly updated Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults was reviewed as was the role physical therapists/physical therapist assistants have in addressing polypharmacy. 

Patrick Shepard, PTA student '16, attended the event and said "I took away a lot that can be applied when treating patients on multiple medications. I gained respect for further understanding the vast complexity of polypharmacy in the geriatric population and what implications it presents prior to and when treating a patient."

Jazmin Turner is a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Resident with Northeastern University and Elder Service Plan. She currently manages the anticoagulation service, completes consults and home visits, teaches at Northeastern, and helps precept sixth year pharmacy students. Her practice interests include ambulatory care, geriatrics, health literacy, and academia. Jazmin received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Rutgers University in 2015.