Ask Dr Miriam

QWe have just settled my mum into a care home. For the first time, we looked at the tablets she was taking. We could hardly believe she was taking 11 different kinds and none of us are sure that she’ll have her medications supervised there. We’re all really worried. A You’re right to be concerned. A report has shown many elderly people are taking pointless pills and could stop taking them without doing harm. A leading UK

pharmacist has said that high-street pharmacists could go into care homes and sort this problem. Hundreds of thousands of older people need to go to hospital because of the side effects of drugs they often didn’t need. Some older people might no longer be able to swallow pills they’ve been taking for years or might be taking them at the wrong time of the day. So insist that a local pharmacist reviews your mum’s medication.