In This Episode:
Dr. K talks with geriatrician Dr. Cara Tannenbaum about deprescribing, empowering older adults, and how to get off unneeded or risky medications. Dr. Tannenbaum holds a Professorship in Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Montreal and helped to found the Canadian Deprescribing Network. They discuss:
- Why it’s so common for older people to be on medications that could be deprescribed
- Why empower older adults to talk to their doctors about deprescribing
- How Dr. Tannenbaum developed the EMPOWER brochure, which resulted in 25% of participants being able to stop sedative medications such as lorazepam
- Common mistakes people make when they try to stop risky medications too quickly
- Which medications are especially important for seniors to consider deprescribing
- The six questions you should regularly ask your doctors about your medications
